2008 Woodie Awards
Preacher stalls Latino rights rally
Not deterred, to return to Tate
CAREY O'NEIL
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: News
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Celina Correa, the organization's president, told Brother JK to stop preaching when he showed up at Tate Plaza toting a poster board that condemned various groups such as "ankle biters" and "sports nuts."
"I asked him to stop talking because we were going to have a speaker," Correa said. Her group had reserved the plaza for Sylvia Mendez, an American civil rights activist, to speak.
"I'm glad he's here," Mendez said. "He has a right to be here." But she said she was sorry the fight even happened.
"I'm allowed to be here," Brother JK said. "I felt the Lord lead me here." Correa was rude when she approached him, he said. "She was yelling at me that I had to leave or else she'd call the cops."
"He has a right to be here," Correa said. "We just wanted him to be respectful."
When a Tate official came out and spoke with JK, he quieted down and moved aside, but not before insulting Correa.
"He called me a hypocrite," she said. "I'm just asking for a little respect."
"It's ironic that something like this would happen at a rally about civil rights," said Erin Thompson, an employee of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, who witnessed the conflict.
"It's one thing to come here to preach, but it's another to get in the way of our assembly."
JK said he wasn't deterred by conflicts such as this.
"I think we really make a difference. We get a lot of people who argue with us and yell at us, but we're spreading the word of God," he said.
JK and his wife, Sister Evangelista, are "committed to publicly proclaiming the truth of God's word to everyone" according to their Web site, BemaMinistries.com.
This was JK's first visit to the University, and he said he would return before heading to the Southeast Open Air Preachers' Association
fall conference in Marietta on Oct.15.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 25
couple of thoughts
posted 10/10/08 @ 8:55 AM EST
1. Its Correa who sounds like the bigger bitch here.
2. There's an entire conference for guys like Brother JK and Brother Micha? That must be the most annoying place in the world. (Continued…)
Unimpressed Dawg
posted 10/10/08 @ 10:02 AM EST
He-ain't-my-Brother JK is not an argument for freedom of speech. He's not an argument for Christianity. He's a belated argument for contraception for his parents. (Continued…)
I have a solution
posted 10/10/08 @ 10:20 AM EST
what about throwing excrement at this man while he open air preaches? I mean who wants to stand somewhere when people are throwing dog poo at you?
David Alper
posted 10/10/08 @ 10:49 AM EST
I think that Brother JK may have violated Sylvia Mendez's constitutional right of free speech. She was part of a scheduled, reserved public assembly, and he allegedly interfered with it with what appeared to be disorderly conduct. (Continued…)
George
posted 10/10/08 @ 11:33 AM EST
This just in, people have the right to free speech in America. Get over it. This guy knows people don't agree with him and he gets off on having people yell at him, now you put him on the front page of the Red and Black? Do another story about the weather and put it on the front page or something. (Continued…)
Rachel Chang
posted 10/10/08 @ 11:41 AM EST
Firstly, I would like to disclaim that I'm not well-versed in University policy about Tate Plaza or other various policies that would concern this issue. (Continued…)
Dennis
posted 10/10/08 @ 11:41 AM EST
Since I am in the picture and was there when Correa approached JK I can say that she was not rude to him. The plaza is a free speech zone and JK had the right to be there, but not when it is reserved. (Continued…)
George
posted 10/10/08 @ 12:29 PM EST
Ok, if the plaza was reserved that is different. From reading the article I thought that they just went up to the preacher and were trying to get him to leave so they could have the full stage. (Continued…)
Stay Puft
posted 10/10/08 @ 4:11 PM EST
So you can reserve a free speech zone?
Somehow that doesn't sound right...
hart
posted 10/10/08 @ 6:08 PM EST
Civil Rights activists are outdated. The old guard race politics are damaging at this point, please stop manufacturing controversy where there is none. (Continued…)
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