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Indybay Feature

Town Hall Featuring Minister Louis Farrakhan, Oakland, 2/17/09: photos and audio

by dave id
A standing room only crowd gathered at Olivet Missionary Baptist Church for a town hall meeting to continue rallying and organizing for justice for Oscar Grant III, justice for other victims of racist police abuse, justice for residents of San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, and against the street violence in Oakland that claims over 100 lives a year. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan was the featured speaker tonight. The next big event will be the "Caravan for Justice: Californians United to Overturn Unjust Laws" heading to Sacramento this Thursday morning, February 19th.
Listen now:
Copy the code below to embed this audio into a web page:
(audio 2:16)

Pastor Gordon Humphreys of Olivet was first to speak. Apologies for missing first couple minutes and later small gap in audio here.

Those interested in participating in the Caravan for Justice ride to Sacramento can gather Thursday at 8:00am at the Olivet Church at 807 27th Street in Oakland. Other caravans will be leaving from Richmond, San Francisco, and East Palo Alto. Details: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/02/17/18571334.php

Regularly scheduled inter-faith town hall meetings have been happening at the Olivet Church every Saturday at 4:30pm. Photos and notes from the first Oakland town hall for justice for Oscar Grant on January 10th can be found at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/01/11/18561773.php.
§Minister Keith Muhammad - Nation of Islam
by dave id
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(audio 12:51)

http://www.noi.com
§Oscar Grant I - grandfather of Oscar Grant III
by dave id
townhall_217090750_1.jpg
§Oscar Grant I - grandfather of Oscar Grant III
by dave id
Listen now:
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(audio 3:24)
§Dereca Blackmon - Coalition Against Police Executions
by dave id
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(audio 18:26)

http://joincape.blogspot.com
§Pastor Zachary Carey - True Vine Ministries
by dave id
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(audio 13:14)

http://www.truevine-ministries.com
§Minister Louis Farrakhan - Nation of Islam
by dave id
Listen now:
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(audio 1:02:11)

http://www.noi.com
§Mrs Gant - mother of Khatari Gant
by dave id
Listen now:
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(audio 6:21)

http://wbai.org/index.php?Itemid=2&id=9748&option=com_content&task=view

http://oaklandmm.blogspot.com/2007/08/78.html
Listen now:
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(audio 9:32)

http://www.sfbayview.com/2009/investigation-continues-into-suspicious-death-of-black-sophomore-in-san-jose-state-frat-house/
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Gay
Louis Farrakhan hates queer people, and has openly said so for decades.

So to have him touted as a symbol of civil rights and diversity is a joke.

Louis Farrakhan demeans and degrades the whole Oscar Grant affair. he's using the event to put himself back in the papers.
by same deal
many of the ministers/pastors there, especially the older ones, have probably done or said similar things. do you know when the last time was he made such a statement? perhaps he's mellowed on that. perhaps not

there's a lot of homophobia in the African American clergy. that clergy is a huge part of the structure of organizing in the African American community. what would you have people do who are organizing against the racist system, abandon this support structure entirely until it is 100% homophobe-free? can't both battles (against racism and homophobia) be fought at once? or do you think one has to wait for the other, even if that means progress is inhibited toward either?

for that matter, older people across races, clergy and non-clergy alike often have bigoted viewpoints about a range of things that those under 50 just do not share

if you are going to write off Farrakhan over past or current anti-gay bigotry, then the same could be said for perhaps half of the people there (and perhaps half of the people in the state, or at least half of voters, based on Prop 8 results). does that supercede any interest these folks have in organizing together against police brutality?
Like them or not, the Nation of Islam, along with others, were in DA Orloff's office demanding Mehserle's arrest within days of Oscar Grant's murder.
by ntuit
If Oscar Grant III were white and gay would these people care? I hope some of them would and I think some of them would. But others wouldn't. Most of the police abuses have been targeted at young black and/or latino men so race or economics is a factor. These are human rights violations of the most serious level. I don't think Farrakhan advocates harming gays but does he advocate denying them employment or basis services or segragating them?

The main thing in this world is that all people should have a right to live and live free of physcial violence especially at the hands of the state (the main perpetrator). Once people are free of violence they can speak and act freely and live their lives without fear. Let us unite on that basis first and then work on the other things.
by Donna
Thanks for your comments "same deal." I sometimes wonder what some people think "working across difference," a political theory elaborated by queer feminist scholar-activists, actually means in practice...
by Angelo Herndon
C'mon people! Of course Farrakhan is gonna show up. The black middle class is pissed off too! None of his followers are asking about any real solutions to this shit. They just want more black cops, civilian review boards, etc. Yippee. Just because people like Farrakhan and company got the microphone doesn't mean they represent most black people, just the same conservatives who have always followed charismatic preachers. They don't want to change the system fundamentally, they just want a bigger piece of the pie for themselves and their faithful. But hey, if Malcolm X could become who he was after going through NOI brainwashing, there's hope that the shit they stir up may settle in unforeseen ways...
by Lisa
Thank you Dave id for your service in providing video, audio and photos.
by me
To all of you with your negative comments, I have a few questions for you? What are you doing on behalf of the struggle? Any struggle? Did you listen to the audio? If not, you should because Min. Farrakhan offered very timely guidance and warning. How many of you have ever listened to Farrakhan? I have for many years and I have never heard him say he hates gays or any people for that matter. In fact, I have heard him say that as a Muslim he believes that homosexuality is a sin, but everytime I have heard him speak on the subject he makes a point to include adultery, fornication, lying, stealing, murder, and other actions that he believes to be sin as outlined by his faith. I have also heard him say that gays shouldn't be bashed, beat, harassed, nor discriminated against for who they are. Min. Farrakhan has the right to travel where ever he wants and to speak on whatever he wants. He has more than earned that right a long time ago. I don't know of any other nearly 76 yr old man who continues to work to improve the life of Black people (which would in turn improve all of America) for over 50 yrs, other than Farrakhan. Until you live that long and put in the work he has you all should probably shut up and be happy that all of you can unite behind the cause of securing justice for Oscar Grant and all others denied justice. Please listen to the audio there is sound guidance and warning in it for those willing to listen. I love you Minister Farrakhan keep fighting and may Allah continue to bless you.
-

What are human rights?
by ntuit
Wednesday Feb 18th, 2009 1:52 PM:

"If Oscar Grant III were white and gay would these people care?"

-

First of all, I can *guarantee* you that there's more -- and *murderous* -- sometimes *multi-*homocidally murderous -- homophobia in the *white-*American community than in the African American community. There are no Black 'Matthew Shepards' singled-out and murdered, or Black 'Brandon Teenas' nearly beaten to death and left tied up like a scarecrow on some country fence to die in the freezing night (even white male assailants taking the victim’s shoes) on some windswept country field, no Black preachers with his Black Christian followers shouting "God hates fags!!" even at white-murdered gay funerals, no Black 'Ann Coulters' spewing explicitly anti-gay “faggot” epithets (roundly received with laughter from her white audience), no Black comedians on Saturday Night Live (like the white Norm McDonald) saying that "Brandon Teena deserved to die" and thinking that's *funny*.

See my article:

PBS Documentary on Hip-Hop Neglects the Role of White Corporate Media and Blame Blacks
- by Joseph Anderson

http://www.africaresource.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=294%3Apbs-documentary-on-hip-hop-neglects-the-role-of-white-corporate-media-and-blame-blacks&catid=111%3Ahip-hop&Itemid=327

-- especially the subsection entitled: "Hyping Black Homophobia".

-

Second, what are *YOU* -- as a privileged white male -- doing regarding Oscar Grant's murder by cops? There were only a handful of white people even at the church -- regardless of sex or sexual orientation. There have been only a handful of white people at any of the Bart board meetings. There have only been a handful of whites at the Oscar Grant community meetings (every Saturday at 4:00-6:00pm, at Olivet Missionary Baptist Church, 807W. 27th St.)

SO, IF YOU'RE NOT INVOLVED IN THE STRUGGLE, *DON'T CRITICIZE*!: WE'RE *NOT INTERESTED* IN WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.

-

Finally, when there are an annual string of white gays who are regularly killed -- with impunity -- by cops, then come to the church and ask us!
My comments above were really directed at privileged white people like:

Farrakhan is a bigot
by Gay
Wednesday Feb 18th, 2009 7:59 AM
where are the radicals?
by Angelo Herndon
Wednesday Feb 18th, 2009 5:16 PM

"Where are the radicals?"

If *YOU* had been *THERE* -- or at any of the community and relevant Bart board meetings -- you would know.

ALL PARTS OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY WERE THERE -- even leftists, including former Black Panthers and "The New Black Panther Party".

WE AIN'T 'SET TRIPPIN''.

-
by JA
-

thank you for your sevice Dave id
by Lisa
Wednesday Feb 18th, 2009 9:03 PM
"Thank you Dave id for your service in providing video, audio and photos."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was there (and at the marches and most of the community, and relevant Bart board, meetings), but your work here -- audio segments (nicely done!) and photos -- are and will be MUCH APPRECIATED by many.

I'll circulate this web page URL, across the country (and even across the world), via my email list.

-
by b
What about Sakia Gunn and the NJ4?? Lots of people hate, JA.

I'm just saying...

No, I don't support Farrakhan. My views greatly differ from his. I do support the numerous folks from the Nation of Islam (SF and Oakland chapters) that I have worked with and that are organizing around this (what did Farrakhan do? come to town and make a speech?) There are lots of NOI folks that do great work in the bay (Minister Keith, Minister Christopher, etc, etc,)., lets focus on them and show them the thanks they deserve.
by Real World activist
I was interested in reading that there is no Black Homophobia towards Gays and Lesbians . I work with several Black Gays that are misinformed i guess. They have told me that they have to stay on ''the downlow '' and have pretend relationships with the opposite sex because otherwise ''things would be too damm difficult in my neighborhood '' (East Oakland )
I often watch Black comedians and Anti-Gay routines are common . And yes while the Mormons and the local francise of the Vatican may have funded Prop 8 a majority of African-american voters did vote for this reactionary measure .
In opposing racist crimes like the murder of Oscar Grant we shouldn't pretend that all crimes and backward attitutes only come from those of '' Anglo ''descent ! They don't .
PS I'm not a "' Anglo ''.
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