Tea Party Blogger Accused of Racism in Beck Post
On the eve of the Glenn Beck organized tea party rally, assertions by a conservative blogger that parts of the nation's capital should be avoided as unsafe has created an uproar on the blogosphere, accusations of racism and a sharp response by angry city leaders.
Thousands of conservative, tea party supporters were expected at the demonstration Saturday that Beck has called a "Restoring Honor" rally to show support of the country's military at the site where Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech 47 years ago to the day.
The location and timing prompted civil rights leaders to cry foul.
"They have a right to rally. But what they don't have the right do is distort what Dr. King's dream was about," the Rev. Al Sharpton declared Friday. He called the tea party assembly an anti-government action and has organized a counter rally also near the site of King's historic speech.
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With emotions already high, the work of a largely unknown tea party blogger, Bruce Majors, brought them to a fever pitch on Friday.
The blog, which first appeared last Monday and has been widely viewed and distributed since then, warned conservative protesters visiting the nation's capital to avoid certain subway lines, suggesting they are unsafe, that certain neighborhoods should be avoided, that the city is populated by the world's refugees - that taxi drivers are often Arab or African - and that generally visitors should be wary.
And it inspired a satirical map of Washington with all of the city marked unsafe, except for the tiny sliver of the National Mall, home to the Lincoln Memorial. Some people mistakenly assumed the map was put out by Beck rally supporters.
City leaders didn't see the humor.
"Frankly, we need to put an end to that venom," said Vincent Gray, a member of the District of Columbia Council and a candidate for mayor, at a news conference Friday. "This is a city of 600,000 people - people who enjoy living here, people who pay their taxes." He urged tea party activists to ride the subway and visit the city's neighborhoods.
"People from all over the world work, live, visit and explore this city safely every day," added Elliott Ferguson, president of the tourism bureau Destination D.C.
Organizers of the Beck rally declined to comment on the blog post.
Majors said he offered his post as a "visitors guide" to people planning to attend the Beck rally. In an interview Friday, Majors said he was thinking of his mother and people like her who don't live in cities when he wrote the post. He never expected it to draw much attention.
The posting offered hints on cheap eats, free wireless Internet spots - and the home addresses of Democratic political leaders, with the note "Feel free to protest!" And he urged visitors to avoid certain subway lines and stay in more affluent parts of the city.
A real estate agent who has lived in Washington since 1980, Majors said it was not intended as racist.
In fact, some of the neighborhoods that Majors suggested as dangerous - areas targeted by race riots more than 40 years ago - have undergone a revitalization and today sport new stores, restaurants, a diversity of residents and a thriving nightlife.
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson said on MSNBC this week that the blog post was fear-mongering.
"This is obviously scaring white people," Robinson said. "What they have done is essentially try to put off-limits any parts of the city where these main tea partiers believe you might be able to encounter, dare I say, black people."
Sharpton described the demonstration planned for Saturday by Beck and his supporters as an anti-government rally advocating states' rights. And he said that goes against the message in King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech, in which the civil rights leader appealed to the federal government to ensure equality.
Beck and other organizers say the aim is to pay tribute to America's military personnel and others "who embody our nation's founding principles of integrity, truth and honor." The broadcaster toured the site Friday as supporters cheered.
AP Thousands of conservative, tea party supporters were expected at the demonstration Saturday that Beck has called a "Restoring Honor" rally to show support of the country's military at the site where Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech 47 years ago to the day.
The location and timing prompted civil rights leaders to cry foul.
"They have a right to rally. But what they don't have the right do is distort what Dr. King's dream was about," the Rev. Al Sharpton declared Friday. He called the tea party assembly an anti-government action and has organized a counter rally also near the site of King's historic speech.
More Rally Coverage
Glenn Beck's Power to be Tested at D.C. Rally
Sharpton: Beck Trying to Hijack Civil Rights Push
Dick Armey: Glenn Beck Is Spreading MLK's Message
Democrat: Glenn Beck Rally "Blatantly Political"
Glenn Beck Rally Will Test Tea Party Strength
Glenn Beck Rally on MLK "Dream" Date Draws Fire
Glenn Beck Rally Continues to Spur Controversy
With emotions already high, the work of a largely unknown tea party blogger, Bruce Majors, brought them to a fever pitch on Friday.
The blog, which first appeared last Monday and has been widely viewed and distributed since then, warned conservative protesters visiting the nation's capital to avoid certain subway lines, suggesting they are unsafe, that certain neighborhoods should be avoided, that the city is populated by the world's refugees - that taxi drivers are often Arab or African - and that generally visitors should be wary.
And it inspired a satirical map of Washington with all of the city marked unsafe, except for the tiny sliver of the National Mall, home to the Lincoln Memorial. Some people mistakenly assumed the map was put out by Beck rally supporters.
City leaders didn't see the humor.
"Frankly, we need to put an end to that venom," said Vincent Gray, a member of the District of Columbia Council and a candidate for mayor, at a news conference Friday. "This is a city of 600,000 people - people who enjoy living here, people who pay their taxes." He urged tea party activists to ride the subway and visit the city's neighborhoods.
"People from all over the world work, live, visit and explore this city safely every day," added Elliott Ferguson, president of the tourism bureau Destination D.C.
Organizers of the Beck rally declined to comment on the blog post.
Majors said he offered his post as a "visitors guide" to people planning to attend the Beck rally. In an interview Friday, Majors said he was thinking of his mother and people like her who don't live in cities when he wrote the post. He never expected it to draw much attention.
The posting offered hints on cheap eats, free wireless Internet spots - and the home addresses of Democratic political leaders, with the note "Feel free to protest!" And he urged visitors to avoid certain subway lines and stay in more affluent parts of the city.
A real estate agent who has lived in Washington since 1980, Majors said it was not intended as racist.
In fact, some of the neighborhoods that Majors suggested as dangerous - areas targeted by race riots more than 40 years ago - have undergone a revitalization and today sport new stores, restaurants, a diversity of residents and a thriving nightlife.
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson said on MSNBC this week that the blog post was fear-mongering.
"This is obviously scaring white people," Robinson said. "What they have done is essentially try to put off-limits any parts of the city where these main tea partiers believe you might be able to encounter, dare I say, black people."
Sharpton described the demonstration planned for Saturday by Beck and his supporters as an anti-government rally advocating states' rights. And he said that goes against the message in King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech, in which the civil rights leader appealed to the federal government to ensure equality.
Beck and other organizers say the aim is to pay tribute to America's military personnel and others "who embody our nation's founding principles of integrity, truth and honor." The broadcaster toured the site Friday as supporters cheered.
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The Tea Party is being reported on everyday 24/7 about their anger! They are mad as HELL and they want their country back! My question and the question that should be asked by the white control media IS: Who took your country and where did it go! Or what are you mad about? But that is not happening from Anderson Cooper to John King to Sean Hannity or Bill O'Reilly and the idiot Glenn Beck. No all the public hears is NO NEW TAXES" ( 90% of Americans got a tax cut)! But you will never hear that from the people I mention! Like John King that interview Ben Quayle who made the stupid statement "that President Obama was the worst President in history! John King never asked Mr. Quayle to give ONE example JUST ONE! Any first day interviewer would have asked! President Bush sent American soldier to Iraq to fight and die for NOTHING!4,400 dead for NOTHING! President Obama never was that STUPID! Angry attacks against President Obama and the Democrats are allow by the white control media! Hate and divide is helped by the white control media! They perpetuate hatred by these so-call white angry grass route groups reporting on their so-call angry 24/7! The lack of white leadership is to blame and the people that voted for change are to blame! There should be more people speaking up for America and President Obama! The President that is cleaning up Republican mess the President that got healthcare past for 40 million Americans. A President that stop the financial downfall of the country with the stimulus package started by the Republican President and increase by President Obama! The Tea Party are just a white racist group that is only alive because of a racist white media and a racist America!
Nothing new there. The whole issue is a joke.
BTW...Arabs are a mixture of several races over the centuries, just as whites are.
Dear Mr far left liberal, why didn't your hero clinton pay back social security with his so called surplus. Or is it liberals don't pay their bills they just keep racking up debt. Enough about the two wars, obama could have pulled out of both of them a year and a half ago. Yet he decidesd to follow the same policies as bush, keep running up the deficit and don't worry about paying for it.
==============================================================
Dearest Tea-Bag-Bozo (TBB):
The Repug congress under Clinton did / did not do is not the point.
Pulling out of wars is MUCH more difficult than starting them.
Bush/Cheney told outright LIES to get the first one started.
Remember WMD's ??????????????
FYI - I do NOT support deficit spending.
Why is it that you and your fellow TBB's all of a sudden got
religion as far as the deficit spending goes ?????
The republican party is taking America back.. to the 1960s.
At the same time, both men denounced racism. The other man, Michael Williams, went on to tell about his prosecuting six KKK members for trying to steal arms from the government.
Instead of racism, I saw these people cheering, laughing and clapping when these two men spoke... If you really think the main complaint of these people have about Obama is his race, I feel sorry for you. It isn't what skin color Obama has, it's his ideology. He's growing government, adding entitlements and spending money like crazy in the middle of a recession. Both Republican and Democratic administrations are to blame for the mess that our country is in, Obama has only added to the problem though and at an exponential rate. Most TEA party members see the reckoning that will have to come as a result of his policies... Just the expiration of the Bush tax cuts will amount to a huge tax increase and future taxes look like they could be crippling, and not just for people earning over $250,000 either...
If Obama is leading this country in the right direction... Where are the jobs???
In this case, trying to make what someone thinks of as dangerous areas into racism is beyond silly...
Where are the jobs created by the white racist tax cuts? I feel sorry for people like you who are so racist that you would destroy America in the name of your hate.