Local
Figure in Md. robocalls case funding anti-Question 6 group
Baltimore political consultant Julius Henson served a month in jail earlier this year in connection with 2010 robocalls
Maryland campaign finance records indicate a Baltimore political consultant who served jail time earlier this year for conspiring to produce robocalls designed to discourage black voters from voting in the 2010 gubernatorial election has given $20,000 to a group fighting the stateās same-sex marriage law.
The report that Jump the Broom for Marriages filed with the Maryland State Board of Elections on Oct. 13 indicates Julius Henson donated $500 to the campaign on Aug. 1, $10,500 on Aug. 30 and $10,000 on Sept. 21. The PAC reported it raised $21,881 between June 12 and Oct. 7.
Jump the Broom for Marriages’ campaign finance report further indicates Henson made an in-kind donation of $7,200 for campaign signs, literature and stationary on Oct. 7. It notes another $3,900 receipt dated Sept. 1 for use of office space at 501 W. 23rd St. in Baltimore as a ācampaign HQ.ā Hensonās company, Universal Elections, Inc., is located at the same address, according to its website.
Jump the Broom for Marriages paid Ralco Products Co., Inc., of Pikesville $9,583.43 on Sept. 24 for what its campaign finance report describes as āyard signs, 4×4, 4×8 signs, tee shirts, giveaways other campaign materials.ā It also bought $5,500 worth of air time with Radio One Baltimore, which operates four black and gospel radio stations in the city, on Aug. 29. Jump the Broom for Marriages purchased another $1,000 of air time with the same group on Oct. 5.
Jump the Broom for Marriages also paid IQ & Associates in Baltimore $2,780 on the same day for what it described as āfield operation/literature drops.ā The group has been placing anti-Question 6 fliers on cars throughout Baltimore in recent weeks. Jump the Broom for Marriages has also distributed yard signs that urge voters to oppose Marylandās same-sex marriage law in the Nov. 6 referendum.
A photograph of one of these signs that the Washington Blade recently obtained from inside Jump the Broom for Marriages’ campaign headquarters contains a yellow cross superimposed onto a purple background with the words āno same-sex marriageā written on it. The poster further urges voters to vote against Question 6.
āMarriage is between a man and a woman,ā reads the sign.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in May ordered Henson and his company, Universal Elections, Inc., to pay a $1 million fine for violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act when he and employee Rhonda Russell robocalled more than 112,000 Democratic voters in Baltimore City and Prince Georgeās County on behalf of former Gov. Robert Ehrlich, Jr.,ās 2010 gubernatorial campaign. The calls said they did not need to vote before the polls closed on Election Day because Gov. Martin OāMalley and President Obama had already won.
āOur goals have been met,ā said the call prosecutors maintain Henson and Russell wrote and recorded. āThe polls were correct and we took it back. We’re okay. Relax. Everything is fine. The only thing left is to watch it on TV tonight. Congratulations and thank you.”
A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge in June sentenced Henson to 60 days in jail and 300 hours of community service for his role in the scheme. He was released in July.
Ehrlichās campaign manager, Paul Schurick, earlier this year received 30 days house arrest, four years probation and 500 hours of community service in the case.
Neither Henson, nor Universal Elections, Inc., immediately returned the Bladeās request for comment.
Maryland
Montgomery County police chief discusses arrest of trans student charged with planned school shooting
County executive tells news conference studentās trans identity is irrelevant to criminal charge
Montgomery County, Md., Police Chief Marcus Jones joined other county and law enforcement officials at a news conference on Friday, April 19, to provide details of the police investigation and arrest of an 18-year-old high school student charged two days earlier with threats of mass violence based on information that he allegedly planed a mass shooting at the high school and elementary school he attended in Rockville, Md.
In charging documents and in a press released issued on April 18, Montgomery CountyĀ PoliceĀ identified the arrested student as āAndrea Ye, of Rockville, whose preferred name is Alex Ye.ā
One of the charging documents states that a friend of Ye, who police say came forward as a witness who played a crucial role in alerting authorities to Yeās threats of a school shooting, noted that Ye told the witness that Ye identified as the transgender student he wrote about asĀ aĀ character in a 129-page manifesto outlining plans for a schoolĀ shooting. Police have said Ye told them theĀ manifestoĀ was a fictional story he planned to publish. Ā
At the news conference on Friday, Police Chief Jones and other law enforcement officials, including an FBI official and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, referred to the student as Alex Ye and Mr. Ye. None of the officials raised the issue of whether Ye identified as a transgender man, seven though one of the police documents identifies Ye as a ābiological female.ā
County Executive Elrich appeared to express the views of the public officials at the news conference when one of the media reporters, during a question-and-answer period, asked Elrich why he and the others who spoke at the news conferment failed to āadmit that this individual was transgender.ā
āBecause itās not a lead,ā Elrich replied, asking if the press and law enforcement authorities should disclose that someone arrested for murder is āa white Christian male whoās heterosexual.ā Elrich stated, āNo, you donāt ā You never publish somebodyās sexual orientation when we talk about this. Why you are focusing on this being a transgender is beyond me. Itās not a news story. It is not a crime to be transgender.ā
The reporter attempted to respond but was cut off by the press conference moderator, who called on someone else to ask the next question.
In his remarks at the press conference Chief Jones praised the so far unidentified witness who was the first to alert authorities about Yeās manifestoĀ appearingĀ to make threats of a mass school shooting.
āNow, this is a situation that highlights the critical importance of vigilance and community involvement in preventing potential tragedies,ā Jones said. āI commend the collaborative efforts of the Montgomery County Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rockville City Police Department, and the Montgomery County Public Schools, as well as Montgomery County Health and Human Services,ā he told the gathering.
āThanks to their swift action and cooperation a potentially catastrophic event was prevented,ā Jones said.
Jones pointed out that during the current school year, police have received reports of 140 threats to the public schools in Montgomery County. He said after a thorough investigation, none of them rose to the level where an arrest was made. Instead, police and school officials took steps to arrange for the student making the threats and their parents to take remedial action, including providing mental health services.
āBut this case is different,ā Jones said. āThis case is entirely different that takes it to a different level. It was a concerned witness who brought this matter to light by rereporting the suspectāsĀ manifestoĀ to the authorities. This underscores the value of community engagement and the āsee something say somethingā approach,ā he said.
Jones mentioned at the press conference that Ye was being held without bond since the time of his arrest but was scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing on Friday shortly after the press conference took place to determine whether he should be released while awaiting trial or continue to be held.
In his manifesto obtained by police, Ye writes about committing a school shooting, and strategizes how to carry out the act. Ye also contemplates targeting an elementary school and says that he wants to be famous.
In charging documents reported on by WJLA 7 and WBAL 11, the 129-page document, which Ye has referred to as a book of fiction, included writings that said, in part:
“I want to shoot up a school. I’ve been preparing for months. The gun is an AR-15. This gun is going to change lives tomorrow … As I walk through the hallways, I cherry pick the classrooms that are the easiest targets. I need to figure out how to sneak the gun in. I have contemplated making bombs. The instructions to make them are surprisingly available online. I have also considered shooting up my former elementary school because little kids make easier targets. High school’s the best target; I’m the most familiar with the layout. I pace around my room like an evil mastermind. I’ve put so much effort into this. My ultimate goal would be to set the world record for the most amount of kills in a shooting. If I have time, I’ll try to decapitate my victims with a knife to turn the injuries into deaths.”
Maryland
Rockville teen charged with plotting school shooting after FBI finds āmanifestoā
Alex Ye charged with threats of mass violence
BY BRETT BARROUQUERE | A Montgomery County high school student is charged with what police describe as plans to commit a school shooting.
Andrea Ye, 18, of Rockville, whose preferred name is Alex Ye, is charged with threats of mass violence. Montgomery County Police and the FBI arrested Ye Wednesday.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
New D.C. LGBTQ+ bar Crush set to open April 19
An āall-inclusive entertainment haven,ā with dance floor, roof deck
D.C.ās newest LGBTQ+ bar called Crush is scheduled to open for business at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 19, in a spacious, two-story building with a dance floor and roof deck at 2007 14th St., N.W. in one of the cityās bustling nightlife areas.
A statement released by co-owners Stephen Rutgers and Mark Rutstein earlier this year says the new bar will provide an atmosphere that blends ānostalgia with contemporary nightlifeā in a building that was home to a popular music store and radio supply shop.
Rutgers said the opening comes one day after Crush received final approval of its liquor license that was transferred from the Owl Room, a bar that operated in the same building before closing Dec. 31 of last year. The official opening also comes three days after Crush hosted a pre-opening reception for family, friends, and community members on Tuesday, April 16.
Among those attending, Rutgers said, were officials with several prominent local LGBTQ organizations, including officials with the DC Center for the LGBTQ Community, which is located across the street from Crush in the cityās Reeves Center municipal building. Also attending were Japer Bowles, director of the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs, and Salah Czapary, director of the Mayorās Office of Nightlife and Culture.
Rutgers said Crush plans to hold a grand opening event in a few weeks after he, Rutstein and the barās employees become settled into their newly opened operations.
āStep into a venue where inclusivity isnāt just a promise but a vibrant reality,ā a statement posted on the Crush website says. āImagine an all-inclusive entertainment haven where diversity isnāt just celebrated, itās embraced as the very heartbeat of our venue,ā the statement says. āWelcome to a place where love knows no bounds, and the only color or preference that matters is the vibrant tapestry of humanity itself. Welcome to Crush.ā
The website says Crush will be open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Fridays from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m., Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 3 a.m., and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. It will be closed on Mondays.
Crush is located less than two blocks from the U Street Metro station.
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