An open letter to disgraced politician Andrew Gillum is calling on Black men to support the former mayor and his family after news broke about his drug-fueled gay party made headlines.
Gillum, 40, is said to have overdosed along with male escort Travis Dyson, 30, who at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel on March 13. Dyson was treated at a hospital and discharged, while Andrew announced last week his plans to enter rehab for alcohol addiction. He has denied being a user of narcotics.
What seems to be undeniable, however, are graphic images taken of the politician inside the hotel room, which show him passed out on a pillow and a towel under his lower torso is soiled with feces, per SandraRose.com.
RELATED: Investigation Launched To Review How Candace Owens Obtained Andrew Gillum Police Report
The father of three has hired famed attorney Alex Spiro to issue a take-down demand to all media outlets that published the photo. Meanwhile, pro-abortionist and queer activist Preston Mitchum is calling on the Black community to “be our Brother’s keeper and be the change in which we seek.”
Preston and Michael Seaberry published on Monday their open letter in support of Gillum, and invited other Black men to sign, NewsOne reports.
Many are sharing the letter on Twitter, while others are speaking out against supporting a down-low, married man who brought shame on his family.
One Twitter user wrote, “Forget the fact that he cheated on his black wife and brought shame on his family and ruined his political career in the process…but the fact that he’s lowkey queer then he needs support from the black community.”
Another added, “A black man caught cheating with a white woman would never garner such support…we as a community have to be consistent with our ideological beliefs or we’re doomed to failure…”
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A third noted, “I’d rather support black men, women, and children who are working, studying, and reaching for their dreams. Support those who are succeeding. He’s a hot mess, our money is better invested on others in our community. He has my best wishes, but not my time or resources.”
Mitchum, an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown Law Center, told NewsOne in an email Monday that “all media has a role to play.” But he cautioned, “White mainstream media, in particular, must be careful in how it displays Black people and our bodies and isn’t something they are often forced to do.”
“Fellow Black men, allow this letter to be a reminder that we, too, must be allowed the space to explore, mess up, reevaluate ourselves and become anew,” the letter says in part. “Unfortunately, the world often decides our fate based upon our trials, while white men are regularly afforded myriad opportunities and space to ‘fail.’ Failure often backed by a system that protects them and incentivizes this dangerous cycle. We have the power to change that.”
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The letter also notes… “We should not be shocked that you, the media, would fetishize a Black life for clickbait, likes, and shares — for anything,” the letter says in part. “Black life, in moments of pain and terror, has long been delectable to the American palette.”
The open letter calls out the salacious coverage of Gillum’s messy antics and warns the media that “the terrorizing of Black life must not be the primary entrée. Sharing photos of Mayor Gillum’s naked body, especially in such a vulnerable state, is inexcusable and triggering to a community that has seen our own bodies fetishized and/or slain across the nation, from the lynching tree to Main Street. Quite frankly, we are sick of seeing Black bodies become a call-to-fame and the subject of your headlines.”
To read the full open letter, click here.
Meanwhile, police in Florida said an investigation has been launched to determine how conservative Black pundit Candace Owens obtained the police report and photos oft Gillum’s alleged overdose at the hotel.
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