Sharpton: Aiyana’s death is ‘breaking point’

[IDemo]

Source: Associated Press

Civil rights leader calls on Detroit to curb violence in wake of child’s slaying

By ED WHITE
updated 2 hours, 36 minutes ago

DETROIT - Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton gave a rousing eulogy Saturday for a 7-year-old girl killed in a police raid, challenging the hundreds of mourners to take responsibility and help stop a spiral of violence that has swept the city.

Sharpton lobbed some criticism at Detroit police, whose explanation of how Aiyana Stanley-Jones died from a gunshot has been contradicted by the girl's family. But he mostly offered a broad cultural message to a city where at least three children and an officer have been killed in recent weeks.

"I'd rather tell you to start looking at the man in the mirror. We've all done something that contributed to this," he said referring to Aiyana's death.

"This is it," Sharpton said at Second Ebenezer Church. "This child is the breaking point."

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37293722/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

[Ian David]

1. Well, having Sharpton on the case is sure to make matters better.

:sarcasm:

[NOLALady]

3. Who would do you think can make matters better?

[Ian David]

4. Maya Angelou. Jimmy Carter. President Obama. Stephen Colbert.

Okay, maybe not Stephen Colbert.

[msanthrope]

7. Not someone who had the "Brooks Brother's" riot organizer run his 2004 campaign.....

Sleeping With the GOP
A Bush Covert Operative Takes Over Al Sharpton's Campaign

Roger Stone, the longtime Republican dirty-tricks operative who led the mob that shut down the Miami-Dade County recount and helped make George W. Bush president in 2000, is financing, staffing, and orchestrating the presidential campaign of Reverend Al Sharpton.

Though Stone and Sharpton have tried to reduce their alliance to a curiosity, suggesting that all they do is talk occasionally, a Voice investigation has documented an extraordinary array of connections. Stone played a pivotal role in putting together Sharpton's pending application for federal matching funds, getting dollars in critical states from family members and political allies at odds with everything Sharpton represents. He's also helped stack the campaign with a half-dozen incongruous top aides who've worked for him in prior campaigns. He's even boasted about engineering six-figure loans to Sharpton's National Action Network (NAN) and allowing Sharpton to use his credit card to cover thousands in NAN costs—neither of which he could legally do for the campaign. In a wide-ranging Voice interview Sunday, Stone confirmed his matching-fund and staffing roles, but refused to comment on the NAN subsidies.

Sharpton denounced the Voice's inquiries as "phony liberal paternalism," insisting that he'd "talk to anyone I want" and likening his use of Stone to Bill Clinton's reliance on pollster Dick Morris, saying he was "sick of these racist double standards." He did not dispute that Stone had helped generate matching contributions and staff the campaign. Asked about the Stone loans, he conceded that he "asked him to help NAN," but attributed the financial aid to his and Stone's joint "fight against the Rockefeller drug laws," adding: "If he did let me use his credit card to cover NAN expenses, fine." The finances of NAN and the Sharpton campaign have so merged in recent months that they have shared everything from contractors to consultants to travel expenses, though Sharpton insists that these questionable maneuvers have been done in compliance with Federal Election Commission regulations.

Stone's Miami-based Fairbanks Limited also set up an e-mail service called Sharpton-at-the-beach, which has issued dozens of releases highlighting campaign achievements before news of them was posted on the campaign website. His impact on strategy even included giving Sharpton the ax handle he wielded at the July NAACP convention, which Sharpton used as a symbol of former Georgia Democratic governor Lester Maddox, who became famous in the '60s by chasing blacks from his restaurant with one. Sharpton stirred the crowd, yelling from the podium: "Anytime we can give a party 92 percent of our vote and have to still beg some people to come talk to us, there is still an ax-handle mentality among some in the Democratic Party." Sharpton said he doesn't remember whether Stone gave him the ax handle. Stone declined to comment, but has boasted to friends that he came up with the theatrics.



http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-01-27/news/sleeping-with-the-gop/

[McCamy Taylor]

5. We need more folks like Sharpton.

[msanthrope]

6. Who accepts money from repubs to run against democrats???

Sleeping With the GOP
A Bush Covert Operative Takes Over Al Sharpton's Campaign
Comments (0) By Wayne Barrett with special reporting by Adam Hutton and Christine Lagorio Tuesday, Jan 27 2004


Roger Stone, the longtime Republican dirty-tricks operative who led the mob that shut down the Miami-Dade County recount and helped make George W. Bush president in 2000, is financing, staffing, and orchestrating the presidential campaign of Reverend Al Sharpton.

Though Stone and Sharpton have tried to reduce their alliance to a curiosity, suggesting that all they do is talk occasionally, a Voice investigation has documented an extraordinary array of connections. Stone played a pivotal role in putting together Sharpton's pending application for federal matching funds, getting dollars in critical states from family members and political allies at odds with everything Sharpton represents. He's also helped stack the campaign with a half-dozen incongruous top aides who've worked for him in prior campaigns. He's even boasted about engineering six-figure loans to Sharpton's National Action Network (NAN) and allowing Sharpton to use his credit card to cover thousands in NAN costs—neither of which he could legally do for the campaign. In a wide-ranging Voice interview Sunday, Stone confirmed his matching-fund and staffing roles, but refused to comment on the NAN subsidies.

Sharpton denounced the Voice's inquiries as "phony liberal paternalism," insisting that he'd "talk to anyone I want" and likening his use of Stone to Bill Clinton's reliance on pollster Dick Morris, saying he was "sick of these racist double standards." He did not dispute that Stone had helped generate matching contributions and staff the campaign. Asked about the Stone loans, he conceded that he "asked him to help NAN," but attributed the financial aid to his and Stone's joint "fight against the Rockefeller drug laws," adding: "If he did let me use his credit card to cover NAN expenses, fine." The finances of NAN and the Sharpton campaign have so merged in recent months that they have shared everything from contractors to consultants to travel expenses, though Sharpton insists that these questionable maneuvers have been done in compliance with Federal Election Commission regulations.

Stone's Miami-based Fairbanks Limited also set up an e-mail service called Sharpton-at-the-beach, which has issued dozens of releases highlighting campaign achievements before news of them was posted on the campaign website. His impact on strategy even included giving Sharpton the ax handle he wielded at the July NAACP convention, which Sharpton used as a symbol of former Georgia Democratic governor Lester Maddox, who became famous in the '60s by chasing blacks from his restaurant with one. Sharpton stirred the crowd, yelling from the podium: "Anytime we can give a party 92 percent of our vote and have to still beg some people to come talk to us, there is still an ax-handle mentality among some in the Democratic Party." Sharpton said he doesn't remember whether Stone gave him the ax handle. Stone declined to comment, but has boasted to friends that he came up with the theatrics.

MUCH more at link..

http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-01-27/news/sleeping-with-the-gop/


Ya know--there's a reason that the people who know Al best--New York Dems--haven't elected him dogcatcher....

[Ian David]

10. I think the voodoo priest in Angelheart is based on Sharpton.

He looks just like Sharpton did in the 1980s.

[EFerrari]

11. Is it any worse than Obama going to the Miami group CANF

for donations and to give his first, maybe only, major speech to Latinos? CANF funded terrorism in Miami and in Havana. They probably still do.

Maybe that's politics in this country.

[marshall]

19. He's starting to sound like Bill Cosby

Cosby is always telling people to start looking at how they have contributed to what is going on around them, because that's where change starts.

Cue Michael Jackson's song "Man in the Mirror". I'm sure that was going through Sharpton's mind.

[keroro gunsou]

8. his heart

is in the right place, his methodology does need some work though. hey, it could be worse, some one more extreme could come along and ramp up the problem and make it worse for all concerned.

[Ian David]

9. Let's just hope none of the cops are Jewish. n/t

[keroro gunsou]

12. i'm game

why not? jewish or not, those cops are in deep shit.

[Ian David]

13. Al Sharpton isn't a big fan of The Jews. If they're Jewish, he'll use that. n/t

[keroro gunsou]

14. i'd think he'd be less of a fan of

stupid, trigger-happy cops, regardless of ethnic background.... silly naive me....

[Ian David]

15. I grew-up with Sharpton. I know his character and how he operates.

He's not interested in solving the problem of trigger-happy cops.

He's interested in promoting Al Sharpton and hating on The Jews.

[PBass]

21. Your comments are offensive

I listen to Al Sharpton's local radio show quite a bit. I've never heard him discuss "The Jews" (your term) or Israel. If Sharpton is such a Jew-basher, he's certainly missing out on 10 hours a week on the public airwaves to fan the flames of hatred (which is what you're attempting to do... fan the flames of hatred).

I'm not a big Al Sharpton fan (I hear his show because I leave the radio on all day) but sadly, when Sharpton does something 'good', he gets attacked the same as when he does something 'bad' and that's just downright stupid.

[Ian David]

23. I really don't care if you're offended. n/t

[BlueIris]

2. He gets points for referencing my favorite MJ song. nt

[Flaneur]

16. Nice how this thread is all about attacking Sharpton.

Nobody wants to talk about why he is in Detroit: Because a gung-ho, overly aggressive police SWAT team killed a 7-year-old girl as she lay sleeping on her couch.

Much more fun and less painful to just call Sharpton a hustler.

[timo]

17. wrong al your plain wrong!!

I'd rather tell you to start looking at the man in the mirror. We've all done something that contributed to this," he said referring to Aiyana's death.


?????? yeah right, thats a broad ass brush your painting with there, how the hell does he justify shit statements like this????

[PBass]

22. Not sure but I believe he was talking directly to the community

and not using a "broad-assed brush".

I believe Sharpton's comments regard keeping a child in the house where they were also aiding a wanted suspect.

I'm not an expert on the killing but some of these comments are ludicrous.

[stray cat]

18. The child broke anyway - I'm not sure what else Sharpton is talking about

[classysassy]

20. You can disagree with the messenger

but his message is right on.The american press would have you believe Sharpton is demonic. They use that canard to discredit the man,but most fair minded citizens can discern the lies of his critics.