Sharpton, Al

Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. was born in the Brownsville area in Brooklyn , New York , from Ada (née Richards) and Alfred Charles Sharpton Sr. ^{[11] [12]} . Their family had partly Cherokee roots ^[13] . He read his first sermon at the age of four and toured with gospel singer Mahalia Jackson ^[14] .

In 1963, Sharpton's father left his wife to enter into a relationship with Sharpton's half-sister. Ada got a job as a maid , but her income was so low that her family was entitled to social security and had to move from a middle-class area in Hollis, Queens to public housing projects in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn ^[15] .

Sharpton graduated from Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn and began to study at Brooklyn College , but dropped out two years later in 1975 ^[16] . In 1972, he accepted the post of youth director of the presidential campaign of the African-American congressman Shirley Chisholm ^[17] . Between 1973 and 1980, Sharpton served as tour manager for James Brown ^[18] .

In 1969, Jesse Jackson appointed Sharpton as the youth director of the New York branch of Operation Breadbasket ^[18] , a group that promoted new and better jobs for African Americans ^[19] .

In 1971, Sharpton founded the National Youth Movement to raise funds for impoverished youth ^[20] .

Bernard Goetz

Bernhard Goetz shot dead four African-Americans on a train on the second subway line of New York in Manhattan on December 22, 1984, when they approached him and allegedly tried to rob him. At the trial, all charges were dropped from Goetz, with the exception of unlicensed firearms. Sharpton conducted several marches in protest of the weak prosecution of the case. ^[21]

Sharpton and other civil rights leaders stated that Goetz’s actions were racist and demanded a federal civil rights investigation ^[22] . A federal investigation concluded that the shooting was due to an attempted robbery, and not for racial reasons ^[23] .

Howard Beach

On December 20, 1986, three African-Americans were attacked by a gang of white men in the Howard Beach area in Queens . Three men fought back and chased their attackers to Belt Boulevard , where one of them, Michael Griffith , was shot down and killed by a passing car ^{[24 ]} .

A week later, on December 27, Sharpton led 1,200 demonstrators marching through the streets of Howard Beach. Residents of the area, who were overwhelmingly white, shouted racial insults to the protesters, who were mostly black. ^[25] New York Governor Mario Cuomo appointed a special attorney ^[26] after two surviving victims refused to cooperate with the Queens District Attorney. Sharpton’s role in the case helped give him national fame.

Bensonhurst

On August 23, 1989, four African-American teenagers were beaten by a group of 10-30 white Italian-American youths in Bensonhurst , Brooklyn A. One resident of Bensonhurst, armed with a pistol, shot and killed sixteen-year-old Youssef Hawkins.

In the weeks following the assault and assassination, Sharpton marched several times through Bensonhurst. The first protest, just a few days after the incident, was met by residents of the area shouting “Niggas, Get Home” holding watermelons to insult the demonstrators. ^[27]

Sharpton also threatened that the three comrades of Hawkins would not work with prosecutor Elizabeth Holtzman if her office did not agree to hire more black lawyers. In the end, they began to collaborate. ^[28]

In May 1990, when one of the two leaders of the group was acquitted on the most serious charges against him, Sharpton conducted another march through Bensonhurst. In January 1991, when other members of the gang were sentenced to light sentences, Sharpton planned another march on January 12, 1991. Prior to the demonstration, a local resident, Michael Riccardi, tried to kill Sharpton by stabbing him in the chest ^[29] . Sharpton recovered from his wounds and later asked the judge for leniency when Riccardi was already sentenced. ^[thirty]

National Action Network

In 1991, Sharpton established the National Action Network , an organization designed to expand voter education, provide services to people living in poverty, and support small public businesses. In 2016, Boyce Kimber , Sharpton’s partner and member of his National Council of NSD, along with businessman and philanthropist Don Vaccaro, created Grace Church Web sites, a nonprofit organization that helps churches build and run their own sites. ^{[31] [32]}

Crown Heights Riot

The Crown Heights riot began on August 19, 1991, after a car driven by a Jew and part of the procession, led by an unidentified police car, drove through an intersection and were hit by another vehicle, as a result of which he turned onto the sidewalk, where he accidentally knocked down a seven-year-old Guyanese boy named Gavin Kato and severely wounded his cousin Angela. Witnesses could not agree on speed and could not agree on whether the light was yellow or red. One of the factors causing the unrest was the arrival of a private ambulance, which was later discovered by order of a policeman who was worried about the safety of the Jewish driver and drove him out of the scene, while Kato was caught in a car. ^[33] After Kato and his cousin were pulled out from under the wheels, they were soon examined by a municipal ambulance. Caribbean-American and African-American residents in the area rioted for four consecutive days, fueled by rumors that a private ambulance had refused to treat Kato. ^{[33] [34]} During the riots, black youths looted shops, ^[33] beat Jews in the street, ^[33] and clashing with groups of Jews, threw stones and bottles at them ^[35] after which Yankel Rosenbaum, a student from Australia, was wounded and killed by someone from the crowd, while some of the rebels chanted "Kill a Jew" and "take the Jews out." ^[36]

Shortly after the riots, Sharpton walked along with 400 chants (“Whose streets? Our streets!” And “No justice, no peace!”) Through Crown Heights and in front of the headquarters of the Hasidic movement Chabad Lubavitch , despite attempts by mayor David Dinkins a interfere with the march. ^{[37] [33]} ) Some commentators felt that Sharpton was fueling tension by making remarks that included: “If the Jews want to wear them, tell them to put on their stronger yermolks and come to my house.” ^[38] In the following decades, Sharpton acknowledged that his language and tone “sometimes exacerbated tensions,” although he insisted that his marches were peaceful. ^{[39] [40]} In his 2019 speech at a meeting of Jewish reformers, Sharpton said that he could "do more to heal, not harm." He recalled how he received a call from Coretta Scott King at the time during which she told him: "Sometimes you tend to get a crowd applause, not a tall case, and you would rather say cheap things to get cheap applause. Than doing high affairs to raise the nation higher. " ^{[41] [42]}

Freddy's Fashion Store

In 1995, the black Trinity Church, United House of Prayer, which owned commercial property on 125th Street, asked Jewish tenant Freddy, who ran Freddy’s Fashion Store, Fred Harari, to evict his long-time sub-tenant from a black record label called The Record. Shack. Sharpton led a protest in Harlem against the planned eviction of The Record Shack. ^{[43] [44] [45]} Sharpton told the protesters: “We will not stand by and will not allow them to move our brother so that some white intruder can expand his business.” ^[46]

A rally was held against impeachment in 1998 in support of President Bill Clinton.

On December 8, 1995, Roland J. Smith, Jr., one of the protesters, entered Harari’s store with a pistol and flammable liquid, shot several shoppers and set fire to the store. The shooter shot himself, and seven store employees died from smoke. ^{[47] [48]} Fire officials found that the store’s fire system was turned off in violation of the local fire code. ^[49] Sharpton claimed that the criminal openly criticized himself and his non-violent tactics. In 2002, Sharpton regretted making a racial remark on the “white offender,” and denied responsibility for inciting or provoking violence. ^{[14] [50]}

Amadou Diallo

In 1999, Sharpton led a protest to raise awareness of the death of Amadou Diallo, an immigrant from Guinea who was shot dead by New York police . Sharpton claimed that Diallo's death was the result of police brutality and racial orientation . The Diallo family was later received $ 3 million in an unlawful death lawsuit filed against the city. ^[51]

Taisha Miller

In May 1999, Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and other activists protested the deadly police shooting in December 1998 by Taisha Miller in central Riverside, California . Miller, a 19-year-old African-American, was sitting unconscious in a locked car with a flat tire and an engine parked at a local gas station. After her relatives called 9-1-1 , Riverside Police Department officers, who responded to the incident, noticed a gun on her lap, and, according to their stories, she was trembling, she had foam from her mouth and needed medical attention. When the officers decided to break her window to reach her, and one of the officers reached for a weapon, she allegedly woke up and grabbed her firearm, prompting several officers to open fire, making 23 shots and killing her. When the Riverside County District Attorney stated that the relevant officers made a mistake but did not commit any crime by refusing to file a criminal charge with them, Sharpton participated in protests that reached their zenith when the protesters walked onto the busy SR 91 motorway, completely paralyzing the movement. Sharpton was arrested for his participation and leadership in these protests. ^{[52] [53]}

Sharpton compared the special prosecutor - Attorney General Bob Abrams with "Mr. Hitler ." ^{[54] [55]}

Vieques

In 2001, Sharpton was jailed for 90 days on charges of unlawful entry, protesting US military exercises to carry out military missions in Puerto Rico near the site of the U.S. Navy bombing. ^[56] Sharpton, who was held in Puerto Rico prison for two days and then imprisoned at the Brooklyn Detention Center on May 25, 2001, ^[57] has Federal Prison Bureau certificate No. 21458-069. He was released on August 17, 2001. ^[58]

Usman Zongo

In 2002, Sharpton participated in protests after the death of West African immigrant Usman Zongo. Zongo, who was unarmed, was shot dead by an undercover police officer during a raid on a warehouse in the Chelsea area of Manhattan E. Sharpton met with his family and also provided some legal services. ^[59]

Sean Bell

On November 25, 2006, Sean Bell was shot dead in the Jamaican area of ​​Queens, New York, by plainclothes detectives from the New York Police Department under a hail of 50 bullets. This incident provoked fierce criticism from the police and compared the 1999 assassination of Amadou Diallo. Three of the five detectives who participated in the shootout appeared in court in 2008 on charges of manslaughter to insane threats, but were found not guilty.

On May 7, 2008, in response to acquittals to officers, Sharpton coordinated peaceful protests at major river crossings in New York, including the Brooklyn Bridge , Queensboro Bridge , Triborough Bridge , Manhattan Bridge , the Dutch Tunnel, and the Queens Midtown Tunnel . Sharpton and about 200 others were arrested. ^[60]

Dunbar Village

On March 11, 2008, Sharpton held a press conference to highlight, according to him, the unequal treatment of four suspected rapists of high-profile crime in housing projects in Dunbar Village in West Palm Beach , Florida . The suspects, who were young black men, were arrested for allegedly raping and beating a black Haitian woman at gunpoint. The crime also included forcing a woman to have oral sex with her 12-year-old son. ^[61]

At a press conference, Sharpton said that any violent actions against a woman are unforgivable, but he believes that the young accused are treated unfairly because they are black. Sharpton contrasted the treatment of suspects who remained in prison with white suspects involved in a gang rape, which he claimed was tantamount to an attack on the village of Dunbar, which had been released after the bail was paid. ^[61]

Commemorative March Return of Dreams

On August 28, 2010, Sharpton and other civil rights leaders held a march to mark the 47th anniversary of the historic march in Washington. After gathering at Dunbar High School in Washington, DC, thousands of people walked five miles to the National Mall. ^[62]

Tanya McDowell

In June 2011, Sharpton spoke at a rally in support of Tanya McDowell, who was arrested and charged with theft for allegedly registering her son for kindergarten in the wrong school district at the wrong address. She claimed to have spent time in an apartment in Bridgeport, Connecticut , and in a homeless shelter in Norwalk , where her son was registered. ^[63]

George Zimmerman

After the shooting of Traivon Martin in 2012 by George Zimmerman, Sharpton held several protests and rallies criticizing the Sanford Police Department for organizing the shooting and called for the arrest of Zimmerman: “Zimmerman was to be arrested that night. You can’t protect yourself from the pack” Skittles and Tea with ice. " ^[64] Sean Hannity accused Sharpton and channel MSNBC in" hasty the case. "[judgment] MSNBC published application in which they said Sharpton" repeatedly called for calm "and further investigation. ^[65] After the frames Ania Zimmerman Sharpton called the verdict innocent "crime" and "slap in the face to those who believe in justice." ^[66] Subsequently, Sharpton and his organization National Action Network held rallies in several cities. condemned the sentence and called for "justice for Treyvona." ^{[67 ]}

Eric Garner

After Eric Garner died in July 2014 at Staten Island , NY , from New York Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo, Sharpton staged a peaceful protest on Staten Island on the afternoon of July 19 and condemned police use of asphyxiation Garner’s detention, saying there was “no excuse” for this. ^[68] Sharpton also planned to hold a protest on August 23, during which participants had to cross the Verrazano-Narrows bridge and then go to the quarrel and to the office of the district attorney Dan Donovan ^[69] . This idea was rejected. Sharpton, conducted a peaceful march on Bay Street on Staten Island, where Garner died; More than 5,000 people went to the demonstration. ^{[70] [71] [72] [73]}

Priests March for Justice

On August 28, 2017, on the fifty-fourth anniversary of the famous March in Washington , in which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech “I Have a Dream ^{[Quotes 1],} ” Sharpton organized a Priest March for Justice, promising to gather a thousand priests in Washington, DC Colombia to make “one moral rebuke” to President Donald Trump . ^[74] Several thousand religious leaders appeared, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs. ^[75] Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank writes that “President Trump ultimately united us. He gathered the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Jews. ” ^[76]

In September 2007, Sharpton was asked if he considers it important that the United States has a black president. He replied: “It would be a wonderful moment, while the black candidate maintained an interest that would inevitably help our people. Many of my friends went with Clarence Thomas and regret it to this day. I don’t think that simply because someone is my color, they are mine. But I'm getting ready for Obama , but I'm not there yet. ” ^[77]

Sharpton spoke out against animal abuse in a video recorded for People for Ethical Animal Treatment . ^[78]

Sharpton is an advocate of equal rights for gays and lesbians, including same-sex marriage. During his 2004 presidential campaign, Sharpton said he considered it offensive to discuss the issue of same-sex marriage. "It's like asking if I support black marriage or white marriage ... The conclusion is that gays are not like other people." ^[79] Sharpton leads the mass movement to eliminate homophobia in the Black Church . ^[80]

In 2014, Sharpton began promoting criminal justice reform, citing the fact that blacks accounted for a large proportion of those arrested and imprisoned in America. ^[81]

In August 2017, Sharpton called on the federal government to stop supporting the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC because Thomas Jefferson owned slaves and had children from his slave Sally Hemings . He said that taxpayer funds should not be used to look after slave owners' monuments, and that private museums are preferable. “People should understand that people were enslaved. Our families have been the victims of this. State monuments [to people like Jefferson] are supported by state funds. You ask me to subsidize an insult to my family. ” ^[82]

Comments on Gays and Lesbians

Sharpton told an audience at Keen College in 1994: “We taught philosophy, astrology and mathematics before Socrates and their Greek homosexuals ever got to him.” ^[83] In 2007, Sharpton defended his comments by saying that the term “ homo ”was not homophobic, but added that he no longer uses the term. ^[84] In 2005, Sharpton called for an end to homophobia in the African American community. ^[85] [90]

Mormon Comments

During 2007, Sharpton was accused of fanaticism for the comments he made on May 7, 2007 regarding presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his religion of Mormonism :

For the one Mormon running for office, those who truly believe in God will defeat him anyway, so don't worry about it; this is a temporary situation. ^[86]

In response, a spokesman for Romney told reporters that "fanaticism towards anyone because of their beliefs is unacceptable." ^{[87] The} Catholic League compared Sharpton to Don Imus and said his remarks “should end his career.” ^[88]

On May 9, during an interview with Paula Zan NOW , Sharpton said his views on Mormonism are based on the “ traditionally racist views of the Mormon Church regarding blacks ” and its interpretation of the so-called “ curse of Ham ” ^[89] On May 10, Sharpton contacted the two apostles Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and apologized to them for their comments and asked to meet with them. ^[90] A Church spokesman confirmed that Sharpton called and said that "we greatly appreciate Rev. Sharpton’s appeal and consider this issue closed." ^[91] He also apologized to “any member of the Mormon church” who was offended by his comments. ^[91] Later that month, Sharpton traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he met with Elder M. Russell Ballard, Church Leader, and Elder Robert Oaks, Church President. ^{[92] [93]}

Racial Comments

On February 13, 1994, Sharpton told a student audience at Keane College in New Jersey: “White people were in the caves while we were building empires,” he said. “We built the pyramids before Donald Trump even knew what architecture was . We taught philosophy and astrology [sic] and mathematics before Socrates and their Greek homosexuals had not come before them. Will any cracker come and say to you: "Well, mother and father, return blood to the Mayflower ," better keep your pocket. There’s nothing to be proud of, it means that their ancestors were crooks. ” ^[83]

He ridiculed moderate black politicians close to the Democratic Party as a “black cocktail” or “yellow blacks” ^[94] .

Tawana Braille Rape Case

On November 28, 1987, Tawana Braille, a 15-year-old black girl, was found stained with feces, lying in a garbage bag; her clothes were torn and burned, and various insults and epithets were written on her body. Browley claimed that she was attacked and raped by six white men, some of whom were police officers, in the city of Wappinger, New York.

Lawyers Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason joined Sharpton in support of Browley. A grand jury was convened; after seven months of studying police and medical records, the jury found "irrefutable evidence" that Browley had fabricated his story. ^[95] Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason accused Dutchess County Attorney Stephen Pagones of racism and one of the culprits of the alleged abduction and rape. Three were successfully held liable for defamation and ordered to pay $ 345,000 for damages, while a jury found Sharpton liable for seven slanderous allegations of Pagones, Maddox for two, and Mason for one. ^[96] Sharpton refused to pay his share of the damage; it was later paid for by many black business leaders, including Johnny Cochran ^[34] .

In 2007, Sharpton said that he would do the same thing today, with the only difference being that he would not have made it so personal against Pagones. He said that he still felt that Broley had a good case to stand trial, and said in an interview: “I disagree with the grand jury about the Broley case. I believed that there was enough evidence to go to court. The jury stated that it wasn’t. Good, good. Do I have the right to disagree with the grand jury? Many Americans believe that OJ Simpson was guilty. The jury said that this is not so. Therefore, I have the same right to ask questions the jury, like them. Does that make them racists? No! They just disagreed with the jury s. I am too. " ^[97]

FBI Informant Job

Sharpton said in 1988 that he worked with government agencies to stop the flow of crack cocaine into black neighborhoods. He denied information about civil rights leaders. ^{[98] [97] [99]}

In 2002, HBO 's True Sports Competition with Bryant Gambel broadcast a 19-year-old FBI video of a secret operation in which Sharpton was shown with an FBI undercover agent posing as a Latin American businessman and famous captain of the Colombo crime family. During the discussion, an undercover agent offered Sharpton a 10% fee for organizing the sale of drugs. In the video, Sharpton mostly nods and allows the FBI agent to conduct most of the conversations. Not a single drug deal was completed, and Sharpton was not charged with the record. ^[100]

In April 2014, The Smoking Gun website received documents showing that Sharpton became an FBI informant in 1983 after Sharpton's role in the fight against drugs involving Colombo crime family captain Michael Franzeze. It is believed that Sharpton recorded incriminating conversations with bandits from the Genovese and Gambino families, which contributed to the indictment of several figures of the underworld. Sharpton is referred to in the FBI as “CI-7.” ^[101]

Summing up evidence that Sharpton was an active FBI informant in the 1980s, William Baston, founder of the Smoking Gun, said: “If he (Sharpton) does not consider himself an informant, Genovese from the FBI and New York City Police Officers they knew that he was an informant, they paid him to be an informant, he carried a briefcase with a recording device in it, and he made secret tapes of a member of the family of the criminal Gambino 10 times as an informant.on instructions from the FBI, he was prepared by the FBI, the FBI portfolio was handed over and questioned by It follows meetings. This informant. " ^[102] Sharpton disputes parts of the charges. ^[103]

Sharpton is believed to have secretly recorded conversations with black activists in the 1980s about Joan Chesimard ( Assata Shakur ) and other underground black action films. Veteran activist Ahmed Obafemi told the New York Daily News that he had long suspected Sharpton of recording him on tape with a tape recorder in his briefcase. ^[104]

LoanMax

In 2005, Sharpton appeared in three commercials for LoanMax, a leading automobile company loan company. He was criticized for his appearance because LoanMax reportedly charges fees that are equivalent to 300% of annual loans. ^[105]

Tax Issues

In 1993, Sharpton pleaded guilty to misconduct for not submitting a state income tax return. Authorities later discovered that one of Mr. Sharpton’s commercial companies, Raw Talent, which he used as a repository of money for performances, also did not pay taxes, and this failure continued for years. ^[106]

On May 9, 2008, the Associated Press reported that Sharpton and his businesses owed nearly $ 1.5 million in unpaid taxes and fines. Sharpton owes federal income tax of $ 931,000 and $ 366,000 to New York, and his commercial company Rev. Al Communications owes another $ 176,000 to the state. ^[eight]

On June 19, 2008, the New York Post reported that the Internal Revenue Service sent subpoenas to several corporations that donated to the Sharpton National Action Network. In 2007, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo launched an investigation into the activities of the National Action Network, as it was unable to produce the proper financial statements necessary for nonprofits. ^[107] According to the report, several large corporations, including Anheuser-Busch and Colgate-Palmolive, donated thousands of dollars to the National Action Network. The post claimed that the National Action Network made donations to prevent boycotts or rallies ^[108] .

Sharpton opposed investigative actions, accusing them of reflecting the political agenda of US agencies. ^[109]

On September 29, 2010, Robert Snell of The Detroit News reported that the Internal Revenue Service had filed a notice of more than $ 538,000 in federal tax liens against Sharpton in New York. [115] Sharpton's attorney claims that the federal tax lien notice refers to Sharpton's 2009 federal income tax declaration, which was extended until October 15, 2010, according to the attorney. However, Snell’s report states that lien applies to taxes accrued during 2009. ^[110]

According to The New York Times , Sharpton and his businesses must pay $ 4.5 million in state and federal taxes as of November 2014. ^[106]