Comments on: Local LGBT Groups Protest Upcoming Reggae Show

By: JoshOSU75

JoshOSU75 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:38:49 +0000

I never heard how the show went. But it doesn’t matter, because now he’s got bigger issues…

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Buju-Banton-Singing-Dade-County-Prison-Blues-79170397.html

By: 614darknight

614darknight — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:34:04 +0000

So did anyone goto the show?? any reviews?? was there a rally??

By: Walker

Walker — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:37:33 +0000

Back to Back Buju Banton Shows Scheduled in Columbus , Ohio Due to High Ticket Demand! Posted on 02 October 2009 by columbuscaribbean Due to overwhelming ticket demand for Buju Banton Tickets in Columbus, Ohio a second show has been scheduled. According to the promoter the Friday October 2nd show was close to selling out as of Thursday therefore a second show is planned for Saturday October 3rd, 2009 also to be held at Alrosa Villa. READ MORE

By: greenhouse1014

greenhouse1014 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:19:59 +0000

ok, sorry about the sweetheart. I was just trying to lighten things up a bit. The whole crime wasn’t dismissed, but the case against Buju was.

But, anyway, like I asked, what do you want him to do? What would make it ok for him to go on without being hassled by a 17 year old song?

By the way, you might say you want an apology. Well, to me, actions speak a lot louder than words and I feel like the charity work he’s done as well as his lyrical content speak a lot louder than any apology could.

By: Cookie

Cookie — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:08:32 +0000

First of all, I’m not your sweetheart. I thought the article did a good job of highlighting the the legalized homophobia endemic to Jamaica, which would necessarily interfere with the prosecution of crimes of violence against gay men. It’s untrue that “court of law, police, etc., found no evidence to link Buju to the event.” The police issued a warrant for his arrest that was not pursued for a year. And there was this quote from the article: “But in dismissing the case earlier this year, the judge in the trial warned Banton to avoid violence and ‘seek legal recourses’ when he has complaints against gays in the future,” which suggests that while there may have not been enough evidence to proceed with a trial, there was in fact evidence linking him to the event.

By: greenhouse1014

greenhouse1014 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:57:24 +0000

Sweetheart, I read that 3-year old article when it came out. Words like “he says” and “claims” are very telling, especially since a court of law, police, etc., found no evidence to link Buju to the event. And, please don’t even go with the “he’s a star so he got special treatment” angle. It doesn’t work like that in JA. They are a lot less impressed with stars than we are here in the US. I’ll admit that “faggots” was a poor word choice, but, really, the gay community has pretty much declared war on Buju since the rerelease of the song. So, yeah, he’s at war with them. And as far as “proof” of his apologies, well, not everything is on Google. It’s very well known in the reggae community that Buju has apologized for the rerelease, which he had nothing to do with, of the song. He didn’t intend it to be rereleased.

By: Cookie

Cookie — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:40:50 +0000

Greenhouse, I’ll admit that it’s probably more effective when people actually read the article. As for “chopped youtube videos,” I can’t imagine a context in which “There is no end to the war between me and faggots” can be considered “positive.” As for the apologies that you insist that he’s made “many, many times, plus more,” I’m still waiting for evidence that he apologized even once.

By: greenhouse1014

greenhouse1014 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:28:54 +0000

@cookie

That’s really effective to post an article from over 3 years ago that mentions Buju. I don’t think anyone would ever deny, and I haven’t, that JA has an issue with homophobia. The problem is when people try to blame one artist for the problem. Or even say that one song has inflamed the hate against gays. It has always been there. You’ve done a lot of posting, but seem to be unable to acknowledge that Buju’s actions, outside of chopped youtube videos and rumors and false charges, have been nothing but positive since the release of the song. Have you read the lyrics I posted? Have you found anything else in Buju’s catalog of music that you find objectionable? It’s so easy to jump on a full bandwagon, but much more difficult to actually do your own search and find out what the person is actually about. The uproar has been so loud that its distracting from the voice of truth and reason.

So, I hear the Army band was in town today. Funny, I didn’t see anyone there protesting the Army’s views on gays. Maybe we should disband the Army because they won’t allow gays.

@Josh
It was really nice to see you take action and try to find your own answers. I respect that.

By: Cookie

Cookie — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:59:41 +0000

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1182991,00.html

By: JoshOSU75

JoshOSU75 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:48:17 +0000

@ Snarf. Ya know, I don’t know why you’re being so rude. But, whatever. I hear one thing from the gays, one thing from Bantons side, stuff online, he said, she said, etc, etc.

So I said “screw it” and wrote to Tracii from Gargamel Music myself. I basically just asked the questions that I already brought up in this forum. She answered some, ignored others.
Of course, now I’m reading the LA Gay & Lesbian Centers open letter…so if anything, it seems MAYBE some dialogue could start happening.

Anyway, here’s her reponse to my e-mail:

Hi Josh,
Thanks for reaching out.
Very few of these organizations reach out to us. In fact, I can count on one finger the amount of times any gay rights organization has reached out to us for clarity or finding a resolution. We were never involved in any conversations about the Reggae Compassionate Act as Buju was neither in Europe or Jamaica at the time. The first we even heard of it was when the reports came out that he had “signed.” If after 17 years, we had come to some common ground with any of these folks there would have been a statement from us. There was none. Because no dialogue ever took place.

And no, Buju Banton was not involved in any gay bashing. Apparently there was an incident that took place down the street from his studio, which is why his name was thrown into the fray. There was never any evidence — yet because of pressures from gay rights organizations demanding his head, the Jamaican police arrested Buju many months after the fact and then forced him to trial where he was later fully exonerated.
I hope this answers your questions… And, FYI, the show in Columbus has been reinstated at another venue.
Peace,
Tracii

By: greenhouse1014

greenhouse1014 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:27:03 +0000

He does not perform the song any more. The YouTube videos and such only give part of the story. I’ve seen him start the song, only to then talk about getting along and relating his tribulations due to the release of the song. I’ve never seen the song performed in its entirety. Again, and I don’t know how many times I have to repeat this, this song is the only song he has ever written that even kind of mentions gay people. Since the age of 15, he’s never touched on the subject. Buju has obviously tried to move on from the indescretion of his youth, but he is not being allowed to do that because people continue to want to hold on to a small shred of his career. What does he have to do? He’s put his own money and profits from his music toward AIDS causes and to help disadvantaged youth. How long must Buju be crucified for something he’s not even doing any more. Everybody wants tolerance until it comes to something they don’t agree with. Buju has never advocated violence. If he signs the paper again, will that make it ok? It’s really that easy? What, exactly, would make this right? It seems like there’s no answer for this coming from the protesters. He’s already stopped performing the song. They just want to fight without offering an end. Buju is not responsible for the anti-gay sentiments in JA. That started long before he was born.

By: Cookie

Cookie — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:01:26 +0000

Open letter to Buju BantonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s manager Tracii McGregor:
In your open letter dated September 3, you state that youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re “setting the record straight” on “grossly inaccurate portrayals” of Buju Banton, following the recent cancellation of many of his performances.
You claim, as you have in several media reports, that Banton was only 15-years-old when he wrote the song that glorifies the murder of gay men, “Boom, Bye Bye.”
What you donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t mention is that he and your record label not only continue to profit from the sale of this song, still available for purchase on compilation albums, but that Banton has continued to perform it—in 2006 in Miami, and as recently as 2007 at the Guyana Music Festival. If the songÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s “not a call to violence,” as you claim, then what exactly does Banton mean when he sings: “faggots… have to die” and that he will shoot them in the head and “burn them up bad?”
Though itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s disturbing someone so young could have enough rage to write those lyrics, Banton continues to perform and justify it nearly two decades later when he is clearly an adult man. This song is sadly reflective of the anti-gay culture in Jamaica… a culture that Banton helps to sustain through his music; a culture that resulted in the brutal murder of prominent gay Jamaicans in the last five years, including the gay rights campaigner Brian Williamson and the HIV educator Steve Harvey. Indeed, when WilliamsonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s body was discovered crowds gathered outside his house and started cheering and singing “Boom Bye Bye” in celebration of his killing. This and similar gay-bashing violence led Time magazine to recently ask if Jamaica is “the most homophobic place on Earth.” And it was just a few days ago that a gay British diplomat was murdered in Jamaica, in what many believe was a hate-motivated homophobic killing.
As you know, Banton himself was charged with a gay bashing attack just five years ago, though—under suspicious circumstances—he was acquitted.
While “setting the record straight,” you didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t mention that in 2007, when some of BantonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s European concerts were threatened with cancellation, he signed the “Reggae Compassionate Act” (under his real name: Mark Myrie) agreeing (among other things) to never perform anti-gay songs. Perhaps you neglected to mention this, because just weeks later, Banton denied he ever signed it and continued to perform “Boom, Bye Bye.”
You cite, as an example of BantonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s “love for humanity,” his support for disadvantaged youth and his creation of a foundation to help HIV-positive babies. “He has spent an entire career making amends,” you say. But curiously, you never mention what he has said or done to atone for more than 18 years of performing a song that glorifies the murder of gay people. The only quote I can find from Baton on the issue is in a Billboard.com news story from three years ago, in which he says of gay rights groups: “Fuck them. I have never bashed any gays before, and if I bashed gays, I bashed them 16 years ago.”
I believe everyone has the potential to let go of whatever rage and hate they may have in their heart. If Banton is truly remorseful for performing “Boom, Bye Bye” and contributing to the anti-gay climate in Jamaica, and publicly vows to never perform the song again, the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center would be happy to support an end to the boycott of his concerts.
In fact, while Banton is in the U.S., weÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d like to invite him to the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center to meet with us and to sign the Reggae Compassionate Act again. While here, weÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d love to talk to him about the impact of hate speech and to meet with some of the homeless LGBT youth who live in our transitional-living program… youth who are victims of a homophobic culture, fostered by songs like “Boom, Bye Bye.”
You say that “our war against one artist” has prevented “a more fruitful discussion that could perhaps effect real change.” The unfortunate truth is that Banton is just one Reggae singer who has glorified the murder of LGBT people and weÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve protested against the others (Capleton, Sizzla, and Beenie Man) as well. The goal, however, has never been to silence artists—it has been to put an end to music that promotes violence against LGBT people. WeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d like nothing more than to have a fruitful discussion that will result in the end of such music. Will you and Buju Banton take us up on this offer, Ms. McGregor?
Lorri L. Jean, CEO
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

By: Cookie

Cookie — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:31:37 +0000

“he HAS apologized, many, many times, plus more.”

Link?

That open letter lists things that he and/or his management seem to believe offset his homophobic words and actions, but I don’t really see how that “makes amends.”

By: greenhouse1014

greenhouse1014 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:11:51 +0000

@cookie

he HAS apologized, many, many times, plus more. Read the Open letter and it spells out the things he’s done to make amends.

Buju’s played Columbus several times, all without incident and, if memory serves me correct, without him performing the song in question. The first time he was here, it for Reggae Sunsplash, back in ’96 or ’96 in support of his ’til Shiloh album, which, by the way, was listed as one of Rolling Stones top 100 albums of all time. He’s also played Little Brothers, The Brickyard and the Alrosa, all without any kind of incident and, again, without the song.

I would again encourage people to do a little more digging into Buju’s music, even come see the show, and make your own judgement instead of being lead like sheep by those with their own agenda. As Public Enemy would say, “Don’t believe the hype”. Make your own judgement on the whole of what he’s done, not one song and one incident that he wasn’t even involved with.

By: Walker

Walker — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:54:11 +0000

Reggae show rescheduled Friday, September 18, 2009 3:01 AM BY KEVIN JOY THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A Buju Banton concert canceled last week because of protests about a song with anti-gay lyrics has been rescheduled for another venue. The reggae singer will perform Oct. 2 at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Rd. Rick Cautela, owner of the North Side venue, has hosted Banton several times without public complaint or unruly audiences. But the decision this time, he said, was tougher. "I have really, really lost a lot of sleep over this. I don't want to offend anybody." READ MORE