The battle over a planned speech by a controversial retired Army general at Friday’s civic leaders prayer breakfast intensified Thursday.
As a group readied to protest the speaker, and the YMCA — an organization that typically supports the event — said it wouldn’t attend, Clark County Commissioner David Madore went on social media to publicly encourage people to go and hear what the speaker has to say.
Delivering the event’s keynote address this year is retired Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, formerly a high-ranking Pentagon official with a long career in the Army and the CIA who now works with Christian conservative groups like the Family Research Council and Kingdom Warriors. Boykin has come under fire for his statements about Islam and other topics, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations considers him an “anti-Muslim bigot.”
Erica Marchbank, a local Democratic and gay rights activist, has launched a “Stand on the Side of Tolerance” Facebook page. It calls for supporters to “join me this Friday morning in protest, and let everyone know that there’s no room for hate in Vancouver.”
She’s calling for picketers to bring signs to the sidewalk outside the Hilton Vancouver Washington starting at 6:30 a.m. The prayer breakfast gets underway at 7 a.m.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations appealed to local mayors to get Boykin dropped from the breakfast. Clark County’s only mosque, in Hazel Dell, co-authored that appeal.
Boykin canceled a 2012 prayer breakfast appearance at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point after a similar controversy erupted.
The planning committee for today’s event, which is entirely private, decided Tuesday to stick with Boykin even though one corporate sponsor, the Clark County Family YMCA, withdrew its support. On Thursday, the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette announced that its organization, which includes the Clark County Family YMCA, won’t even attend the breakfast.
“Today, the presenters communicated to the YMCA that they are unwilling to disinvite Lt. General Boykin, therefore the YMCA will not attend the event tomorrow morning,” Bruce Patton, vice president of the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette, said Thursday in a statement.
The lead sponsor of the event is the Full Gospel Men’s Fellowship in America. A Wednesday morning statement from the group said, in part, that it had reviewed its decision with “many people within and outside of our steering committee. We also spoke directly with Mr. Boykin about those sensitivities and the content of his remarks Friday, which will be focused on his personal faith while serving his country.”
Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt, who was slated as the event’s host, is boycotting the breakfast — and urging others “to carefully consider their attendance and support,” according to a statement from the city.
Most local mayors have said they won’t be there, mostly because of other commitments. Several Vancouver city council members decided not to go after the controversy revved up.
Meanwhile, commissioner Madore has “warmly invited” everyone’s attendance, according to his Facebook page.
“Every year, regardless of where we come from when we arrive, this event has enriched our community,” Madore wrote. “Everyone ought to hear the incredible stories that this American war hero has to share.”
The event is sold out, according to its website.