Tag Archives: broward democratic party

Broward Democrat Black Caucus President: Black LGBT Director Firing “Smells Funny”

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Corey Shearer, President of the Broward County Black Democratic Caucus, believes the firing of the Broward Democratic Party’s office director “smells funny to the Black community.” Shearer is referring to the firing of Michael Howson. BrowardBeat.com first reported on Howson’s dismissal at the hands of interim Party Chair Cynthia Busch. Longtime party chairman Mitch Ceasar stepped aside last week to run for the Broward Clerk of Courts position.

Busch told BrowardBeat, ““[Howson] was doing a fine job,” she said. “I just don’t think we need an (office) operations director….he was not fired. He was laid off.” Howson is well-regarded activist in the African-American and LGBT communities. Busch admitted the move angered rank and file Democrats. “There are people who are friends with him who are Democrats who are upset,” Busch conceded.

Democrat insiders told REDBROWARD that Howson was seen as a Ceasar loyalist by Busch and her ally, State Committeeman Ken Evans. Last month, REDBROWARD exposed Evans pandering to Palm Beach Muslims at a dinner honoring a very controversial FAU professor. Sources say Evans is close ally of lobbyist Judy Stern (D-Salami).

REDBROWARD spoke to Howson last Thursday at an event in Fort Lauderdale. He did not wish to speak about his firing, saying he still, “loves the Democratic Party.”

On Saturday, Shearer sent an email to party activists detailing his problems with the firing of Howson.

“This week, the less expensive, large, Black, openly gay, outspoken but yet still quite service oriented young man of great experience but also of great youth, was replaced with the more expensive, tall, slender white guy who is more subdued and highly customer service oriented although seemingly slightly less experienced,” Shearer wrote. “This was primarily for budget reasons as The DEC (Democratic Executive Committee) was burning through a lot of money attempting to keep both. The one let go, ‘The Black Guy’ was making considerably less than the one who was retained and will step up into both and all positions, ‘The White Guy’. And obviously this stinks for ‘The Black Guy’. But, it also smells funny to the Black community.”

Shearer admits this could be politics as usual. He wrote, “The outgoing chair put in ‘his guy’ and the incoming acting chair is installing ‘her guy’.” However, Shearer worries there is more going on behind the scenes.

Shearer wrote about the mistreatment of Christine Jones, the Second Vice Chair of the DEC. He wrote, “Jones, who is an African-American lady, was left out of the discussion on this change in the DEC office. For a while, she didn’t even have a key to the office and has been routinely left out of the loop even though she is the direct liaison to the Area Leaders and thus the committee people (The actual DEC) as well. BAD POLITICS.”

Michael Howson, right, via Facebook

Michael Howson, right, via Facebook

 

 

 

Broward Democrat Leader Breaks Bread With Controversial Islamic Professor

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Ken Evans in top middle next to Dave Aronberg

Ken Evans in top middle next to Dave Aronberg

Last week, Broward Democrat State Committeeman Ken Evans attended a Ramadan celebration honoring a controversial Islamic professor in Palm Beach. Evans attended an EMERGE USA dinner honoring the Islamic Center of Boca Raton (ICBR) founder Bassem Al-Halabi for “his leadership and contributions to the community.” According to published reports, Al-Halabi has ties to Sami Al-Arian, a radical Islamic professor at the University of South Florida (USF).

In 2006, Sami Al-Arian was sentenced to 57 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to providing support to Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). In February 2015, Al-Arian was deported to Turkey. Published reports state Bassem Al-Ahalabi worked with Al-Arian and used him as a reference. “Upon applying for his position as FAU associate professor, [Bassem Al-halabi] used Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Sami al-Arian as a reference,” Kaufman told those gathered. “Al-halabi wrote a number of publications with al-Arian. These publications were showcased in Damascus, Syria, where Al-halabi is from and where the headquarters of Islamic Jihad is located.”

In an interview with Palm Beach television station WPTV, Al-Halabi claimed his association with Al-Arian was no big deal. “[Al-Halabi] says Al-Arian was his advisor when he was a university student and they worked together on technical journals 20 years ago, nothing more.”

Al-Halabi’s ICBR has been controversial as well.

In 2007, Palm Beach physician and ICBR member Dr. Rafiq Sabir, was convicted  participating in a conspiracy to provide aid to al-Qaeda. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

“Sabir and a martial arts instructor, Tarik Shah were filmed by an undercover FBI agent in 2005 swearing allegiance, the bayyat to al-Qaeda and ‘Sheikh Osama,’ was indicated that it was their intent to deliver medical aid and martial arts training to the world’s most infamous terrorist group.”

So why was Ken Evans honoring this guy?

As REDBROWARD previously reported, EMERGE USA and the Florida Democratic Party have forged an allegiance to boost turnout of Muslim voters.

In 2014, EMERGE USA worked closely with Charlie Crist’s failed gubernatorial campaign. REDBROWARD published EMERGE USA emails showing how it pressured Crist into making a hasty Ramadan greeting on social media.

REDBROWARD exposed how Broward candidates hid their EMERGE USA endorsements from their traditional base of Jewish Democratic voters in 2014.

Last month, REDBROWARD published photographs of female Broward judicial candidates covering their heads at a Ramadan event in Sunrise.

Did Evans use this dinner as a “teaching moment” to lecture about the mistreatment of Muslim women? Did Evans ask Professor Al-Halabi what he’s doing to stop the radicalization of young Muslim-American students?evansemerge211350655_10153368332219588_5060582399742957628_n