SEATTLE: #BlackLivesMatter Activists Shut Down Bernie Sanders Speech

The Seattle Times reports:

A Seattle speech by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was pre-empted in a chaotic confrontation Saturday afternoon with a pair of Black Lives Matter protesters, who took the stage and refused to let him speak. The Vermont senator, who has drawn huge crowds around the country, was to be the star attraction and final speaker for a rally at Westlake Park to celebrate the 80th birthday of Social Security and the success of other anti-poverty programs. But his afternoon plans were scuttled by protesters determined to turn attention instead to Sunday’s anniversary of the shooting by a white police officer of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Mo. Later in the evening, Sanders received the reception he’d expected from the Seattle area as the progressive alternative to Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton. An estimated 15,000 supporters packed Hec Edmundson Pavilion and an overflow area as Sanders took the stage to thunderous applause and delivered an hourlong populist stemwinder about his plans to wrest the country from the control of billionaires.

SEATTLE: Crackpot Stages Straight Pride Parade, Is Only One To Show Up

Via Seattle Gay Scene:

Yesterday, Facebook lit up at the realization of a planned “Heterosexual Pride Parade” throughout Seattle’s Capitol Hill gayborhood on July 25th. Anthony Rebello, a hetero-activist of sorts, created the event to “celebrate (his) right to be heterosexual, and to encourage younger heterosexuals that they should be proud of their heterosexuality.” Of course, Seattle’s LGBT community collectively pounced on the event page and let loose with their unfiltered thoughts on the ill-advised event, especially the route that Mr. Rebello had chosen for his parade. Well, after all the comment-wars on the event page, Anthony Rebello was the only ignorant fool in attendance for the first ever Seattle Heterosexual Pride Parade. Better luck next year, bro!

Hit the link for quotes from the charming Mr. Rebello. (Tipped by JMG reader Lynda)

SEATTLE: Killer Says He Murdered Gay Men As Revenge Against The United States

The Seattle man who confessed to the June hook-up murders of two gay men now says he killed them and two others as revenge against the United States for military actions taken in the Middle East.

Ali Muhammad Brown, who had already been charged in the targeted killing of a gay couple in Seattle and the point-blank shooting of a New Jersey college student, was charged Wednesday with the April slaying of 30-year-old Leroy Henderson in Skyway, Wash., according to the King County Prosecutor's Office. According to a criminal complaint filed in King County, Brown took responsibility for each shooting and told investigators he carried out the killings to gain retribution for lives lost during U.S. military action in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. "My mission is my mission between me and my lord. That's it," Brown said during a jailhouse interview in New Jersey, according to the court filings. "My mission is vengeance, for the lives, millions of lives are lost every day." "All these lives are taken every single day by America, by this government," Brown continued. "So a life for a life." Brown's bloody rampage began April 27, when he is accused of gunning down Henderson near his home in Skyway. On June 1, he used a dating application for gay men to lure Dwone Anderson-Young and Ahmed Said to a Seattle nightclub before shooting them both at close range, documents say. The 29-year-old "essentially executed" both men, according to court filings.

Brown was captured in New Jersey last month after being identified on surveillance video when robbing a convenience store.

SEATTLE: Judge Doubles Requested Sentence, Arsonist Of Gay Nightclub Gets Ten Years In Federal Prison

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

The Seattle man who set fire to a popular Capitol Hill club during a New Year’s celebration was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison - twice as long as the term requested by prosecutors. Facing federal charges in the dangerous but non-injurious blaze, Musab Masmari admitted to starting a fire inside Neighbours Nightclub during the first minutes of 2014. Masmari was caught on camera setting fire to a rear stairwell at Neighbours, a large, decades-old gay nightclub. About 15 minutes after midnight, Masmari poured gasoline in a stairway to Neighbours’ balcony and lit the pool of fuel. The fire was quickly doused with a fire extinguisher; there were about 750 people in the club at the time.

Masmari, a California native also known as Musab Musmari, was arrested days later on his way to Sea-Tac Airport after buying a one-way ticket to Turkey. Writing the court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg said evidence suggests Masmari was motivated by an “intolerable hate.” “One of Masmari’s close associates was interviewed by investigators and reported that Masmari confided in him that he ‘burned a gay club’ and that he did it because ‘what these people are doing is wrong,’” Greenberg said in court papers. Greenberg said another person close to Masmari said he had a “general hostility towards homosexuality.” Attorneys for Masmari Charles Swift and Jeffrey Cohen noted that prosecutors were unwilling to try to prove that hate motivated the arson.

Ten years still feels like a light sentence for the attempted murder of hundreds of people. But good for the judge.

SEATTLE: Arsonist Of Gay Nightclub May Only Get Five Years In Prison

The man who attempted to murder over 700 LGBT people by setting fire to a packed Seattle nightclub on New Year's Eve is due to be sentenced today.

Under the plea agreement Musab Masmari will serve the mandatory minimum of five years in prison, although the judge in the case could sentence the 31-year-old up to the maximum 20 years allowed by law. Masmari will not face terrorism or a hate crime charges for setting the fire inside the gay nightclub, though prosecutors signaled they may have had a case after learning that a “confidential informant” told investigators that Masmari said homosexuals should be “exterminated.” Prosecutors told CHS Masmari’s motives will be in question as part of the judge’s sentencing. This week, Masmari’s defense filed a personal statement with the court where he blamed his actions on drinking too much alcohol before setting the fire. In the statement Masmari said he drank an entire “cheap bottle of whiskey” on New Year’s Eve and said he did not remember what happened afterwards.

Masmari was arrested in February while attempting to flee the country on a one-way ticket to Turkey.

NEW JERSEY: Suspect Captured In Hook-Up Murder Of Two Seattle Gay Men

Early this month two Seattle gay men were found shot to death after meeting with a man they reportedly met on a hook-up app. On Friday the suspect in the murders was captured near Newark.

Ali Muhammad Brown, 29, was taken into custody in West Orange, N.J., Seattle police said. No other details about the arrest have been given. Brown faces two counts of aggravated murder in the first degree in connection with the deaths of 23-year-old Dwone Anderson-Young and 27-year-old Ahmed Said. According to the charging documents, a resident in the 500 block of 29th Avenue South heard gunshots around 2:30 a.m. June 1 and saw someone drive off in a silver car. Officers arrived and found the victims lying in the street dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

West Orange police say that Brown is wanted locally for the armed robbery of a convenience store and an attempted carjacking. Seattle police say they are investigating the murders as a possible hate crime. It's unclear when Brown might be extradited to Seattle as the local charges might be prosecuted first. (Tipped by JMG reader Frank)

RELATED:  Last month Philadelphia police arrested a man suspected in the rape, robbery, and beating of a tourist who met his assailant on Grindr. In a separate case, a Philadelphia-area man was reportedly beaten to death in May by someone he met on Grindr. There has been no arrest in that case.

SEATTLE: Two Gay Men Murdered By Man They Met On Hook-Up App, Suspect Seen Robbing Store In New Jersey

Via Seattle's KOMO-TV:

The June 1 shooting in Leschi that left two apparently innocent men dead was premeditated and unprovoked and likely started when one of the victims met the suspect on a hook-up app for gay men, according to charges filed Tuesday in King County Superior Court. Ali Muhammad Brown, 29, has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder in the first degree in connection with the deaths of 23-year-old Dwone Anderson-Young and 27-year-old Ahmed Said. According to the charging documents, a resident in the 500 block of 29th Avenue South heard gunshots around 2:30 a.m. June 1 and saw someone drive off in a silver car. Officers arrived and found the victims lying in the street dead from multiple gunshot wounds. According to the charging documents, detectives used the victims' cellphones to track down two friends, who were able to shed light on the night leading up to the shooting. The friends told detectives they met Said and Anderson-Young at R Place, a club in Capitol Hill, that night. One friend said Said was constantly typing on his cellphone, likely using an app for gay men to meet other gay men.

The name of the app used by the victims has not been disclosed. The suspect is still at large, but today the New York Daily News reported that he may have been spotted by security cameras (above) while committing an armed robbery in New Jersey.

The Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., police have released surveillance footage of a man who appears to be Ali Muhammed Brown, 30, at a convenience store after he allegedly brandished a handgun and robbed a customer sitting outside Green Planet Coffee of his wallet and keys, according to NJ.com. Seattle Police had thought the East Orange native, described as a homeless man, was hiding out in western Washington State, but it turns out he managed to evade detection and trekked to the East Coast. After the 8 a.m. robbery on Sunday, Brown shed the clothes he was wearing, but not the gun, according to Point Pleasant Beach Police. He’s considered armed and dangerous. Brown faces two counts of aggravated first-degree murder for allegedly killing Ahmed Said, 27, and Dwone Anderson-Young, 23, on June 1 after meeting the pair at a Seattle nightclub, RPlace.

More from the Seattle Times:

Seattle police said Brown also is wanted on warrants for failure to register as a sex offender and for the slayings. In March 2012, Brown pleaded guilty to communication with a minor for immoral purposes and was sentenced to a year in jail. Seattle police said last week that a motive for the slayings is not known. Anderson-Young’s mother said in an interview that her son was gay. When asked last month whether the shootings were being investigated as a possible hate crime, Assistant Police Chief Carmen Best said “nothing is off the table.”

RELATED:  Last month Philadelphia police arrested a man suspected in the rape, robbery, and beating of a tourist who met his assailant on Grindr. In a separate case, a Philadelphia-area man was reportedly beaten to death in May by someone he met on Grindr. There has been no arrest in that case.

SEATTLE: Drag Queen Confronts Christian Disrupters At Gay Pride Parade

On Sunday a group of Christian protesters disrupted the start of Seattle's gay pride parade and got in the face of local drag star Mama Tits, who was not having it. Afterwards, she spoke to Seattle Gay Scene:

“I saw them coming up the road pre-Parade and looked at Sylvia and DonnaTella and said, ‘Ladies, let’s make a wall!’ Before I knew it, I was standing tits to nose with the leader guy on the megaphone. It felt like I had the strength of all the people who had ever been hurt by these people standing right behind be me giving me power! I was almost in auto-pilot mode from my days as a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence. I planted myself in his path and wouldn’t move. When he walked around me, I got back in front of him again and again.I stared him in the eyes and could see the pain in his eyes, I could see he was scared and he should have been. He tried to hit me with his sign, but like Bianca Del Rio says 'Not Today, Satan!' pushed his sign away from my face and hair, because you DO NOT TOUCH my hair. And, it was all I could do to NOT get violent, but I didn’t because once that happens, we all lose.

VIDEO: Watch Mama Tits rant.

(Tipped by JMG reader Jeffrey)

Starbucks HQ Flies Rainbow Flag

Andy Towle writes at Towleroad: "Starbucks raised an enormous 800 square foot LGBT Pride flag over its Seattle headquarters today in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Seattle Pride. Photographer Nate Gowdy was on hand and shared these images with Towleroad of the clock tower and flag, as well as CEO Howard Schultz, who observed the flag raising with employees." Time for more boycotting!

Seattle Symphony - Baby Got Back

Clip description:

Each year, in celebration of the past, present and future of our city's musical legacy, Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony commission world-class composers to write orchestral world premieres inspired by bands and artists that launched from, or are related to, Seattle. In addition to writing a brand new composition inspired by Seattle's own Sir Mix-A-Lot, composer Gabriel Prokofiev also orchestrated two of the legendary rapper's most famous hits for this year's concert, including "Baby Got Back," for which Sir Mix-A-Lot joined Ludovic Morlot and the Orchestra on stage at Benaroya Hall.

Watch the girl in the black dress.

SEATTLE: No Hate Crime Or Terrorism Charges In Gay Nightclub Arson

From the Southern Poverty Law Center:

The man who tried to kill a crowd of 750 people packed inside a popular Seattle gay bar by setting it afire on New Year’s Eve has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of arson. Despite some evidence that he was motivated by hatred of LGBT people, Musab Mohammad Masmari will not face federal hate crime charges. The Seattle Times reports that Masmari, a 30-year-old American-born man of Libyan extraction and upbringing, reached an agreement with prosecutors on Friday to plead guilty to arson. Though prosecutors had substantial reason to believe it was an anti-LGBT bias crime, he will not face federal hate-crime charges. Prosecutors said that Masmari’s motives will be addressed by the judge during the sentencing phase, which comes next week.

According to Masmari's plea agreement, prosecutors will only ask for a five-year prison sentence. The SPLC notes that the judge is free to disregard the agreement and sentence Masmari to up to twenty years in prison. (Tipped by JMG reader David)

SEATTLE: Feds Take Over Gay Nightclub Arson Case, Terrorism Charges Possible

The federal government has taken over the case of Musab Masmari, who is accused of setting a fire in a Seattle gay nightclub as more than 700 patrons celebrated on New Year's Eve. The change in jurisdiction means that terrorism or hate crime charges are more likely.

A friend of Musab Musmari’s contacted the FBI in early January to say that he was concerned that Musmari “may be planning some terrorist activity,” according to search-warrant documents filed earlier in King County Superior Court. The friend, who was not identified by authorities, worked as a confidential informant for the FBI and Seattle police after the fire, the documents say. The friend also told investigators that Musmari, on a number of occasions, expressed his “distaste for homosexual people” and thought they “should be exterminated,” the documents said. Police say that Musmari avoided a security check at Neighbours by entering an adjacent bar called Therapy Lounge. He then passed through an interior door between the bars into the two-floor dance club and was seen on surveillance footage walking around with an object that appeared large enough to contain a one-gallon gas can, according to the state charging documents.

Masmari is a California-born US citizen and was raised in Libya. He was apprehended in February as he attempted to flee to Turkey on a one-way ticket. (Tipped by JMG reader Todd)

SEATTLE: Gay Mayor Ed Murray Reaches Labor Deal For $15/Hour Minimum Wage

Openly gay Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has struck a deal with local labor groups that could result in a $15/hour minimum wage, which would be the highest in the nation. Via the Associated Press:

The mayor’s proposal gives businesses with more than 500 employees nationally at least three years to phase in the increase. Those providing health insurance will have four years to complete the move. Smaller organizations will be given seven years, with the new wage including a consideration for tips and health care costs over the first five years. Once the $15 wage is reached, future annual increases will be tied to the consumer price index. Murray said 21 of 24 members of his minimum wage task force, which included representatives of business, labor and community groups, voted in favor of the plan. “I think that this is a historic moment for the city of Seattle,” Murray said. “We’re going to decrease the poverty rate.”

San Francisco's minimum wage is currently the highest at $10.55/hour. Murray's plan must now be approved by the Seattle City Council.

REPORT: Accused Seattle Gay Nightclub Arsonist Was "Provoked" By Gay-Baiting

The Seattle man awaiting trial for the New Year's Eve arson of a crowded gay nightclub may have been provoked by an email which taunted him to have gay sex. Police say the email strengthens the likelihood of hate crime charges. Via local television:

KIRO 7 has uncovered new evidence against Musab Masmari, who told a friend about his "distaste for homosexuals" shortly before he was charged in the New Year's Eve fire at Neighbours Nightclub. The email was sent by someone who signed it "your slave john." According to new police documents filed in King County Superior Court, "john" offered to polish Masmari's shoes using his tongue. The sender also propositioned Masmari, writing, “You can order me to do what you want me to do," and, "Can I have a chance?" Investigators with the Seattle Police Department believe the email was written by someone who knew about Masmari's self-admitted "distaste for homosexuals” and call the email "evidence pertinent to hate crime." Three days after the email was sent to Masmari, Neighbours Nightclub was torched on a busy New Year’s Eve with hundreds of people inside.

In February court documents revealed that Masmari had once declared to a friend that "homosexuals should be exterminated." So far Masmari has only been charged with a single count of arson. Local activists are outraged, saying that the charges should include 750+ counts of attempted murder. Masmari was apprehended as he attempted to flee the country on a one-way ticket to Turkey. He has pleaded not guilty to the arson charge and his trial is scheduled to begin on May 29th.

How Seattle Pastor Mark Driscoll Bought His Way Onto The NYT Bestsellers List

Via the Christian site World Magazine:

Seattle’s Mars Hill Church paid a California-based marketing company at least $210,000 in 2011 and 2012 to ensure that Real Marriage, a book written by Mark Driscoll, the church’s founding pastor, and his wife Grace, made the New York Times best-seller list. According to a document obtained by WORLD, ResultSource Inc. (RSI) contracted with Mars Hill “to conduct a bestseller campaign for your book, Real Marriage on the week of January 2, 2012. The bestseller campaign is intended to place Real Marriage on The New York Times bestseller list for the Advice How-To list.” The marketing company also promised to help place Real Marriage on the Wall Street Journal Business, USA Today Money, BN.com (Barnes & Noble), and Amazon.com best-seller lists.

More from Warren Throckmorton, who has the contract:

Note that RSI uses “over a thousand different payment types” to evade detection. Somehow RSI knows that the NYT bestseller list “requires a minimum of 90 geographically disperse (sic) addresses.” Apparently, the publisher must be on board with this arrangement as well since the contract requires the publisher to supply the proper number of books. I have asked Harper Collins Christian for comment but they have not replied as yet. The names and addresses are apparently very important in making sure that these purchases escape detection by those who compile the best seller lists.

Mars Hill defends its cheating this way: "We want to tell lots of people about Jesus by every means available."

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: In Januaray, Driscoll declared that all non-Christians are going to hell. Last November, Driscoll was busted for plagiarizing other pastors in his latest book in a scandal that was heavily covered on Christian websites. In 2011 Driscoll declared that male masturbation is a form of homosexuality because it is sex with a man.

WASHINGTON: Fired Catholic School Vice President Mark Zmuda To File Lawsuit

The Seattle-area Catholic high school vice president who was fired for marrying his partner will file a lawsuit today.

Mark Zmuda alleges, in his filing, that the decision to terminate his employment at the Sammamish prep school was made by Catholic Archbishop J. Peter Sartain. The school acknowledges that Eastside Catholic president Sr. Mary Tracy discussed the case with Sartain. “Our attorneys will immediately file a motion to dismiss the compaint,” Tom Padilla and Brad Bastion, acting chairs of the Eastside Catholic board, said in a letter to the school community. The Catholic Church opposes marriage equality and has a provision in educators’ contracts that provides for adherence to church teachings. According to filings from both sides in the case, Eastside Catholic knew in January of 2013 that Zmuda was gay.

According to Zmuda, the school told him that he could keep his job by getting a divorce. Which is also against Catholic teachings. His firing resulted in an outpouring of support from the school's students.

Seattle Arson Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

Musab Masmari yesterday pleaded not guilty to a single count of arson in the New Year's Eve fire at a Seattle gay nightclub.

Musmari, 30, is being held in the King County Jail. A hearing in the case has been set for March 5th. Musmari was also ordered to have no contact with Neighbours or its employees. A judge had previously set Musmari’s bail at $1 million after prosecutors said he posed a flight risk. Musmari was found with a one-way ticket to Turkey and two passports when police arrested him in January. Musmari also has several other ongoing cases unrelated to the incident at Neighbours. Earlier, CHS documented Musmari’s increased brushes with the law in the past year on Capitol Hill including assaults and protection order violations. In a recent conviction and sentence that he is appealing, Musmari was required to undergo a mental health evaluation.

Masmari allegedly told a police informant that "homosexuals should be exterminated." That revelation has spawned speculation that federal hate crime charges are coming.

WASHINGTON: Seattle Gay Nightclub Arson Suspect Allegedly Told Friend "Homosexuals Should Be Exterminated"

According to newly released court documents, Seattle gay nightclub arson suspect Musab Masmari told a friend that "homosexuals should be exterminated." This is the first evidence yet disclosed as to Masmari's possible motivation for setting the fire on New Year's Eve as over 750 patrons celebrated.

According to investigative documents filed in King County Superior Court, the 30-year old Masmari told a friend “that homosexuals should be exterminated.” That friend, a member of the local Muslim community, went straight to the FBI because he believed Masmari may have also been planning a terrorist attack. That friend became a confidential informant. According to the documents, Masmari first met the informant at Fatima’s Cafe near the Masjid at Taqwa Mosque on Seattle’s East Union Street, shortly after the fire at Neighbours. The informant contacted the FBI soon after meeting Masmari because he was "concerned" that Masmari "may be planning some terrorist activity" because he spoke of "something he's planning." The informant told investigators that Masmari told him "he had obtained a rifle." The unidentified informant also said that, in the numerous conversations after their first meeting, Masmari often expressed a "distaste for homosexual people,” and that Masmari "opined that homosexuals should be exterminated."

Masmari is being held on $1M bond on a single count of arson after being apprehended while trying to flee the country on a one-way ticket to Turkey. Last week the editor of Seattle Gay News demanded that charges be amended to include 750 counts of attempted murder. This latest disclosure may lead to federal hate crime charges.

SEATTLE: Editor Of Gay Paper Calls For Attempted Murder Charges In Arson Case

Shaun Knittel, the associate editor of Seattle Gay News, has published a column calling for 750 charges of attempted murder in the case of Musab Masmari [PHOTO], who was fleeing the country on a one-way ticket to Turkey when arrested for the New Year's Eve arson of a crowded gay nightclub. Masmari is being held on a single charge of arson with bail set at $1M.   From Knittel's column:

Information has surfaced that a witness had met with Musmari and spoken with him about the arson. Although Musmari never said why he started the fire, he did indicate that he didn't want to get into trouble, so once he saw that his photo and video surveillance footage had led to his being identified by witnesses, he bought a ticket to leave town. Luckily, Musmari never made the flight. He was arrested before he could reach Sea-Tac airport. I believe in innocent until proven guilty. And I expect the man to get a fair trial. But I also expect for Musmari to be charged with more than arson. There isn't a doubt in my mind that what he did was attempted murder of 750 people. I will attend the hearings and trial in hopes that justice will be served. The city, the nightclub, and the LGBTQ community are safer tonight with Musmari behind bars.

In his lengthy piece, Knittel, who is also a spokesperson for Neighbours, notes that the club was founded decades ago by the Egyptian family which owns it today. This had led some to speculate that the family knows Masmari, but the family denies ever having met him. Masmari has had numerous run-ins with other businesses in the area. According to local media, Masmari hold US and Libyan passports, both of which were confiscated upon his arrest.

POSTED: Initial Charges Against Seattle Gay Nightclub Arson Suspect

Below is the charging document in the case of Musab Marsmari, who is suspected in the New Year's Eve arson at the packed Seattle gay nightclub Neighbours.  Details of Masmari's actions and words in the days between the crime and his Saturday arrest are within. The FBI is investigating the fire as a possible hate crime. You'll likely need to make the document full-screen to read the small text.