Pastor Falsely Claims Court Has ‘Vacated’ $1 Million Case Against His Church
Dr. James David Manning is promising to burn the rainbow flag in the courtyard of his Harlem hate church, in celebration of what he falsely is claiming is victory in the $1 million case against his ATLAH Church, which is now listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-gay hate group.
“The foreclosure & sale of ATLAH Church has been vacated,” the infamous and reportedly illegally constructed sign outside his church reads. “To celebrate we will burn the rainbow f*g flag in our courtyard,” it adds.
Date: To be determined.
Manning is best known for his insane claims that Starbucks uses semen to flavor its drinks, making them popular among gay people, etc. He is in a lengthy court battle over non-payment of taxes, fines, and even his church’s water bill, all of which he claims he does not owe as his church is tax-exempt.Â
Back in December, “Judge Joan Kenny ordered a public foreclosure auction after the church failed to pay creditors more than $1.02 million,” as DNAinfo New York reported.
Contrary to Manning’s claim, the court’s decision does not exactly “vacate” the case against his church.Â
“Stuart F. Shaw, a lawyer representing the church, said the decision is effectively putting the sale and judgment of foreclosure on hold until there is a determination of whether the church can be taxed,” DNAinfo adds.
The building itself, in the heart of new York City’s historic Harlem neighborhood, is worth a reported $10 million. The Ali Forney Center, which says it is “the nation’s largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth,” has been trying to buy the building when it finally goes up for sale it what has been expected to be a foreclosure auction. That auction is now on hold.
“Reverend Manning’s threat to burn the rainbow flag in the courtyard of his church is reprehensible, especially in the aftermath of the Orlando Massacre,” Carl Siciliano, founder and executive director of the Ali Forney Center, said in a statement. “We plan to surround his church with rainbow flags, the symbol of our pride as a community, to show that our pride cannot be destroyed, symbolically or otherwise. The best response to his hate is a display of community love and pride by the LGBT community and our allies.”
Calling Manning’s claim of victory “premature,” Siciliano says: “All he has won for now is the opportunity to incur many further legal costs as he tries to escape the consequences of decades of failure to pay ATLAH’s water bills.”
Thursday night, Stacy Parker LeMelle, who heads what she describes on Medium as “a group of neighbors and friends called Harlem Against Violence, Homophobia, and Transphobia,” posted a photo of the sign outside Manning’s ATLAH Church. (She generously offered NCRM the photo above as well.)
“For the last two years, we’ve resisted ATLAH hate speech by fundraising for the Ali Forney Center that helps homeless LGBTQ youth in NYC and by direct protest. We were called to do this after Manning posted several signs full of hate and murderous speech, including the words ‘Jesus Would Stone Homos, Stoning Is Still the Law.'”
“Now ATLAH promises to burn a rainbow flag,” she continues. “In the heart of Harlem, longtime home to a mighty queer community. A true horror, right on the corner. In addition to the toxicity Manning regularly spreads with his words, he will add a literally noxious display of his will to hurt.”
The Ali Forney also has a fundraising site.
Stay tuned for more developments on the fate of the building that currently houses the hate church. Surely it can be put to better use.
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Image by Stacy Parker LeMelle. Used by permission.