Busby Bust Based on Bias?

by on June 30, 2009 · 17 comments

in Civil Rights, Election, San Diego

The internets are all atwitter over the last few days over reports that a fundraising event in Encinitas for Democratic Candidate Francine Busby was raided by San Diego Sheriffs on Saturday. Contrary to news reports claiming that two persons were arrested, seven attendees were at one point under arrest for heinous crimes including attempting to photograph the Sheriffs Officer as he sprayed the unruly crowd of middle aged Democrats with pepper spray.

According to a report posted at Talking Points Memo

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that a fundraiser for Francine Busby, who previously ran for the deeply-Republican Fiftieth District and came close to winning in the 2006 special election and subsequent regular election, was raided by sheriffs after an unnamed neighbor made a noise complaint. Busby now calls it a “phony” noise complaint, and the article says that multiple neighbors said there was no great noise at all.
Here’s the twist: The fundraiser was hosted by a lesbian couple, and shortly before the sheriffs came a particular neighbor had shouted anti-gay slurs at the assembled crowd. “It was a quiet home reception, disrupted by a vulgar person shouting obscenities from behind the bushes,” Busby says.
As one neighbor told the paper: “We didn’t hear anything until the sheriff came, with eight patrol cars and a helicopter.”

In a subsequent interview, Busby gave her version of events at the fundraiser:

Busby strongly denied that anyone at the fundraiser did anything to provoke violence by the sheriffs. (For their part, the sheriffs claim that somebody kicked an officer.) And she put the blame squarely on a neighbor who heckled the crowd, then called the sheriffs to complain of loudness from Democrats.
“You could hear his voice very clearly, it was loud. But as far as the actual words, I didn’t hear them,” Busby explained. “I heard my name, and obviously derogatory words. Other people heard profanity, and somebody heard something about gays, as well.”It should be noted that the event was hosted by a lesbian couple.
“The deputies were telling people that they were taking statements from, that the call came in about noise from a Democratic rally, or Democratic demonstration,” said Busby. In fact, she said, she had last spoken at about 8:30 p.m., and the police arrived an hour later when most of the attendees had left. “It was a nuisance-noise call, because there was no noise, and the fact that it was described as a Democratic rally or demonstration indicates to me that this person was calling for his own political motives.”

Of course, the fact that the County’s Sheriff is a staunch Republican explains why this response was necessary. After all, it was a “Democratic rally or Democratic demonstration”. The Flash Report, a solidly GOP leaning website, if there ever was one, reported it this way, thanking their inside sources for the tip:

Francine Busby 2.0: Loud Music, Resisting Arrest, Pepper Spray, and Battery on a Police Officer
Erstwhile and announced future candidate for Congress Francine Busby sure knows how to toss a party.  The supposedly “centrist ” Democrat and her followers don’t seem to respect authority too much either.  Last night’s event to raise funds for a challenge to Rep. Brian Bilbray would have only been more complete with a good old fashioned flag burning.

And over at the Free Republic, commenters were much more open with their prejudices. For Example:

Well, good, if only ALL of the liberals could get a rap sheet and some mug shots, prior to the next election!
***
She’s a Birkenstock-wearing, Prius-driving, latte-sipping, fuzzy-headed, feel-good liberal lemming.
***
What’s the difference between a bull and a bull dike?
ANSWER: About 1,400 pounds and a flannel shirt.
***
BREAKING NEWS: LESBIAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING OFFICER AT DEMOCRATIC PARTY FUNDRAISER
The fundraiser was held at the home of partners Shari Barman and Jane Stratton. Stratton co-founded the Acura Classic tennis tournament in San Diego. The Gay and Lesbian Center in San Diego advertised the campaign fundraiser on their official website calendar for Center Sponsored lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender events. The San Diego Gay and Lesbian Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. As such, they are forbidden by federal and state law from engaging in the support or promotion of political candidates.
***
I had a hunch this was about bull dykes.

AND we have a hunch that this is about old fashioned bigotry. It’s doubtful that the so-called investigation that the County announced today will amount to anything.

{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }

lane tobias June 30, 2009 at 12:35 pm

It amazes me that the sheriffs dept. would go after such a high profile person – particularly someone who might win their political office in an election! talk about AWKWARD if that happens…

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Wireless Mike June 30, 2009 at 1:45 pm

Homophobia is still alive and well. Desperate hardcore Republicans are thriving on it, along with any other kind of fear and hatred they can stir up. That’s about all they have to cling to anymore. Being gay, this incident doesn’t surprise me in the least.

Every time the right-wingers pull this kind of s**t, they alienate a few more moderate Republicans and hurt their own cause. Remember that it was voters in the same 50th District who brought us Randy Cunningham’s reign of corruption on his way to prison.

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jim g June 30, 2009 at 1:51 pm

I watched here on KUSI Monday Morning. she said it was a small quiet crowd …but she was on a mic with a speaker…I am a little confused. The last time I had a gathering and it was over and people were leaving I did not have a microphone and speaker system set up…..Busby also said this got out of hand when the homeowner refused to supply her DOB to the Officer (he needs this to complete his report)..how stupid…I saw a guy pull that crap on a officer several days ago…he ended up in cuffs…..On these calls the Officers almost ALWAYS park a block away and walk to the source of the noise to determine public nuisance….

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Richard Salzman June 30, 2009 at 3:24 pm

I chose to honor Shari Barman, the homeowner who was pepper sprayed and arrested, by making a donation to the fundraiser she was hosting for Francine Busby and would encourage others to do the same:
https://www.completecampaigns.com/public.asp?name=Busby&page=28

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Tito Z June 30, 2009 at 4:09 pm

Uh, isn’t the San Diego District Attorney ALSO a lesbian? Where’s Bonnie Dumanis when you need her? She may be a Republican, but it’s hard to believe she would not find this objectionable anyway.

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ClubStyle_DJ June 30, 2009 at 4:58 pm

Well it seems that the sheriff made top honors “Worst person in the world” on the Keith Olbermann show on MSNBC.

I hope our San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis “throws the book” at these Law Enforcement Officers… Wait What?

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Wireless Mike June 30, 2009 at 4:59 pm

Keith Olberman, on his MSNBC show “Countdown”, just awarded the title “Worst Person in the World” to Deputy Sheriff Marshall Abbott. Abbott was the cop behind this whole incident.

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ClubStyle_DJ June 30, 2009 at 5:06 pm

Couldn’t wait to post that either huh Mike…lol

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Wireless Mike June 30, 2009 at 5:27 pm

DJ, You beat me to it! I was so busy laughing when Olberman announced it, I just couldn’t resist. Kolender had better rein in his attack dogs after this one.

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Wireless Mike June 30, 2009 at 5:34 pm

And Dumanis will probably give “Officer Opie” a medal for his bravery for pepper-spraying middle-aged citizens who apparently weren’t doing anything wrong (except for not being Republicans).

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Wireless Mike June 30, 2009 at 9:50 pm

Here’s the link to Keith Olberman’s MSNBC segment on YouTube. Skip ahead to 2:00 minutes into the video.

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Dave Sparling June 30, 2009 at 9:26 pm

I could easy understand how my home town Phoenix could be conservative right wing republican, it is a long drive to the laid back land of sand and sea. I never will understand how this crazy bunch managed to take over San Diego. We must do everything we can to keep them from taking over OB.

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BillRayDrums June 30, 2009 at 11:26 pm

Can’t we vote out Dumanis in 2010? I f’n hope so.

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doug porter July 1, 2009 at 7:01 am

for those of you with access to today’s (weds) Union-Tribune, check out the editorial cartoon. it’s disgusting.

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Joe July 5, 2009 at 4:48 pm

We should show this cop what a Democratic rally looks like by picketing outside his house.

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doug porter July 9, 2009 at 9:40 pm

an interesting new wrinkle on this story. it seems as though one of the attendees at the party was a DEA agent, who called 911 to report that the sheriff’s deputy was out of control….
“This woman knew the difference between legitimate police action and something else. When she called 911 to tell them that a deputy was out of control, the response was the deputy was on the scene, so nothing more could be done.”
link to whole report: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/8/751491/-Just-back-from-speaking-at-City-Council-

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Doug Porter July 10, 2009 at 1:16 pm

another interesting development… the neighbors are talking now. and they didn’t hear anything…
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/neighbor-of-raided-busby-fundraiser-the-call-to-the-sheriffs-didnt-come-from-me.php?ref=fpblg

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