Greed Is Ruining Pride- the Bad Side of Pride- Part 3

From the Desk of King in Miami
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Disclaimer: I wanted to state that the opinions expressed in this article are solely mine, and are not specifically the views of AndresFlava or Mr. Andre Allen, himself.

This greedy mentality does not only exist with Black Pride events but with General Prides as well. For example, the White Party in Miami is one of the biggest general prides and fundraisers in the country, and yes, it has had its share of controversy, too (http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/01/gay-activists-angry-with-popular-dj-rauhofer.html). In-fighting among the White party organizers and promoters all started because highly touted DJ Peter Rauhofer wanted to make the financial part of the Winter party, more transparent, after experiencing unpaid fees, and bounced checks from event organizers. Rauhofer wanted to make sure the community knew where the money was going, which is to support HIV/AIDS social services in South Florida. Two-thirds of the net profits from the Winter Party are supposed to go to this cause. However, the organizers refused to open the “books”. So instead of continuing to play at the events, he started his own party, the same night as the main White Party event, and boy…the kids were UP-SET. They went as far at to start a website to boycott his event. Needless to say, it was pointless. They split the party crowd evenly.

Rauhofer was definitely trying to do the right thing. What were Winter Party organizers hiding? Was the money going to the “good cause”? Considering tickets to the events are usually $100 plus, and hundreds attended these nightly events; what’s up with the unpaid fees, bounced checks, and terrible in-fighting around financial irregularities. With all the energy spent on destroying the reputation of the other; couldn’t that same energy been spent on the true fundraising objective of the White Party? GREED IS RUINING PRIDE.