Whatever would we do if we didn't have the Reverend Al
Sharpton telling us what we need to get excited about?
Immediately after the tragic shooting by the police of an unarmed
man, Sean Bell, on the morning of his wedding, Rev. Sharpton
coordinated a protest demanding answers from the NYPD. When
well-known public figures show up at events that have barely
resonated in our consciences, facts tend to get pushed aside and
replaced by emotional frenzies that can spiral out of control. If
anyone knows the consequences of this, it should be Rev.
Sharpton. Remember Freddy's?
In 1995, a black-controlled Harlem landlord, the United House of
Prayer, raised the rent on Freddy's Fashion Mart; the store's
Jewish owner then raised the rent on his subtenant, a black-owned
music store. Rev. Sharpton's National Action Network set up
picket lines and harassed shoppers entering Freddy's, calling
them "Uncle Toms" and "traitors." Protesters
shouted, "Burn down the Jew store." On December 8, one
of the protesters entered the store and shot four employees, then
set the store on fire. Seven employees died in the fire.
Rev. Sharpton was also instrumental in inciting the riots that
took place in 1991 in Crown Heights when he spoke at the funeral
of Gavin Cato, the 7-year-old accidentally killed by a chasidic
driver. He ranted against the "diamond merchants with the
blood of innocent babies on their hands." During a march by
hundreds of demonstrators through the Jewish neighborhood, a
rabbinical student, Yankel Rosenbaum, was stabbed to death by a
member of a mob that was shouting: "Kill the Jews."
Who can forget the Tawana Brawley hoax?
Imagine my surprise when I read an editorial at Townhall.com
proclaiming: "Sharpton's Stature Rises to New Heights."
This time out, Rev. Sharpton is being reasonable and calling for
calm rather than angrily inciting racial free-for-alls. He has
even managed to enlist Mayor Bloomberg. Sadly, the mayor has made
a very grievous error in prejudging the incident, coming down
against the NYPD unit involved.
I've known that Rev. Sharpton was a smart man ever since he
appeared on Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect" when
it actually was. I'm also aware he has hinted that he may run for
president in 2008, and so find understandable his toned down,
pseudo-respectable demeanor. What I cannot understand is how his
shameful past and blatantly demagogic behavior could have been
forgotten so easily by those now praising his reserve.
I truly believe in redemption healing the soul, but as far as I
know, Rev. Sharpton has never apologized for the crimes he's
committed against a civil society. He certainly has never
apologized to Steven Pagones, a young prosecutor he singled out
as the perpetrator of a crime that never happened -the rape,
abduction, and smearing with feces of 15-year old Tawana Brawley.
Although Mr. Pagones sued Rev. Sharpton and won $345,000 verdict
for defamation, he's still waiting for the reverend to admit his
role in this disgraceful affair.
One thing Rev. Sharpton is doing right, for whatever reason, is
calling for answers to the events that occurred in Queens last
week. While I do not believe Commissioner Raymond Kelly should be
removed because of what may have been excessive action by the
police squad, I do think he needs to admit that not all the cops
in the NYPD are superheroes. Some of them are complete bozos.
I'm not sure whether it was the ACLU or NOW that was responsible
for lowering the NYPD's hiring standards, but whenever I see a
certain female police officer at the ferry terminal who is
shorter and rounder than I am, I can't help but think -
"Hey, even I could take her gun." One of the recruits
coming out of the Police Academy prompted a homeless vagrant to
shout: "Did you see that itty-bitty thing? She's off to see
the wizard."
The reality is that some cops do not always identify themselves
as such. My son was stopped in St. George on his way home by men
in plainclothes in an unmarked vehicle who demanded to know where
he was going. My son asked: "Who are you? Why should I tell
you?" A cop then jumped out of the car with his hand on his
gun and came up behind him. It was only after my son told him he
lived in the building that the police officer reached inside his
shirt and pull out his ID badge.
It's time to stop pretending we have elite police units. Elite
policemen don't make headlines. They know when to use their guns
and they know how to hit a target without emptying their firearm.
A shakeup is definitely needed, but what a shame it takes someone
like Al Sharpton to make that point.