Newspapers / Q-notes (Charlotte, N.C.) / March 13, 2004, edition 1 / Page 4
Part of Q-notes (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
National Q-NOTES • MARCH 13 . 2004 Puts The Spring Back In Your Ride. •K.yW - * • « * -/. . ■:■ Bid farewell to the snow and cold with a Mercedes-Benz CLK500 Cabriolet. Combining unparalleled luxury and se.nsual styling with thoroughbred performance, the CLK is the perfect environment for your upcoming outdoor activities. And now Beck Imports i.s offering an attractive lease deal on its 2003 CLK convertibles. Changing seasons has never been so much fun. 'Stock #029. 48- month tease. S4.6S5 oown poyment, acsuisittor. fee and aea;er fee tota'ing S6,279 due at tease inccclion. Pfus tax and lag. OAC. 5141 East Independence Blvd. ! Charlotte, NC 28212 t 800.532.0595 I 704.535.6400 www.beckimports.com j Mon-Fri 7am-7pm | Sat 8am-5pm ■BECK® IMPORTS Asheville clashes over gay marriage from page 1 Baptist Church told gays and lesbians that their sin was indeed heinous— but it could be forgiven. Dykes’ babble was of little consequence or interest to protesters — as they returned his statements with shouts of “Separate church and state” and “It’s our nation too.” Tensions begin to rise when an Asheville police officer came to the front of the crowd and announced that the only way LGBT activists could stay was to be silent. “Otherwise, you will have to be moved across the street,” he reprimanded. His instructions were mostly ignored, but it wasn’t long before other forms of public protest began to manifest: two lesbians began kissing passionately, amidst cheers from the crowd, followed by a gay man kissing >two different men. By now the mostly Baptist audience began shielding their children’s eyes and looking away in disgust at the public dis plays of affection. Interim Police Chief Ross Robinson told gay activists and sup porters to move across the street — and that resistance would lead to arrest. A line of 35 officers and sheriffs sur rounded the protesters, as they were forced slowly towards the street. A ha'ndful of pro testers initially refused to move, but were coerced by a local activist. “This is not worth it. It’s not the way to further the cause,” the unidentified individual said. “)ust listen to the police and do as you are told.” As the masses of people were squeezed onto the sidewalk and into the street where traffic was moving, the police apparently decided it was time to move. One young man was wrestled to the ground by four officers — for doing nothing more than not moving fast enough. Some protesters broke through the line of officers Grea^a RIDE YOUR DREAMS! See the world at your own speed in good company. Bike trips for ^ every rider to France, Italy, Iceland, and more! -800-82S- www.alvsonadventures.com Members of the Swonnanoo Valley Independent Missionary Baptist Church descended upon downtown Asheville for a 'Sanctity of Marriage' rally Mar, 6. and were quickly apprehended. Another ' teenage boy shouted something to the offi cers and was taken down violently. The remaining protesters were shunted away from the City County Plaza,.across Spruce St. to a small grass island, where they remained surrounded by police. Despite the arrests, gay and lesbian supportive picketers continued to protest throughout the remain der of the event, chanting, “We’re here. We’re queer. We won’t disappear.” A hand ful of young men possibly affiliated with the Radical Faeries movement staged a gay revival, complete with dancing, singing and shouting, followed by mock gay weddings, with several men dressed in full or partial wedding gowns. A University of North Carolina student on hand for the protest was confused as to why the “Sanctity of Marriage” organizers — the Swannanoa Valley Independent Missionary Baptist Church. — staged the event in Asheville. “Sanctity of Marriage supporters came to Asheville deliberately to cause controversy,” said Lindsey Duchac. "Why didn’t they stage the rally in their own hometowns, just outside of Asheville? They came here to make us mad. It worked.” Of the eleven who were arrested, most were charged with misdemeanor second- degree trespassing. Two activists were charged with resisting arrest, and two others with creating a public disturbance. All were instructed to appear in court on Apr. 5.
Q-notes (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 13, 2004, edition 1
4
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75