Previously, Judge Edward McLaughlin denied the Harlem Abyssinian Baptist Church's request to post the $50,000 bail for 17-year-old Afrika Owes, who has been charged with conspiracy and ferrying guns for a local gang. McLaughlin had said he needed to research the tax and non-profit issues involved in using church money to post bail, but after looking into he said there's nothing stopping the church. If they hold a corporate meeting and get a majority vote, they can post her $50,000 bail in mid-April. Perhaps he finally saw the body of Christ.
Gerald Barbour, chairman of the deacon board, said, "We will have a meeting tomorrow with our pastor [The Reverend Dr. Calvin Butts]. She's one of ours. She's a symbol of our youth, and it's our obligation and our charge to support them." And her boyfriend says she's totally innocent! This is the same guy who told her over the phone, "If the [expletive] gets crazy...head shots only."
