Buju Banton Busted By The Bay

Lito S
September 28 2006, 4:07PM

Thanks for providing a venue that documents these sorts of things! I read your site and Blabbeando daily!

thomas morrow
September 28 2006, 4:07PM

Thats Wonderful news. I just saw a movie by the folks who wrote/produced "Crash". The movie is "Haven" and takes place mostly on the Island of Grand Cayman. It brought back vivid memories of a visit there once but the constant reference to faggot (or bonti or booti mon; whatever the Islanders call it), left a bad taste in my mouth. The only way they will be forced to deal with their antiquated, narrow view of Homosexuality, is with efforts such as this one; IE: shut down their ability to be vocal and spread such hateful rhetoric through music etc.

Charles
September 28 2006, 5:12PM

That's great. I hope all of you are paying as close attention to the voting records of your elected officials as you are to this particular artist. That is equally important.

The Empress
September 28 2006, 5:51PM

Well My Damn! This man hasn't learned yet huh? This is so sad its funny and he's stupid enough to believe that the community upset because he doesn't like gays. No, you dreaded moron (no offense to people with locks), its the violent gestures and ideas you have towards gays! Damn he's stupid. Keep it up yall; this should open his eyes pretty soon. He's feeling a bit salty right now and I likes that alot:-)

Bellah
September 28 2006, 6:01PM

Editorial today in the Seattle PI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/286782_robert28.html
the following question was asked:
What do you think about the Jamaican reggae singer whose performance was canceled?

My responce:
I hate to blame this on political correctness. That is a term used by the right to minimize issues around class, race, gender etc. It is like "the race card" implying that issues of racism is a game and used in a frivolous manner.

This event as have been all the other cancelled concerts in other citys is nothing more than a missed opportunity. What was accomplished? An opportunity to educate and build bridges was lost. Just think Buju Banton in the midst of Gay central. Instead of creating real change, opening a door, asking for a meeting, making some kind of proposal, or taking political action Nope we dont have time to think or plan. We simply follow the directives of self important self appointed "Leaders". I was not aware of the campaign by the Stranger. I have been moniter

bellah
September 28 2006, 6:33PM

part 2
I have been monitering this issue by Jasmyne Cannick via keithboykin.com. There are no strategys being discussed other than to shut Buju down. If you look at the commentary on both boykin and cannicks blogs you will begin to understand that these are bullys who in the tradition of the extreme right is not to create real change but to be self promoting hate mongering zealots. They use the Lgbt community to further there own objectives and not of the overall community. They have no use of any real discussion.There can be no communication if you simply turn off the mike. We could have started real change instead this community relied on racist classist prejudice. Just becaus cannick and boykin are black and gay does not make them automaticaly immune to being bigots. I am very aware that here in the liberal city of Seattle that gay men and women are not safe on capital hill. That there are murders of glbt people that go unreported by the mainstream and gay press because they are not the right kind of "ga

carlton
September 28 2006, 6:51PM

Buju Banton, needs to really take a good look at how he negatively influences the young kids, and people who listen to his music. The negativity and danger about him and his music is sooo thick,that its frightening

Bellah
September 28 2006, 7:03PM

And finally Part 3

That there are murders of glbt people that go unreported by the mainstream and gay press because they are not the right kind of "gay" happens nationally does not make Jamaica more homophobic than the US.

eric arnold
September 28 2006, 7:18PM

there should be a campaign to end ignorance, period. and members of the LGBT community need to look in the mirror. Ok, so Buju and the Rasta/Caribbean community are on the opposite side of an ideological debate here. but making misleading/inflammatory statements like "buju takes another swipe at homosexuality" doesn't advance the dialogue. if you look at what buju was actually saying in that article, he not only has a point, but is actually just voicing his opinion without attacking gay people. just because he speaks on the issue, he's taking a swipe? who are you, michael savage?

moreover, blindly following "the gay agenda" without taking time to really examine the facts or the cultural context of this complex situation is akin to facism. do all gays think alike? is there no racism in the gay community? no and no.

ps
September 28 2006, 7:22PM

I'm happy that campaigning has led to Banton's concert being cancelled. Charles is right though: you need to transfer that campaining zeal to your own electoral processes. Buju Banton will be going home - with empty pockets, I hope - but you have to live with the deep-rooted racism and homophobia that pervades our communities. The homphobia in society and politics may be more subtle than Banton's raw rantings but it's more powerful - and most of it is home grown!
So celebrate; but know that, in the fight against homophobia, the battle against Buju is a significant skirmish not a decisive defeat.

ray
September 28 2006, 7:30PM

this creep NEEDS to be shut down - there's no "dialogue" for a gay people to have with a homophobic idiot like this!
That's like black people having "dialogues" with nazis and KKK types!
Hitting him in his POCKETBOOK will hurt him - maybe it'll teach him to keep his hateful views to HIMSELF!

cmoney
September 28 2006, 7:40PM

Looks like we've got him on the run. We need to keep our foot in his ass until he gets the message. As for those of you thinking there was some lost opportunity for dialogue: BULL!. It's not as if people just started protesting this guy and objecting to his hate speech. He has refused to stop performing music that calls for the murder of innocent people. He apparently doesn't even see anything wrong with advocating killing innocent people. What is there to talk about when someone is calling for your personal destruction? Either you lay down and let someone kill you or you fight back. That's no "gay agenda". This is about everyone's right to live in peace and safety. No one is saying Buju can't be an artist. But his artistic freedom ends at my right to personal safety and life itself.

eric arnold
September 28 2006, 7:52PM

so you don't see the need for dialogue? who's the idiot now? remember, without the civil rights movement, its doubtful there would have been a gay rights movement at all. so to pooh-pooh or downplay the VERY REAL issues of race and class as they pertain to the gay community is as ignorant as the attitudes you say you're protesting.
don't be blind to the actual facts:

Fact: gay violence accounts for less than 1% of all violence in jamaica.
Fact: there have been approximately 50 gay-related murders over the past 20 years; contrast that to the over 100 deaths attributed to police shootings in JUST ONE YEAR in Kingston.
Fact: under jamaican law, homosexuality is illegal in jamaica.
Fact: according to amnesty international, jamaica is the third-most violent nation in the world. AI has also stated that most gay-related violence is directly attributable to covert police squads, not reggae musicians.
Fact: there is no conclusive evidence of a link between reggae music and anti-gay violence whatsoever.

Jeff
September 28 2006, 8:08PM

Well I say if you think Keith and Jasmyne are doing it all wrong then you go out there and do it. I mean certainly no one is going to listen if you all you do is criticize the ones out there actually doing something about it. Name calling someone on their own site isn't going to do it.

cmoney
September 28 2006, 9:04PM

Well, if you think its no problem in Jamaica to have musicians calling for the murder of gay people, then KEEP THAT SHIT IN JAMAICA! We don't want it here. We have our own problems with gangsta rap, homophobia and wanton street violence. As far as I'm concerned, Buju Banton should be deported from this country for promoting hate crimes. The only idiotic thing to do would be to negotiate the manner in which you are murdered. I don't know of any race or class that wants to be murdered so I don't see any issues of race and class here.

Donald
September 29 2006, 4:50AM

Of course there's a need for dialogue, but let's not beat around the bush, either. Homosexuality is illegal in Jamaica, but so is murder. It's 2006 and Buju Banton IS STILL SINGING "Boom Bye Bye" and advocating the murder of gay people. Is he singing songs about murdering murderers? Let's not pretend that he gives a fuck about what's legal and what is not. He's not looking for dialogue nor is he interested in restitution. He thinks he can have his cake and eat it, too. This series of cancelled shows proves that he is mistaken.

Why isn't it illegal for him to be singing songs that advocate murder in the first place? Deport his ass! I'm sick of hearing people misappropriate and misrepresent the First Amendement to defend his murderous hatred. Scotland Yard meets his ass AT THE AIRPORT whenever he visits the UK!

Jeff
September 29 2006, 10:24AM

Not to change the subject, but have any of you heard about this racist white group? It's two young white girls who call themselves Prussian Blue. Here's the link
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1231684&page=1

The Empress
September 29 2006, 10:44AM

Yeah Jeff,
I remember seeing this on like Dateline or something earlier this year. Wow! What values we instill in our children. That's so sad.

Aaron
September 29 2006, 10:45AM

This is how a revolution starts. ARE ALL OF YOU READY???? Listen to your local hip hop radio stations,read the magazines, etc because next there will probably be efforts by the reggae industry to pit the "straight" Black community against the gay community. The language will probably allude to gay people "forcing others to like or accept them". Money is being lost so things will get really ugly. Pay attention.

loi wade
September 29 2006, 10:53AM

Keith, do you know of a site where we can contact Buju Banton directly? I would really like the opportunity to respond to his asinine comments personally. Have you ever heard the saying 'it is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it to be so'? I can't believe he said "I don't hate gays I just don't tolerate them". If you ask me, he seems a little obsessed with us. I am so proud of Oakland! My aunt, my mother, and myself all went to sweets at some point or other. I am so so SO proud!

Blackgayguy
October 1 2006, 6:53PM

Bella, are you this creeps agent or what? You have dissed everyone but not him. If, you like his musci, so be it, but, don't get on a high horse and try and tell others who condemn violence that they are wrong to single him out. I don't know any Jamacian people, but, somehow I doubt they can all be as hateful and in his case ugly in music and looks, because child that man makes Flava Flav look good. And, Jeff about those racist little "white" girls, they left Cali for Montana, and have found decent white folks want none of that nonsense, no matter how "cute" the singers are. Racism and homophobia are back in style since Bush II, but, decent people will still just say NO.

tilly
October 2 2006, 11:01AM

Sounds like you'all should petition to have Buju on "America's Most Wanted"; Department of Homeland Security might also be interested -- the state department keeps a handy-dandy list of "terrorists" or "terrorist wanna-bes" which proves quite effective in keeping "those people and their ideas" out of our hallowed country. "Deport his ass!!" - well said! Why not petition to have his visa revoked on the grounds of "potential threat to the American people". What say we take that up as the next step? I'm not serious of course, but there's all kinds of fascist ideas running through these responses. This doesn't seem so far off...and I wouldn't be surprised if someone did think this was a good idea...

Roy J
October 2 2006, 11:35PM

This Jamacian bigoted ass is repulsive, ignorant, and stupid (in that order). We should not be exposed to this mans hateful and homophobic nonsence. He has not learned his lesson. His moral compas is fractured. His distorted view of our world is so screwed. Just today he restated his hateful homophobic rehtoric. He should be strongly denounced, his visa should be lifted, and all of his concerts should be boycotted. Ass holes like him are neither wanted or appreciated. Fuck him!

Adonia
July 9 2007, 4:12AM

You guys need to stop with the hate against buju, he's tryin to make his money,I come and search buju pon di internet and I come across this shit. You know what we dont care about none of yall rass fagots infact, I hope you all get wiped out fuckin nasty sodimites.

And Buju nah need fi apologize to ya

Uno need fi apologize to jah fi ya sickness