Million Bayonets in a Historical Black Church

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bishop Theo Frazier, Bishop King Dr. Eddie C. Welbon, phone (415) 504-7813 Fax (415) 504-7813 Cell (415) 999-8809 email: Globalinternational98 [at] hotmail.com


A MILLION BAYONETS IN A HISTORICAL BLACK CHURCH

Hayward, CA-Feb. 1, 2007… On the eve of Black History Month, a tempest in a teapot is brewing in Oakland, CA. A County Judge has decided to wave in on a factional church dispute with a million bayonets, state police power. Mt. Zion Spiritual Temple is a historical Black hierarchical religious institution in Oakland founded 1945 by renowned visionary bishop, and gifted musician, the Late “His Grace” King Dr. Louis H. Naricisse. King Narcisse passed in 1989 without a successor to the throne. For 16 years, the institution has been without a succeeding king until April 28, 2005 when Dr. Eddie C. Welbon of San Francisco was chosen to succeed him in title and position. Since King Narcisse’s death, the courts have stayed clear of a factional dispute within the church over its leadership and real estate holdings until Judge Cecilia Castellanos decided to enter the fray on behalf of a small faction of former church members that oppose “His Grace” King Dr. Eddie C. Welbon causing a religious rights crisis, and church members are enraged. One thing that makes this situation incredibly interesting is that for over a hundred years it has been fundamentally accepted that the First and Fourteenth Amendment of the Federal Constitution and their counterpart in the California Constitution imposes limitations on jurisdiction of civil courts over the internal affairs and administration of religious institutions. Another thing that makes this case even more interesting and explosive is that just prior to Judge Castellanos assuming jurisdiction over the church matters. King Welbon and Prince Ray Bullock, the church’s tribunal chief justice as “Good Samaritans” became embroiled in a case that involved a landowning Black family fight for their land in Judge Castellanos’ courtroom. The family had charged that Judge Castellanos’ courtroom was a footstool for land grabbing valuable real properties from Blacks. The family claimed that Judge Castellanos had no jurisdiction over the matter and that the probate court had continuing jurisdiction. The case became so emotionally charged that Judge Castellanos had an ailing family elder jailed in Santa Rita County Jail without his life sustaining medicine. She then slapped the elder with a bizarre default judgment with damages totally almost half a million dollars for the value of a portion of the families real estate holdings that was sold by orders of the probate court. Judge Castellanos found that the properties disappeared, and the elder made them disappear. On January 9, 2007, Judge Castellanos promised to issue an order that would permanently enjoin King Welbon and Prince Bullock from representing Mt. Zion Spiritual Temple. Another even bigger problem with the Judge Castellanos’ proceeding with a case against King Welbon, and Prince Bullock is that the plaintiff, the complaining party, had dropped out of the case and refused to attend trial. Counsel for the absent plaintiff forged her name on a court document to move the case along. On January 19, 2007, Judge Castellanos conceded that she had in fact exceeded her jurisdiction and that she had no jurisdiction over the Black family’s real estate holdings. She dismissed that bizarre default judgment based on disappearances against the elder for the lack of jurisdiction, but refused to apologize to them or the elder for unjustly jailing him and unnecessarily endangering his life. But, Judge Castellanos has vowed to strip the family’s “Good Samaritans” of their religious positions and titles within the church. She has sent her bayonets to close down the church’s bank accounts, and King Welbon’s personal accounts. The judge had taken judicial control over the church valuable real property holdings. It appears the case against the “Good Samarians” is just a case of good old sweet revenge against a historical Black institution that has a history of unselfishly advocating for the rights of the poor and powerless. This tempest in the teapot is about to explode.