Posted by
Scatbug on Sunday, April 27, 2008 12:30:43 PM
The Reverend Al Sharpton has entered the news to once again fight for social justice:
Sharpton Promises to 'Close This City' After Officer Acquittals
NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of angry people marched through Harlem on Saturday after the Rev. Al Sharpton promised to "close this city down" to protest the acquittals of three police detectives in the 50-shot barrage that killed a groom on his wedding day and wounded two friends.
"We strategically know how to stop the city so people stand still and realize that you do not have the right to shoot down unarmed, innocent civilians," Sharpton told an overflow crowd of several hundred people at his National Action Network office in the historically black Manhattan neighborhood. "This city is going to deal with the blood of Sean Bell."
Sharpton was joined by the family of 23-year-old Sean Bell - a black man - and a friend of Bell who was wounded in the 2006 shooting outside a Queens strip club. Two of the three officers charged were also black.
The rally at Sharpton's office was followed by a 20-block march down Malcolm X Boulevard and then across 125th Street, Harlem's main business thoroughfare, where some bystanders yelled out "Kill the police!"
Surprisingly, some consider this type of thing controversial and view Rev. Sharpton as a polarizing figure. But indeed, the New York City religious leader and activist has been involved in similar, and even more volatile, incidents in the past. What's more, in a typical scoop by your intrepid investigative blogger, I have unearthed irrefutable proof that Senator Barack Obama has had more than friendly relations with Sharpton over the years. What this means remains to be determined, I suppose. But seeking clarification and perhaps appropriate context, I e-mailed photos of the two men to the Obama campaign along with questions asking the Senator about specific incidents in Sharpton's past. The answers were brief and are included below:
I was only 30 years old when that Crown Heights Riot thing happened.
I was only 34 when that Freddy's Fashion Mart thing happened.
I was only...Wait. Wasn't that just yesterday?