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Rev. Harry Jackson appeared on Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor” Thursday night to play the victim and complain that the Blade has endangered his and his family’s safety by reporting details of his multiple home addresses. “They hacked into my records, found out when I registered to vote in the District of Columbia. They printed in two newspapers my home address and the addresses of houses I own in the Maryland region, outside D.C. And there have been e-mails that have gone forth saying they want to destroy my church. Kind of amazing, isn’t it?” There was no “hacking” required, as all the information we’ve reported is a matter of public record. The Blade’s senior news reporter, Lou Chibbaro Jr., obtained Jackson’s voting records by visiting the city’s Board of Elections & Ethics office, something that anyone can do. If Jackson has been threatened as he claims, then he should report it to police. We’ll be looking for the police reports, as they’re open to public scrutiny, too. It would be unfortunate and regrettable if he is being threatened, but that’s the thing about free speech — others are free to respond to your hate. I’ve received more death threats than I care to remember in my career, but no one invited me on national TV to whine about it. The reason the Blade reported Jackson’s multiple addresses, is that those facts are crucial to the question of whether he is eligible to file a referendum in the city. If he’s not a resident of D.C., then Jackson is not allowed to initiate a referendum. He has yet to prove that he lives in D.C. In fact, he raised even more questions on Fox last night, by referencing his “young adult daughters” and wife. So, are we to believe that Jackson lives in a one-bedroom condo with a roommate, his wife and children when he owns a $1.1 million Tudor estate on four acres in nearby Silver Spring? It’s a laughable claim and no one believes Jackson’s assertion that he’s a D.C. resident. What’s sad about this spectacle is that this is exactly what the white, evangelical “Christians” at Family Research Council hoped for: to foment discord between D.C.’s African-American and LGBT communities. They know that sending Tony Perkins to fight the anti-gay marriage battle here wouldn’t resonate; they needed a black minister to front their operation and found one in Jackson. This is not about Jackson. I’m sure he’s a good person with a lovely family and church dedicated to charitable deeds in the community. It’s about outside forces determined to undermine the Democratic process underway in D.C. The City Council, in a 12-1 vote, said the city must honor same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The mayor signed it. We live in a representative Democracy, where elected leaders speak for the people and on this issue, in this city, they have done just that. Further, D.C.’s attorney general has said it is illegal to pursue a referendum on this matter. I’m confident that the religious right’s cynical effort to drive a wedge between D.C.’s black and gay residents will fail. We’re all smarter than that. The Blade stands behind its reporting.
 Posted by Kevin Naff,
Washington Blade Editor | Jun. 12 at
10:30 AM | knaff@washblade.com
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