Joe.My.God. LGBT News
As evidenced by some angry and hate-filled comments on my post about the arrest of Buju Banton, a number of reggae fans in Jamaica and the U.S. are claiming that his bust for attempting to buy eleven pounds of cocaine is payback from the LGBT community. Because we totally control the DEA. From the Miami Herald:
On Monday, in South Florida and Jamaica, callers burned up radio airwaves, calling the arrest a “conspiracy” to get him after his recent controversy that included protests by local gay-rights advocates over a Halloween concert in downtown Miami. “They are convinced it’s directly connected to the concert he had recently,” said Winston Barnes, a Miramar city commissioner and host of a popular Jamaican talk show on WAVS (1170-AM). “What they are saying is that he got off that time and they are fixing him now.” Barnes tried without success to reason with callers, most of whom also viewed the arrest as an attack on reggae music. “It is one big mess.” In Jamaica, people clamored for details of the arrest, decrying it on radio and on street corners. “A lot of people are wondering if it has any links with the fight against him,” well-known Jamaican dub poet Mutabaruka said from Kingston. “We are trying to get more information.” Last fall, several of Banton’s concerts were canceled in U.S. cities amid protests from gays and lesbians. Even a face-to-face meeting with some gay-rights activists in San Francisco in October failed to end the protests.
Banton faces a 20-30 year minimum sentence in federal prison. A criminal defense lawyer contacted about possibly representing Banton tells the Miami Herald that he advises a plea-bargain deal in which Banton gives up his co-conspirators.