Al Sharpton, who's probably all emotionally conflicted right now over the Sean Bell verdict — a mixture of genuine anger and "Oh, goody! News crews! Photographers!" — got a little threatening and serious at a press conference with Sean Bell's fiancee this weekend. Before a very angry crowd in Harlem (there were shouts of "Kill the police"), Sharpton said that he would return in the coming week "to plan the day that we will close this city down," with some sort of massive display of civil disobedience. Al Sharpton threatening to shut NYC holds the same innocuous menace as Heathcliff Huxtable telling Theo, "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out," except Sharpton didn't bring NYC into this world. If anything, he's one of the city's many eccentric children/characters who could have been raised no place but here. He also can't take the city out, and he runs the risk, as he often does when he gets involved in a cause of some kind, of trivializing the issue on a national level instead of calling positive attention to it. No word on what the NYC-breaking protest will be, but if it's about solving real, systemic problems in law enforcement and not one man's ego-driven grand-standing, and if it makes people think a little harder about the reason for the protest and not about Al Sharpton himself, color me pleasantly surprised. [AP]
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Honestly I don't see the point of criticizing Sharpton, when clearly he is the only person of any kind of note that cares about keeping this story alive.
Still waiting on the commentary from Obama and our illustrious senator Clinton…
They shouldn't comment. The moment that HRC or BO does they put themselves out there to have to comment on every criminal case. There are cases like this all over the country. I don't think they are under any obligation to speak on it.
True, he may be keeping this story "alive" but at what cost? He's an extremist. If he and the rest of them really want to make a point, they should boycott all the fastfood joints, retail stores, anything that produces profit for the city. That'll get everybody's attention.
This isn't every criminal case - it is a case of national importance. HRC is the senator from NY. She should absolutely be questioned about she thinks about the outcome of this case and what it means for race relations in NY.
Politicians (exception the usual folks like Rep. Charles Barron) have been eerily silent about this case and seem to be waiting for what emerges in the aftermath to make a comment.
Maybe it will be some kind of boycott. Don't know yet. The only thing "extreme" that Sharpton has suggested at this point was to "shut down the city." Wouldn't a boycott pretty much to the same thing - financially cripple the city? I guess that could be called extreme as well. It seems like people would rather hear suggestions from anyone but Sharpton, but no one else has stepped to the plate.
And I call 50 shots pretty extreme and maybe they call for an extreme reaction.
@SweetDiva: agreed, top to bottom!
Great Cosby reference!
HRC should be made to comment on this and Obama should have to comment on the 45 shootings in the last 2 weeks in Chicago.
I agree sweetdiva, but if Obama says anything controversial about the Shawn Bell case, he can kiss his chance for the White House good buy.
Well… we'll see what he meant by saying "shut down the city" in the near future, that is if anything actually does take place at all.
As for Obama and Clinton, why is it that everybody only wants to hear comments from them. What about McCain??? He should be asked about this as well. He's been dodging A LOT of bullets that Clinton and Obama have had to take on. I especially hate how he pushed President Carter's meeting with Hamas on Clinton and Obama, stating that they should have advised Carter not to go to Cairo.