CLT Blog

Author and pastor Jay Bakker attended a cookout against the North Carolina Constitutional Amendment Friday afternoon at Area Fifteen. Bakker grew up in the Charlotte area and is now pastor at Revolution Church in New York City. Dozens turned out for hot dogs, hamburgers, and conversation. Many who had taken advantage of early voting wore “I Voted” stickers.

“People need to see that we support each other, and not just church people, but that we support each other as human beings,” said Bakker. “I really hope that fellow believers would get out there and love their neighbor as themselves and go vote.”

Bakker is the son of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker whose PTL media empire and Heritage USA theme park were lost due to scandal. The effect the scandal and his return to faith are documented in Bakker’s autobiography Son of a Preacher Man and in the Sundance channel documentary One Punk Under God.

The constitutional amendment on the May 8th primary ballot would make heterosexual marriage the “only domestic legal union” valid in the state. North Carolina law already define marriage as being between one man and one woman, and a vote for or a vote against the proposed amendment would have no effect on that.

However, as opponents and legal experts point out, the wording of the proposed amendment could possibly cause children to lose health care coverage and remove protections for unmarried victims of domestic violence. “Amendments should never be about taking rights away. They should always be about adding rights,” said Bakker.

Local author James Langteaux, whose new book is titled, Gay Conversations with God, was on hand signing copies and talking to cookout attendees. Langteaux is a former senior producer for a Christian television network.

The event was organized by Steve Knight, a former Billy Graham staffer who is now a consultant for religious organizations. Also in attendance was Marc Gustafson, at large candidate for Mecklenburg County Commission. Bakker also spoke at an anti-amendment rally in Durham this weekend.

Photos from Barcamp Charlotte V held on April 16th at Area Fifteen in Charlotte.

Charlotte Twestival raised over $2,000 for A Child’s Place this past Thursday at a red carpet reception hosted by Butter. CLTwestival provided a way for local Twitter users to use social media to raise funds and awareness for a local non-profit.

According to the organizers:

Twestival is Charlotte’s part of the world-wide Twestival fundraising event. On March 24th, Charlotte joined over 200 other cities across the globe in raising funds for local non-profits. In Charlotte, CLTwestival raised funds for A Child’s Place. With over 4,400 homeless children in Charlotte Mecklenberg schools, A Child’s Place is a local non-profit that fights to erase the impact of homelessness on children and their education.

This weekend Charlotte hosted the  Street Soccer USA Charlotte Invitational at the Southend Fieldhouse. The tournament featured homeless and recently homeless athletes from across the nation, including Minneapolis, New York, Washington DC, and others. Street Soccer USA helps “players improve social skills, self esteem, physical/mental health, and eliminate barriers to employment, making them more likely to achieve housing/job placement than their peers.”

Check out WFAE’s Charlotte Talks program on homelessness and Charlotte’s Street Soccer team.

Read the Charlotte Observer article and photos of the tournament.

Watch a video clip from Friday’s action, including Charlotte’s first goal via penalty kick.

Follow Charlotte 945 and Street Soccer USA on Twitter and Street Soccer USA on Facebook.

Friday, January 14th, was the opening of The Late 2010 Blues, a photography exhibit by Armando Bellmas. All the photographs in the exhibit were made using a smartphone. The exhibition was at Dialect Gallery in NoDa. Dialect, a design firm by day, converts into a gallery and hosts a new exhibition the second Friday of every month. Follow Armando Bellmas and Dialect Design on Twitter.

Charlotte people, places, and events of 2010.

Street scenes outside the NRA convention.

Charlotte hosted the 2010 National Rifle Association Annual Meeting (NRAAM) over this past weekend. The NRA reports that up to 70,000 people visited the convention.

On Friday afternoon, crowds slowly began to file out of the arena after Sarah Palin’s speech. There were no guns to be seen; the only hostlers were those for cell phones. Several tour buses were parked along Trade Street, their diesel engines idling. In front of the coaches stood women holding signs reading, “To Charlotte Convention Center.” The buses slowly filled and departed on their three block trek from the arena to the convention center.