Arrest made in beating of gay man
An arrest has been made in the beating of a 20-year-old gay man that was captured on video and uploaded to the internet.
Brandon White, left, was assaulted by 3 men shouting anti-gay slurs as he left a convenience store on McDaniels street on Atlanta’s southwest side last Saturday.
The beating was captured on 2 cell phone cameras and uploaded to Worldstarhiphop.com where it went viral.
Channel 2 Action news and the Atlanta Journal reports that Christopher Cain, 18, (inset) was arrested at midnight on Saturday in DeKalb County and charged with aggravated assault and robbery. He is currently being held at the Fulton county jail without bond.
Police have identified the other two assailants seen beating White in the video, but their names have not been released. Police are offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to their arrests.
Meanwhile, concerned citizens of the Pittsburgh community and gay rights advocates have joined together to protest the beating and to foster unity in both communities.
Sheriff’s Deputy arrested for having sex with male inmate
Channel 2 Action News reports that Duone Clark, a Gwinnett County Sheriff’s deputy, has been arrested for having sex with a male inmate in full view of other inmates.
Gwinnett sheriff’s officials are trying to determine if any Gwinnett County employees also witnessed the lewd act between the deputy and the inmate, who is serving time for financial identity fraud, theft by deception and probation violations.
The inmate, whose identity is being protected, reported the sexual encounter to jail officials after the Jan. 13 incident.
“The witnesses included definitely other inmates. I’m not sure about other deputies,” Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Lt. Sean Smith told Channel 2′s Kerry Kavanaugh.
According to Channel 2 Action News, Clark is being held without bond at the Oconee County Jail on charges of violation of oath by a public officer and sexual assault.
A loyal reader writes:
Please do not include me info but he is engaged to be married (2nd marriage) and doing this. How many of our men are on the DL? None of his close friends (one of whom is my cousin) had a clue! They are shocked
CNN Suspends Roland Martin
CNN has apparently caved in to pressure from gay groups by suspending political analyst Roland Martin for making a joke about British soccer star David Beckham.
A CNN spokeswoman confirmed the suspension with this statement issued today:
“Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being.”
Martin came under attack from gay groups after tweeting a wisecrack about Beckham’s underwear commercial which aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl telecast on NBC.
Martin seemed to suggest in his tweet that his followers “smack the ish out of” any male Super Bowl fan who is “hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad.”
Martin added that “real bruhs” would not purchase underwear advertised by Beckham.
A network suspension is usually the first step towards a contract termination. Martin was a CNN political analyst for 4 years.
Source: Washington Post blog
Beating Victim Speaks Out
20-year-old Brandon White stepped forward today to speak about the beating incident that has galvanized the gay community in Atlanta.
“I want to see something done. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through what I went through,” White said at a packed midday news conference.
White was the man seen in a viral video being brutalized by three unidentified men who punched and kicked him while they shouted anti-gay slogans. The 3 attackers are reportedly members of a local street gang called the “Jungle Boys” and the 1029 Jack City gang.
White said he didn’t report the incident to the police initially until he saw the video go viral on the Internet.
“I don’t bother anyone. I felt that if a straight person could walk to the store and not have a problem, I should be able to do the same thing,” White said.
In the video, which was first posted on Worldstarhiphop.com, White, wearing tight black “skinny jeans”, was ambushed by 3 gang members outside a convenience store on McDaniel Street in the “Pittsburgh” area of Atlanta on Saturday.
A man off camera can be heard repeatedly yelling “No f*ggots in Jack City!”
The FBI is investigating the case as a hate crime based on the anti-gay slogans heard in the 30-second video.
White, who is seeking therapy for his emotional scars, gave this advice to others who are victims of homophobic violence: “Say something. Speak to someone. Don’t hide it. You shouldn’t have to. This is 2012.”
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call Zone 3 police officers at 404-624-0674 or to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477.
Video Beating Victim To Speak
The Atlanta man seen in a viral video being savagely beaten by thugs for wearing skinny jeans will speak today at a press conference scheduled for noon.
The victim’s family told reporters that the 20-year-old man came forward on Tuesday to speak with police after the FBI joined the investigation.
“Atlanta Police Department spokesman Carlos Campos said that the widespread dissemination of the video led family members of the 20-year-old victim to contact police,” according to the Atlanta Journal.
“Atlanta police investigators were able to locate the victim … who gave a statement to investigators,” Campos said in statement emailed to the news media Tuesday night.
In the video, which was first posted on Worldstarhiphop.com, the victim is seen exiting a convenience store on McDaniel Street in the “Pittsburgh” area of Atlanta on Saturday. The man, wearing tight black “skinny jeans” and a long black ponytail, is set upon by three thugs shouting anti-gay slogans.
The thugs punch and kick the defenseless man as he crouched on the ground. One thug picked up a tire that was leaning on a wall nearby and hit the victim with it.
The brutal scene was captured on two cell phone cameras as well as a surveillance video from the convenience store.
The FBI is investigating the incident as a federal hate crime against gays. If captured and convicted, the perpetrators will face stiffer sentences than if they were convicted on state charges.
Watch the video here.
CNN’s Roland Martin Under Attack From Gay Groups for David Beckham Tweets
CNN’s political analyst Roland Martin came under attack from gay groups after tweeting a wisecrack about British soccer star David Beckham.
Martin, who is very sensitive when he is the subject of gay jokes, took to his Twitter page last night to “live tweet” during the Super Bowl broadcast. His tweets included this one, which his followers took to be an anti-gay slur:
Martin seemed to suggest that his followers “smack the ish out of” any male Super Bowl fan who is “hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad” that was shown during the Super Bowl.
Martin added that “real bruhs” would not purchase underwear advertised by Beckham.
AKOO Fashion Show Hosted by T.I. and Kevin Hart
Thanks to celebrity photographer Thad McAdams of ExclusiveAccess.net for these pics from last night’s T.I. & Tiny: Family Hustle Finale and AKOO Fashion show at Reign. Pictured above are Violeta Morgan (T.I.’s mom), T.I., his wife Tiny Harris, and Tiny’s hair stylist Shekinah.
T.I.’s wife Tiny Harris, who has a big announcement to make, likes what she sees on the stage.
Keri Hilson performed during the fashion show, which is part of the final episode of T.I. and Tiny: Family Hustle on VH1.
