Sharpton Aide Denies Report Reverend Chided Obama Over Response to Cops’ Acquittal
April 21, 2007: Barack Obama, and Rev. Al Sharpton laugh together during the 9th annual National Action Network convention in New York (AP Photo).
An aide to Al Sharpton on Tuesday denied a report that the reverend accused Barack Obama of trying to “grandstand in front of white people” by suggesting that New Yorkers should not get violent over the acquittal of three police officers who shot an unarmed man last year.
The story, which appeared in Tuesday’s New York Post, is an “outright falsehood,” said Charlie King, acting national director of Sharpton’s National Action Network.
“Everything stated in the New York Post regarding yesterday’s conversation between Senator Obama and Reverend Sharpton is false, and is either a fabrication of the Post journalists who wrote the story or the supposed unnamed source for the story. In my view, there is a big difference between tabloid journalism and shoddy journalism. This story is clearly the latter and is unacceptable,” King said.
The Post reported that Sharpton and Obama got into a heated conversation about Obama’s response to the Sean Bell verdict last week. Bell was shot by the officers outside a Queens strip club in November. On Friday, three officers involved in the shooting were found not guilty of criminal charges by Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur Cooperman, who reached a verdict without a jury.
The verdict was widely decried by Sharpton and others, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers called for a federal probe. The six officers involved in the shooting still face a possible federal civil rights investigation and departmental charges.
Obama responded to the verdict by saying that “the judge has made his ruling and we are a nation of laws and so we respect the verdict that came down. I think that the most important thing for people who are concerned about the shooting is to figure out how do we come together and assure that those kinds of tragedies don’t happen again.”
The New York Post quoted a source who said Obama’s response was unsatisfactory to Sharpton, who has threatened to shut down the city. According to the Post source, Sharpton called Obama and berated him for saying that it’s “completely unacceptable and counterproductive” to resort to violence.
“(Obama) issues this statement and not a single rock had been thrown,” a source told the newspaper. “How does the candidate of change ask people to accept a verdict that is unjust?”
The source added that Sharpton had hoped Obama would “side with the Bell family” and not use it as an “opportunity to grandstand in front of white people.”
But King said the paper should issue a retraction immediately since it has not identified the source and did not call to verify its accuracy.
“For the record, Reverend Sharpton and Senator Obama had a good conversation yesterday about the need to address both police misconduct and reducing crime. As with the numerous conversations they have, it was friendly, respectful and substantive. ” Said King.
King accused the newspaper of trying to “create the misimpression of division between Reverend Sharpton and Senator Obama” and claimed it had falsely reported some months ago that Sharpton did not want Obama to run for president.
It’s interesting that Sen Obama can “understand” the legitimacy of blue collar white workers turning to guns and religion over perceived wrongs, yet the family of Sean Bell who was murdered by rouge police and exonorated are supposed to “smile” and “be happy”. What are black folks to do, “grin” and “smile” when we’re rounded up and led to the gas chambers also?
News reports are depending on America to listen to them as they propel Mr. Wright to destroy Obama. Those of you who are too misinformed to think for yourselves are helping Mr. Wright to wealth and fame.I SAY “Mr. Wright, as opposed to Rev., as I hold Reverand to a higher standard than I hold Wright. Did all Catholics bolt from church in light of the priest wrong doings? Didn’t many people get married and were given spirtual guidance by priest who at the same time raping little boys. No, they didn’t because, like Obama, at the time, they thought their priest was a godly man. It is very stupid for anyone not to realize that people who beleive in someone, like John Kennedy, Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King, we very often quote them in speeches and writings. Now, how many times have you heard Obama quote those awful things Wright said. NOT ONCE!!!!
Bonnie Juniel,Las Vegas
Greg where were you? Sharpton and Jackson were all over the Duke players. They called them rapists etc and had them guilty! Why was there no outrage when they were found not guilty? If it had been black players and two loonie white preachers, oh the outcry! The white loonies would have had to resign from their ministries and never be seen on media again. So why is it that Sharpton and Jackson get away with so much? They didn’t even apologize to the players! And everyone is right that Sharpton enciting a riot. By all means he should be charged, convicted, and put away.
Sharpton ,Obama have to be separated after Sharpton calls him an “OREO” ,Obama responded least I don’t straighten my hair Jeff ! Sharpton responds tell it to ya white granny! Stay tooned for the latest update!
If you believe a single word that comes out of Al Sharpton’s mouth, you have to be a simpleton! If Obama gets elected, even more so-called “Reverends” will come out of the woodwork making demands of him. God save us! We haven’t seen anything yet!
When is someone going to take care of al sharpton and why the hell does barrack obama have is Fkin arm around him, sharpton is the biggest cry baby in the world when it comes to blacks, someone put him in a freakin cave and push a bolder in front of it so he can’t get out and polute america.