Gay protesters and reggae music lovers clashed outside of an Inner Richmond club Monday, October 12 where controversial singer Buju Banton performed hours after meeting with Supervisor Bevan Dufty and other gay rights advocates.

Banton (real name: Mark Anthony Myrie) has drawn protest worldwide for anti-gay lyrics, most notably in his song "Boom Bye Bye," which promotes violence against and the murder of LGBTs.

Richmond District police officers broke up an estimated 30 protesters and Banton fans who screamed accusations of racism and homophobia in each other's faces as tensions rose outside the Rockit Room, located at 406 Clement Street, on Monday night.

Clubgoers accused the demonstrators of using the n-word, which the protesters denied. The Rockit Room was prepared after receiving bomb threats, according to Benjamin Thompson, the club's booking manager. Thompson also aided in setting up the meeting with Banton and gay activists after being flooded with angry phone calls and e-mails.

The Rockit Room hoped for a peaceful protest, but was prepared for a different outcome, said Jason Fitzpatrick, the club's house manager and head of security.

Gay demonstrators also wanted a peaceful picket.

"We wanted a nice peaceful protest," said Paul Maka Poole, one of the protest organizers, who, like others, was upset that Banton performed in San Francisco. To add injury to insult, Banton's performance came on the 11th anniversary of the death of gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard.

Protesters found it ironic that while the nation's eyes were on gay rights with the National Equality March in Washington, D.C., the hate crimes bill named in honor of Shepard passing the House of Representatives, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signing a bill recognizing Harvey Milk Day that day that San Francisco, the "gay mecca," would welcome Banton.

Poole and the gay activists hoped Banton would cancel his performance as he had at some other Bay Area venues due to pressure from the LGBT community, but the show continued uninterrupted – even with a pepper spray incident that was incorrectly reported by the San Francisco Weekly as being perpetrated by protest organizer Pollo Del Mar, according to Dufty, Thompson, and Del Mar.

"Violence in any situation is never a solution," said Del Mar.

Del Mar added that to book an artist who promotes homophobia "on the anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death is questionable at best, insensitive and callous at worst, and unthinkable all around."

Thompson apologized about the performance happening on such an important day in the gay community.

"That was ignorance on my part," he said.

Jonathan Mack, Banton's promoter, told the Bay Area Reporter that Banton's contract prohibited performing songs that promote violence and that Banton no longer performs "Boom Bye Bye."

"I do not advocate 'Boom Bye Bye.' It's a derogatory song," said Mack, attempting to assuage the protesters' anger by insisting that Banton wrote the song nearly 20 years ago when he was 19.

Mack said that Banton hasn't performed the song for 17 years and no longer profits from it.

But gay activists pointed out that Banton performed the song as recently as 2007 in Jamaica and it is available on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIUZlzd37sI. In one of the videos, gay activists claim, Banton is quoted yelling, "There is no end to the war between me and faggots."

Yet, Mack insisted that Banton's music promotes cultural unity and "peace" and that gay activists' focus on Banton is misplaced.

"The real fight must be with changing Jamaican values," said Mack, providing examples from protest to tourism.

Baby steps

Del Mar, Poole, and Patrick Noonan, who organized the protest, brought attention of Banton's performance to Dufty and District 1 Supervisor Eric Mar and called for a meeting with Banton, Del Mar said.

That meeting was held Monday afternoon in Larkspur with Dufty, Mar, Equality California's Andrea Shorter, LGBT Community Center Executive Director Rebecca Rolfe, and gay activist and blogger Michael Petrelis, who called for a boycott against Jamaica with Dufty earlier this year. Del Mar was unable to attend the meeting.

This was the first time Banton has ever met with representatives of the gay community, according to Dufty.

"It wasn't exactly a 'beer summit,' but this first meeting ever of LGBT people with Mr. Banton was a good, healthy step toward opening dialogue about stopping all forms of hate, violence, and discrimination against LGBT people in Jamaica, and the world over," Shorter wrote in a statement, referring to President Barack Obama's high profile meeting with Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and a Massachusetts police sergeant.

Dufty agreed with Shorter.

"The meeting was a first step, but he has a lot to consider and to think about," said Dufty, who was sobered by Banton's description of Jamaica and how deeply ingrained biases against LGBT individuals are in that country. Dufty said he still supports boycotting Banton and Jamaica to make him and his country think about homophobia and violence against LGBT individuals.

Banton didn't renounce his song, but was asked for some key ways to express how he has changed and his views of LGBT individuals has changed, Dufty said. Dufty said he and Shorter, Petrelis, and Mar are working on providing suggestions to Banton to improve his relationship with the LGBT community.

"Until he comes out publicly about that song and renounces it, until he actually speaks out against it ... he's still attached to it unless he does something to reverse that," said Del Mar.