Also adding his name to the fight is the Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler, Senior Minister at the Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Northeast Washington, and the Immediate Past National President of Ministers for Racial, Social and Economic Justice (MRSEJ). Hagler has made his mark as an activist in the District, Boston and Chicago, where he once staged a sit-in that convinced Sears to hire hundreds of minority employees. He has also been active in the Palestine solidarity movement.
Fauntroy and Hagler joined Macedonia Baptist Church Pastor Rev. Segun Adebayo in issuing a letter to other area congregations, calling on them to support the cause and attend the march. "As religious and secular leaders," the ministers wrote, "we believe that the ground in which our ancestors are buried is sacred and blessed ground. But, corporations and misdirected members of government have 'hardened their hearts' to the cries of the community calling out for justice. Dr. King faced such criticism and it only emboldened him to press forward with the work of justice. When Dr. King was asked why he had come to Birmingham, he simply answered: 'I’m in Birmingham because injustice is in Birmingham.'"
"We ask you to march with us on Sunday, November 12th, to assert the notion that the first generation of freed Africans in Montgomery County, do matter. Their lives mattered. Their contributions matter. They do not deserve to remain unnoticed and defiled."
Montgomery County, developer Regency Centers and the County Housing Opportunities Commission have proposed building a parking garage on top of the cemetery, which is located on Regency's Westwood Tower property. Construction workers building the apartment tower already desecrated the cemetery once during the late 1960s, and then covered most of the graveyard with a parking lot.
The HOC last week issued a statement declaring that it now had no immediate plans to build the garage, but said it could in the future, offering no actual promise or guarantee it would not. HOC also made the strange claim that the church did not need permission to conduct an archaeological study of the hidden cemetery, a ridiculous assertion given that HOC does not own the property - and because Regency Centers has so far declined to allow anthropologists chosen by the church to conduct such a study. In fact, Regency and HOC fought the church all summer, refusing to reach just such an agreement for a study during mediation sessions.
Sunday's protest will begin at Macedonia Baptist Church. Protesters will then march to the cemetery site. Be there!
19 comments:
"He has also been active in the Palestine solidarity movement."
Well, that should make him really popular here in Bethesda.
(Sarcasm, in case it wasn't clear.)
"In 2012, Fauntroy disappeared and presumably fled the United States after a bench warrant was issued for his arrest in conjunction with allegations he had written a fraudulent check for $55,000. Fauntroy's wife was eventually forced to file for bankruptcy. While his whereabouts were initially unknown to even his family, it was assumed Fauntroy was living somewhere in the Persian Gulf. In 2016, Fauntroy returned to the United States and was arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport. He had been hiding in Ajman, the capital of the Emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates."
"In 1995, Fauntroy pleaded guilty to a felony charge of filing a false disclosure statement in 1989. Fauntroy falsely reported making a $23,887 donation to a Washington church at the end of 1988."
Marion Barry 2.0
5:25/5:20: Nothing new about the "The Man" going after civil rights leaders like Barry and Fauntroy. If the feds spent as much time as they do looking for corruption in gorgeous Prince George's and D.C. in Montgomery County government, I guarantee you would see several perp walks in front of 100 Maryland Avenue.
Robert, you are fighting the good fight. I hope you and your cemetery friends can buy back the land that was sold years ago.
"The Man" going after civil rights leaders.
Welcome to 1968 - hold on folks, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
Preach on Rev, preach on!
Dyer you must be disappointed about the results last night. Looks like your champion Trump - with the worst approval rating in history - is toxic to his party.
2018 should be fun. Even more level-headed Repubs like Hogan should be scared.
Why did Dyer delete the comment which indicated that Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler ran for one of the DC City Council's 4 at-large seats in 2014, and placed 7th with just 3% of the vote?
Sucks to be a moderate Repub or Dem right now. Seems like everyone wants to ally with a Trump or a Sanders/Warren.
"Seems like everyone wants to ally with a Trump"
Including your beloved author
Little Lord Fauntroy brings his clown and Houdini act to the fight. ROTFLMAO! The members of this church must be real desperate for attention to seek his services. They would have done better asking Mayor Barry. (wink, wink).
This protest/ march is such a terrible joke. They are exploiting race to get a museum which many do not agree with and I guess if it means these church folks get a cushy job and tax breaks, then it's racist not to let them, right? Shame on this church.
Big, big, big news.
I pray at least one of our council members will break ranks and join the protests.
Meanwhile Dyer deleted my comment on Fauntroy's illegal activity which hurts his credibility. Or maybe Dyer deleted it because Westfield is paying him to promote Montgomery Mall and suggested he shared it with Fauntroy to get him on board.
Dyer also deleted a comment which noted that his use of the term "The Man" is not only horribly dated, but just sounds plain silly when uttered by a middle-aged dependently-wealthy white man.
Dyer @ 5:32 AM - Have you reported your concerns about the Montgomery County government's possible violation of federal laws, to the FBI?
They're not telepathic, and they certainly don't read your blog.
Whether or not you approve of Walter Fauntroy (I have decidedly mixed feelings), Macedonia Baptist Church's November 12 rally supports a just cause.
In 2014, Congress enacted a law supporting the preservation of cemeteries in the U.S. and abroad, amending the International Religious Freedom Act to categorize the desecration of cemeteries as a violation of religious freedom.
Ironically, the desecration of the cemetery at Westbard continues just a few miles from the U.S. Capitol. I will support religious freedom by attending the rally on November 12.
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