(707) 499-4810‎

Gil Miracle - owner
gilmiracle@sbcglobal.net

707.499.0163

Monday, October 5, 2009

SHOW IS CANCELED!

THE SHOW IS CANCELED! Thanks, everyone.

October 5th, 2009

TO: Todd Larsen/ Queer Humboldt

FROM: Carol Bruno/ People Productions

Gil Miracle/ Nocturnum

Greetings Todd,

This email is to confirm to you that after lengthy consideration, Gil and myself decided that we will cancel

the upcoming Buju Banton concert at the Nocturnum Nightclub scheduled for the October 11th, 2009.

We have been diligently speaking with the management and various activists over the past two weeks in an effort to help establish a dialogue for discussions. We care about our local gay community.

Buju did issue a statement today that we have forwarded to you today, but it doesn't change our decision.

We will continue towards positive, constructive solutions.

We regret any inconveniences this has caused to our community.

Homophobic reggae artist losing support for Eureka show

The Humboldt Herald

Buju Banton’s hateful lyrics about killing gay men has caused a sponsor to pull support for the October 11 concert in Eureka. The operations manager for North Coast Horticulture said that after reading the lyrics of Banton’s “Boom Bye Bye” NHS is “pulling all involvement with this show.”

The concert is promoted by People Productions. You can tell them how you feel about bringing this hateful artist to Humboldt by emailing people@peopleproductions.net or calling (707)923-4599.

The concert will be held at Nocturnum. Email owner Gil Miracle at gilmiracle@sbcglobal.net or call (707)499-0163.

There is a long and on-going discussion thread on this event from an earlier post on the Humboldt Herald. See it here: Buju Banton back in Humboldt.


Local resident Mitch Trachtenberg started a new blog in response to this issue called Humboldt Against Hate.

http://humboldtagainsthate.blogspot.com/

Friday, October 2, 2009

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE HUMBOLDT COMMUNITY

On June 9 2004, Brian Williamson was found murdered at his home. Williamson was the public face of the gay rights movement in Jamaica, one of the most homophobic places on the planet. Rebecca Schleifer of Human Rights Watch arrived at Williamson's house to find a crowd singing and dancing.

People were singing a reggae song, Boom Bye Bye, written by Mark Myrie, a reggae performer who goes by the stage name Buju Banton.

This song calls for the murder of gay people, recommending the Uzi machine gun.

It calls for throwing acid in our faces.

Promoter Carol Bruno of People Productions is paying Buju Banton to perform in Eureka. Gil Miracle, owner of the new venue Nocturnum, has rented his space to Bruno. Local newspapers are carrying advertising.

Bruno will tell you that Banton wrote Boom Bye Bye when he was fifteen. She won't tell you he still sells it and profits.

She'll tell you most of his songs are about peace and love. She won't tell you he says he's at war with the faggots.

Here's part of an open letter from Lorrie L. Jean, CEO of Los Angeles' gay and lesbian center. She's responding to an open letter from Banton's manager:

While 'setting the record straight,' you didn’t mention
that in 2007, when some of Banton’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.'

He was videotaped singing it in Miami in 2006, and sang it in Guyana in 2007.

In 2005, Banton was personally involved in an attack on six gay men in Jamaica.

Here's a quote from Amnesty International's 2005 Annual Report:

"popular musician Buju Banton was charged with assaulting six men who he alleged were homosexuals. His song lyrics repeatedly advocated violence against gay men and lesbians."

Bruno will tell you Banton was never convicted. She won't tell you that the witnesses never showed at trial. One man lost an eye.

Imagine for a moment if a singer were coming to town who advocated the violent murder of interracial couples, who'd written a song that was played as a celebration at such murders, who refused to renounce violence against such couples, and who still profited from the song.

Imagine that the singer's promoter explained that most of his songs were about God's love, and complained that interracial couples couldn't just "get over it."

Imagine that the singer had personally been involved in a violent assault on an interracial couple, in which one lost an eye.

How would you feel? How would you feel if you were part of an interracial couple, or had a friend or friends in one?

I understand that many of those who will go to the concert (if it happens) are not anti-gay. Many will have heard and believed the lies that Bruno and others spread in order to make blood money off performances by people like Banton. Many will idealistically defend free speech and the right of an artist to "freedom of expression." If this concert goes on, I know there will be a large group outside Nocturnum, exercising our rights to freedom of expression as well. Our point will be simple: if you won't renounce your advocacy of our murder, we don't want you in Eureka.

SILENCE EQUALS DEATH

Club Nocturnum and Homophobe Buju Banton

"Me say: Boom bye bye

Inna batty bwoy head

Rude bwoy no promote the nasty man

Dem haffi dead

Boom bye bye

Inna batty bwoy head

Rude bwoy no promote no nasty man

Dem haffi dead."