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Most of you may have read the story about Jamal Parris, the latest and most vocal of Bishop Eddie Long's accusers. Parris and three others have stepped forward to file a lawsuit against Long in state court for allegedly coercing them in to having sex. Well, another bombshell has hit the room, and this one was also delivered by Jamal Parris.
Parris told WAGA-TV in Atlanta that he and Long engaged in numerous sexual acts on church grounds, both before and after morning services. He also said that they would perform sexual acts in Long's home, car and office at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. After the bomb delivered by Parris, there was another public body slam from Long's fourth accuser, Spencer LeGrande. Speaking to WSBTV in Atlanta, LeGrande said that he came forward after seeing the first two lawsuits filed against Bishop Long. LeGrande was nearly as convincing as Parris, as he laid out the accusation that Bishop Long performed sex acts on him after giving him a sleeping pill on a trip to Africa.
The four accusers claim that Long traded sex acts for cars, clothes and other material possessions. The Bishop Eddie Long scandal seems to get just a bit deeper every single day. At this point, Long doesn't just have to worry about the ethical implications of committing adultery and being accused of engaging in homosexual sex, he also has to deal with accusations of pedophilia, since the public is not yet aware of how old the young men were when the alleged sex acts occurred.
Most damaging to Bishop Eddie Long, though, could be the consequences of using church funds to pursue his sexual interests with the boys in his care. Ironically, the federal government is likely to issue a stiffer punishment for misusing its money than it is for harming another human being. There are surely some federal investigators watching this case very closely.
The peculiar nature of the alleged sexual relationships is also interesting, as it appears that the accusers had prolonged physical interaction with Bishop Eddie Long. Of even more concern is the psychological control Bishop Long had over these young men, after grooming them at such an early age. The hundreds of thousands of people who've read our coverage on the topic here on Aol. Black Voices are now starting to realize that you must be extremely careful when trusting your children to other people, even if the individual is rich, famous and powerful.
Bishop Eddie Long is as powerful as they come. I recall seeing him at an event in Atlanta being held by networking-guru George Fraser. Long was walking with an entire entourage and being given the respect of a spiritual powerhouse. The young men and their mothers were likely intrigued by Long's power, making it an honor to be associated with him in any meaningful way.
If it is the case that Long abused his power and used it for such malicious purposes, it would be difficult to forgive him. A leader should designate himself as a servant of the people, and it takes a special spirit to be able to rise above natural temptations. I hope this trial starts soon, because if the news flashes keep coming at this rate, Bishop Eddie Long's entire reputation will soon be up in smoke. So far, he's been hit with several shotgun blasts in the media, and his team hasn't even thrown a sling shot. Maybe they'll send me an e-mail or something soon.
In the meantime, Spencer LeGrande, the fourth young man to file suit against Bishop Eddie Long (pictured above), added his voice to Jamal Parris' here:
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (171)
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By: slik on 9/29/2010 10:02PM
come on boyce, damn man, ur eating this shyt up man. Even those who think Long guilty should be calling you out for this BS.
Any little innuendo, you post. I’m starting to understand what Bill Sheirer is always saying about you. Intellectually you are a damn fraud, fake, a damn phony, dishonest. Syracuse should have kicked your azz to the curb.
You posted some BS last Friday, about him stepping down, then you post some crap about black leaders only to back track a few minutes later.
Ur are lynching this mans rep. And some of you bloggers should call boyce out on this BS. This is no longer about long, but about what Watkins is doing to this man.
No body should send you a damn thing, who the hell are you, that his team needs to inform you of anything.
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By: hidaya on 9/29/2010 10:43PM
how is boyce lynching long's rep? long did that all.by.himself.
the truth is hard to hear.
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By: ARNEADER on 9/29/2010 11:10PM
@Silk let me be the first one to apologize to you for Dr. Boyce, I know members at New Birth are having a hard time digesting this mess. My church is in the exact same shoes. My ex pastor has sexual allegations against him and he, his wife and the church business manager stole money from our church. I was sexually harassed by my pastor when he first came to the church 13 years ago and I went to my grandmother a praying Christian woman about it. After I acknowledge to my ex pastor about his advances he became angry and preached a sermon about me. I was hurt and devastated again by him. I had NEVER had a minister to come on to meet like that before and it caught me by surprise that my Spiritual leader would get out of place with me just like the men in workplace. My ex pastor remained in position for 15 years before his chickens came home to roost. It devastated our church and the church split. The cogregation I attended had less than 5K members. I am sure New Birth 25K members are even more devastated because this involves boys and homosexuality. The good thing about this is people are becoming aware of sexual predators from ALL walks of life. Bishop Eddie L. Long needs to get some help because like my ex pastor he is sick.
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By: Fashionedbygod33 on 9/29/2010 11:12PM
I agree with you Silk. The last sentence cracked me up. I am no fan of Long by any stretch of the imagination but does Boyce have nothing else to write about while this case continues to unfold?
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By: slik on 9/29/2010 11:31PM
@ARNEADER and hidaya
look guys I hear ya, and Im not an Eddie Long Fan, i can assure you. At issue is fairness, is it fair to reprint every tidbit of info, that comes along. since when did BV become the national enguire.
Recall boyce passed along some bogus info last friday, is that right? Was that a sqaure deal?
So every time some one says someting about Long, should it be reprinted, come on, of course not.
My problem is Watkins is always crying about fairness and justice, is he being fair. Im not saying long is innocent or guilty, I’m saying Watkins seems like he has a axe to grind here. Like he is reveling in the demise of another.
Thats just my opinion.
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By: ARNEADER on 9/30/2010 12:56AM
@Silk, this is NEWS better yet MEGA NEWS! New Birth members need to get their heads out of the sand! We are talking about the largest black churh in the nation! This shyt is devasting for all of us! Black people have been taken advantage of all of their lives!
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By: SenegalStyle on 9/30/2010 5:36AM
I thought that was odd too when he said Long(fellow) should send him an email?! haha! He's in enough trouble as it is.
BUT seriously tho - the Tiger Woods defense (silence) didn't work for Tiger and it won't work for him.
I can't believe these folks pay lawyers to tell them to be quiet. You can't keep quiet by yourself for free? Oh, his legal advice is free so it doesn't matter how much the bill is going to be... his congregation pays for it!
Geez
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By: elle40 on 9/30/2010 10:03AM
Hey Slik,
I agree with you. I could sit here and outline all the reasons why I agree with you, but you have articulated my exact sentiments. I, personally, do not refer to him as Dr. anything. He is a gossip monger that stirs the pot. He is less than credible in many of his writings. Every now and then he may have a fascinating article, but that success is limited, because he insists on writing & reporting like an uneducated, project-logic, stinking-thinking tabloid journalist. He even spews his crap on thegrio.com. This is why many African Americans prefer AOL, MSNBC, New York Times, etc.,online when trying to secure accurate news. BV is used as smut and comic relief.
I get what you are saying. It's not about whether Long is guilty, because many of us can agree this alleged behavior is disgraceful. You're simply pointing how tacky and small minded BW is for reporting on every tidbit as if there are no other noteworthy subject matters to be addressed in black communities. Blacks cannot let this Eddie Long case consume them. It's going to turn out, how it's going to turn out. But guess what? Life goes on. There is an election on the horizon. There are a plethora of economic and education issues to address, etc., CAN BV PLEASE START PRINTING SOME NEWS!!!! Limit the smut and negative reporting. There are some positive news stories that could be printed, too.
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By: angel on 9/30/2010 11:31AM
silk: you can't handle the truth !! Boyce should continue commenting on everything that comes out about this freak because God has uncovered him !! New Birth members need a reality check. This man has abused these young men and they were too afraid to tell it as most abused victims are.They act out in other ways to relieve the pain. Yes they reaped the benefits of gift , money , cars , homes etc: but that was also his way of keeping them tiunde rhis control, it's the typical way abusers operate. Get real silk, this is, what it is !!!!!!!!!!
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By: Trudy on 9/30/2010 11:40AM
slik you sound like you have a real live interest either invested money or like lustings with the bishop. My God where is your head at? This man did these things to the public and the public have every right in the world to know what he did and to whom he did it. Didn't you here the young man say he felt FREE now that he is able to tell his story without feeling scared or any kind of retribution from this bishop. slik you need your head/s examined. This bishop did this to himself no one is guilty but him, since no one has heard or known of him denying any and I do mean any of the allegations yet.
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