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Federal Hate Crime Guilty Pleas in Videotaped ATL Anti-Gay Assault

PHOTO: Project Q Atlanta

Two of the three men convicted of brutally attacking a young gay Atlanta man and videotaping the assault have pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges, reports The GA Voice.

This case is the first in Georgia to charge a violation of the sexual orientation section of the federal hate crimes law. Christopher Cain (above) and Dorian Moragne, both of Atlanta, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester.

"Violence against another person because of his or her sexual orientation has no place in our civilized society," said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates in a prepared statement. "The citizens of this district should know that we are committed to aggressively prosecuting hate crimes."

No word yet on the sentencing date.

The videotaped February 4 2012 attack against Brandon White went viral across the internet. Cain has been described as one of the "main aggressors" in the videotaped attack.  The vicious beating of White began after Cain claimed White made a sexual advance toward him, according to court documents. White has denied the claim. Cain can be seen on the video "stomp[ing] Brandon White after he was punched and kicked" to the ground.

Other defendants were seen stomping and kicking Brandon White. Moragne was identified as the person who threw a tire on the victim.

Federal authorities joined the manhunt and prosecution. Cain, Moragne and Darael Williams were sentenced last July to five years in prison on aggravated assault, street gang activity and robbery convictions. Another defendant, 24-year-old Javaris Bradford, was indicted by a grand jury and apparently remains at large.

Georgia is one of only five states without a hate crimes law. The Justice Department announced that they would file federal hate crime charges once the state concluded its case.

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PHOTO: The Burgess-Allens

This is brilliant. EBONY has profiled Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen III (R) and Rashad Burgess as part of its series "The Coolest Black Family in America."

Bishop Allen leads The Vision Church of Atlanta, the well-known progressive and inclusive Pentecostal congregation. Burgess—an R20 friend—is Chief of the Capacity Building Branch for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The couple has been together since 2002, were married in 2009 and recently welcomed a new addition: Caylee LaTanya Burgess-Allen.

"I don’t think there’s any greater thing that a human being can do than pour into another human being and raise a child," said Bishop Allen. It fulfills your life."

The article is beautiful and the slide set is gorgeous. More HERE.

Low Enrollment Forces Eddie Long to Close Christian Academy

More problems for the scandal-plagued "Bishop" Eddie Long and the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Citing low enrollment and a poor "economy", the church has announced plans to close its Christian Academy at the end of the school year, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV.

Enrollment reportedly has dropped by almost 80 percent at the Faith Community Christian Academy K-12. The academy is located on the New Birth campus in Lithonia,

The academy closed in January 2012 due to economic troubles, but reopened shortly [later]. According to New Birth's website, the school opened in 1993 as New Birth Christian Academy, and at one time boasted an enrollment of more than 200 students. But a church spokesperson said the current enrollment is at about 40, not nearly enough to be able to keep the school economically viable. He said this is a growing trend among private Christian academies as more and more of them are hit with economic hardships.

The school closure is just the latest bad news for the megachurch that once boasted up to 25,000 members. Twelve former church members announced in January that they were suing Long and New Birth for "encouraging" them to invest millions in a Ponzi scheme.

The anti-gay televangelist was accused of luring at least five young men into sexual relationships in late 2010. Long was accused of using church funds to give the young men cash, gifts and cars. The sexual relationships reportedly began when each of the plaintiffs were around 16 years old. Long reached an out-of-court settlement with the young men  in May 2011. Read the complaints HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Long's wife Vanessa publicly announced her plans to divorce in December 2011. The case was withdrawn in February 2012. Mrs. Long received a standing ovation from church members in September 2012 when she discussed why she remained in the marriage.

New Birth MBC maintains the school's financial problems are "not" related "to the controversy surrounding church founder Bishop Eddie Long and allegations of sexual abuse."

Keep telling yourself that, hon.

Federal Lawsuit Filed in Fatal Park Shooting of DeFarra Gaymon

There are new developments in the case of an unarmed Atlanta banking executive who was fatally shot by an Essex County Sheriff's Police officer in a Newark, New Jersey park  on July 16 2010. The family of DeFarra Gaymon has filed a federal lawsuit against the county, reports Gay City News' Duncan Osborne.

The lawsuit claims excessive force and says Gaymon was "under control ... unarmed and helpless" before he was shot and killed during the public sex sting in the park.

"Officer Esposito chased decedent Gaymon to a pond located within the park," wrote Christopher W. Kinum, the attorney for the Gaymon family, in an amended complaint filed in federal court on February 15. "Decedent Gaymon got down on his knees. At this point, decedent Gaymon had no avenue of escape due to the pond being in front of him… Officer Esposito approached decedent Gaymon from behind. Defendant Officer Esposito kicked decedent Gaymon several times."

The complaint asserts that Edward Esposito, a sheriff’s deputy in the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, then drew his gun and fired a single shot into the 48-year-old Gaymon’s stomach, killing him.

"At the time he was shot, Defarra was unarmed and helpless, and in no way posed a threat to Defendant Officer Esposito’s safety or to the safety of any other persons," wrote Kinum, who wrote in a separate brief that he was relying on "Officer Esposito’s written statement made three days after the shooting."

On July 16 2010, the Montclair, NJ native had driven to New Jersey from his suburban Atlanta home to attend his high school’s 30th reunion. Esposito claims Gaymon was masturbating in the park when he approached the detective. Officials said there was a chase and the officer fired one shot after the unarmed man "reached in his pocket and lunged" at the officer. There were no witnesses.

DeFarra Gaymon was married with four children. Gaymon's family has disputed the official version of events but has not commented on the sexual angle of the case. Family, friends and co-workers say the descriptions of Gaymon's alleged violent behavior are "uncharacteristic" and possibly even fabricated.

Esposito—the police officer who killed the unarmed man—may "have been involved in at least three 2009 public sex arrests that also turned violent," reported Gay City News in January 2011. Up to 16 arrests possibly made by Esposito follow a disturbingly similar pattern. An Essex County grand jury chose not to file charges against the officer in June 2011.

The Essex County Sheriff has suspended the five-year park sting operation at Newark's Branch Brook Park.

Read R20"s complete covereage HERE.

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ATLANTA: Police Arrest Suspect in Shooting at Morehouse College

SCREENCAP: CBS ATLANTA

Atlanta detectives have arrested one suspect and are looking for a second in connection with the shooting of a Morehouse College student over the weekend. The Friday shooting apparently began as "a fight over a pickup basketball game" at Morehouse's Samuel Archer Hall, reports WSB and CBS Atlanta.

Twenty-two-year-old Clark Atlanta University student Amir Obafemi was arrested Saturday. Obafemi has been charged with felony aggravated assault and carrying a concealed weapon.

[Morehouse Police Chief Vernon Worthy]said the shooting stemmed from an argument outside after a pick-up basketball game at the gym. He said the shooter brandished a weapon, and the victim made it just inside the building before he was shot in the forearm. The victim, later identified as Cornileus Savage, was taken to Grady Hospital, and is conscious and alert, according to Atlanta police.

There was another violent crime on the Morehouse campus over the weekend, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Around 130pm Saturday, the Atlanta Police Department said a Morehouse student’s iPhone was snatched from his hand and when he chased the robber several of the suspect’s “associates” attacked the student. "They roughed him up and then fled the scene," APD spokesman Gregory Lyon said. He said the student suffered cuts and bruises and was transported to the hospital.

The Morehouse shooting was the second high-profile shooting in Atlanta last week. "A 14-year-old was wounded on Thursday in a shooting outside a middle school and police said another student was arrested," reports Reuters.

The 143-year-old all-male Morehouse College is one of the nation's most prestigious historically black colleges and universities (HBCU). The college boasts famous alumni and "Morehouse men" such as civil rights icons Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Julian Bond, filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Samuel L. Jackson.

Dr. John Silvanus Wilson is the new president of Morehouse. In January he spoke to National Public Radio about the challenges facing the historic college. Listen HERE.

VIDEO: Morehouse to Screen Black Gay Docudrama "Friend of Essex"

Last month R20 reported the all-male Morehouse College will soon offer its first Black LGBT-themed course. This is a major development because only a handful of historically black colleges offer LGBT-themed courses and/or recognize LGBT student groups.

Morehouse College and its gay/straight alliance SafeSpace will screen the new documentary drama Friend of Essex. The screening is on January 31 at the Bank of America Auditorium. RSVP here.

Watch the trailer to the new film AFTER THE JUMP ...

The film was written and directed by 23-year-old Amir Dixon, a friend of R20 and the creator of the web-based talk series BrotherHood TV. The documentary is described as "a mix of one-on-one interviews, group interviews, narrative pieces and poetry" inspired by Essex Hemphill’s writing and the 1989 film Tongues Untied by Marlon Riggs. Dixon says his film was necessary because Black gay men "need to know and share our history."

"I looked back on my childhood and realized my parents could teach me about being a Black Man in America, but could not teach me about being a Black Gay Man and all it came with. When I got my heart broken, when I dealt with homophobia, when I struggled with the intersections of my identity they didn’t know where to begin. So I turned to my elders, my ancestors and called on them through their work and their words. Essex Hemphill’s work laid the foundation for my film. His work around race, religion, activism and community was where I started. I wanted to capture the stories of other young black gay men and get their thoughts and stories on camera."

Watch the trailer to the new film AFTER THE JUMP ...

Morehouse College to Offer its First Black LGBT History Course

The all-male Morehouse College will soon offer its first LGBT-themed course, reports its campus newspaper The Maroon Tiger. It's a major development because only a handful of historically black colleges offer LGBT-themed courses and/or recognize LGBT student groups. It's also quite an accomplishment on the same campus that has seen numerous well-publicized cases of homophobia, harassment and anti-gay violence in recent years.

The survey course will be offered by the sociology department and "has been cross listed by the African American studies department." "The History and Culture of Black LGBT" is now taking registration for the Spring 2013 semester,  reports The Maroon Tiger.

The idea came to fruition when [gay/straight alliance and student advocacy group SafeSpace] Special Project and Events Coordinator Marcus Lee partnered with Yale University professor Dr. Jafari S. Allen to pitch the project. Allen focuses on the intersections of queer sexuality, gender and blackness.  “He’s very interested in gender non-conformity among colored people, and I’m interested in that as well,” Lee said. Allen [will]  teach the class via Skype.

The course is expected to outline various key concepts in Black feminism and critical cultural theory and methodology. Described as “an interdisciplinary survey of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) culture and politics” in the course’s syllabus, the class will serve as an in-depth look into critical, social and cultural theory that will vastly benefit the Morehouse community.

SafeSpace’s Public Relations Director Ja’Mal Lewis believes that this course will finally shine light on the LGBT figures that have been overlooked throughout history. "Many influential LGBT leaders have gone unrecorded due to their sexuality, and they made many of the movements that changed and shaped our history," Lewis said.

The 143-year-old college is one of the nation's most prestigious historically black colleges and universities (HBCU). The college boasts famous alumni and "Morehouse men" such as civil rights icons Dr, Martin Luther King Jr and Julian Bond, filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Samuel L. Jackson.

The college history is steeped in religion and tradition but it has boasted a thriving yet mostly closeted black gay subculture. The campus has been the site of several well-publicized acts of  homophobia, harassment and anti-gay violence. In November 2002, one "Morehouse man" nearly killed another student with a baseball bat because he believed the boy was gay and made a pass at him. In May 2010, three gay students were carjacked, kidnapped, robbed at gunpoint and called "faggots."

Morehouse President Dr. Robert M. Franklin vowed to address homophobia on campus when he took office in 2009. A staffer was fired later in 2009 for their part in a vicious anti-gay chain email.

In October 2009, a controversial student dress code was enacted that banned womens' attire, accessories or makeup. The code was endorsed by the campus' sole gay student group SafeSpace.

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Arrest in Church Shooting; Suspect Has Violent History, Mental Issues

PHOTO: AJC

The suspect in the fatal shooting at anti-gay Pastor Creflo Dollar's megachurch in suburban Atlanta has been apprehended. Floyd Palmer faces multiple charges after the shooting at World Changers Church International and waived his first court hearing this morning, reports NBC 11.

Palmer has been charged with homicide murder, felony murder, aggravated assault murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony. While he did not appear Thursday morning, family members of shooting victim Greg McDowell did make it to court. His mother broke down sobbing while waiting to go inside. She kept saying, "My baby, my baby, he's dead, he's dead."

Her son, a 39-year-old father of two, was leading prayer during a Bible study in the World Changers' chapel when police said he was shot at point-blank range. Congregants said they recognized Palmer as the shooter right away. The 51 year old used to work at the church and resigned in August.

Palmer apparently tried to turn himself in at a police substation at Lennox Square Mall ... but officers didn't know who he was. Atlanta Police Department officers and United States Marshals later took him into custody at a nearby Starbucks, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

The suspect has a violent history and a criminal record including previous charges of attempted murder, adds AJC.

In 2001, while living in Baltimore, Maryland, Circuit Court records show Palmer was arrested and charged with attempted murder, assault and two gun charges. In 2004, the more serious charges were dropped when Palmer pleaded guilty to second degree assault and carrying a handgun.

Palmer "has a history of mental health issues" and "spent time at a mental health facility for those crimes," adds NBC 11.

There is no acknowledged motive for the shooting. Authorities have not released details on the murder weapon and how it was purchased. World Changers also has not confirmed if they conducted a background check on Palmer prior to employment.

Pastor Creflo Dollar addressed his congregation over the shooting in the church's regular Wednesday night service, according to AJC and WSB-TV.

Creflo Dollar was arrested on assault charges in June. The flamboyant televangelist was accused of choking, punching and using a shoe to beat his 15-year-old daughter. Dollar received several standing ovations from his congregation when he appeared in the pulpit after his arrest.

Palmer's next court appearance is scheduled for November 8.

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Creflo Dollar Charged w/ Assaulting Daughter

ATLANTA: Fatal Shooting at Creflo Dollar's Megachurch

PHOTO: AJC

WWJD? A church employee was killed during a shooting this morning at anti-gay Pastor Creflo Dollar's World Changers Church International in College Park, Georgia reports NBC 11 and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The suspected gunman apparently is a former church employee "who resigned in August."

Floyd Palmer, 52, is wanted in connection with the fatal shooting at the megachurch founded by televangelist Creflo Dollar. Dollar was not at the church at the time of the shooting, according to police.

Police have not identified the victim who was shot around 10:30 a.m. and later died. Lester said it was not yet clear whether the victim was targeted by the shooter or shot randomly. Lester said the victim was leading prayer at the time of the shooting in the chapel where 20 to 25 people were gathered. Lester said police were in the process of interviewing witnesses and watching the church’s surveillance videos.

Channel 2 reported that the victim was a member of the church’s production crew and a facilities maintenance manager at the church.

Dollar was arrested on assault charges in June. The flamboyant televangelist was accused of choking, punching and using a shoe to beat his 15-year-old daughter. Dollar received several standing ovations from his congregation when he appeared in the pulpit after his arrest.

The televangelist also made headlines in 2011 after defending disgraced pastor Eddie Long. Dollar slammed church members who left Long after the anti-gay pastor settled five sexual coercion lawsuits brought by young men. Long also received a standing ovation from his church congregation after initially denying that he "ever" touched the young men.

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VIDEO: John Lewis Dancing and Voting "Gangnam Style"

Civil rights icon and Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis becomes the latest to embrace K-pop rapper PSY's viral hit "Gangnam Style." In the video "Voting Gangnam Style" produced by Atlanta's Asian American Legal Advocacy Center, the civil rights icon demonstrates a few moves while encouraging everyone to "Vote! Vote! Vote!"

The video is super cute. Watch it AFTER THE JUMP ...