Gay bashing with impunity at ‘sanctity of marriage’ rally

[G_j]

Photo: http://www.agrnews.org/issues/269/index.html
Story:http://www.agrnews.org/issues/269/index.html#1

Asheville, North Carolina, Mar. 10 (AGR)— On Saturday, Mar. 6, at Asheville City Council Plaza, 11 arrests were made in the span of five minutes at the “Rally for family values and the sanctity of the marriage union between a man and woman.” Organizers for the event held a “general admission” permit.The rally, organized by Brad Jones and other members of the Swannanoa Valley Independent Missionary Baptist Church, brought out not only those in support of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, but also those in support of equal rights for gays -– all 11 arrestees came from the latter group.

There were roughly 400-500 people in City Council Plaza gathered Saturday, with about half for and half against the idea of gay marriage.

The Asheville Police Department (APD) had the aid of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department in making the arrests. Many of the arrestees and eyewitnesses felt there was a use of excessive force and profiling by the APD. “I was targetted, specifically grabbed…I walked up, and within five minutes I was arrested,” said Steven Goff of his arrest.

Neal Richie, who ended up with a badly bruised and swollen face as a result of the force used by officers during his arrest said, “There’s a great deal of legal contradiction within being charged with trespassing in a public space…and have my face be all fucked up.” One of the other people arrested and charged with trespassing, also sustained documented injuries.

At approximately 11am the APD had most of the perimeter of City Council Plaza surrounded, and began pointing at the “queer kiss-in” which consisted of acts like spin-the-bottle, people in drag, and a festive, merry-making mood. At 11:08am a line of Asheville police officers formed what the city’s public information officer, Lauren Bradley called a “…safety buffer with a line of officers between the attendees of the permitted event and the counter-protesters in an effort to maintain the public safety of all those present.”
..more..


Photos: http://www.citizentimes.com/photogallery/gallery.php?gallery=411&photo=3&direction=up

[Stone_Spirits]

1. I'm Proud to have stood up to those hateful creeps!

Quote of the Week

“In the last days before Jesus comes back to get his children, that wickedness will spread. People will be lovers of own self more then lovers of god. There will be seven years of tribulation. There will be an anti-Christ that will rule the world. The anti-Christ will be a homosexual.”

—Pastor Lewis O. Bartlett , Swannanoa Valley Missionary Baptist Church speaking at the ‘Sanctity of Marriage’ rally, Mar. 6th in Asheville, NC

[stevedeshazer]

2. You were there?

Thanks for standing up! I applaud you. Is the above an accurate account? There's some powerful photos there in the bottom link.

[Stone_Spirits]

3. yes very accurate

We couldn't of course hear all the conversations with police that they cite, but they described what we saw happening there.

The Asheville Global Report is a great paper. They won seven PROJECT CENSORED awards! It's distributed free all over the city every week. We are very proud of them too, a labor of love!

www.agrnews.org

[G_j]

4. Check out the guy in the green uniform

I asked one of them who they were, and he said they were a unit of the sheriff's dept. These uniforms are completely different than the others in the dept, and brand new. Homeland security?

[Stone_Spirits]

5. can't challenge hate

in the public square. Don't we feel safer now?

[Stone_Spirits]

6. good night kick

:bounce:

[Stone_Spirits]

7. morning kick

somebody homour us and act like you care

Hi G_j :hi:

[Speed8098]

8. I saw this coming a mile away

I knew that gay bashing was getting ready to be the menu of the day from the first time I heard opposition.

I'm not gay, but I am in favor of same sex unions. Call it whatever you choose, civil union, marriage, it doesn't matter. What matters is that ALL humans are entitled to the SAME RIGHTS AS EVERYONE ELSE.

If we allow the government to dictate to whom we are allowed to marry, what's next?

Free speech is already on it's way out, the right to privacy was disbanded with the passage of the Patriot Act.

Next they'll tell us who we can and can't associate with.

I stop by a bb that is dominated by neocons from time to time, and I asked anyone to tell me how a complete strangers marriage would negatively affect them.

The silence there is deafening.

They have no genuine reason to oppose this. I don't get it.

[Stone_Spirits]

9. fear is the mind killer

whats sad is so many people let themselves be manipulated and told what they should be afraid of.

These "religious" leaders are experts at manipulating people through fear and hate.

We aren't gay either but we'll fight these bigots who would trample on the rights of others.