Al Sharpton

The first African-American judge elected to the Brooklyn Surrogate Court—Diana Johnson—was the subject of graffiti found spray painted inside the Brooklyn Courthouse this morning, confirmed a spokesman for Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

The graffiti, found inside an elevator in the courthouse, referenced Johnson and the n-word, according to two readers.

Al Sharpton, Johnson, Markowitz, and others are planning to hold press conference at Borough Hall in Brooklyn at 2 p.m.  read more »

Michael Bloomberg interrupted his own speech at the Harlem headquarters of Al Sharpton's National Action Network, turned to Sharpton and said, "Don't you interview candidates for higher office [here]?"

"Pick a number," replied Sharpton.

Bloomberg responded by telling Sharpton he is not a candidate for higher office.

Eliot Spitzer said he would put "more money into education than any governor or lieutenant governor [in New York's history]” during his speech at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Public Policy Forum at the Harlem headquarters of Al Sharpton’s National Action Network today.

The statement was a preemptive response to critics of his anticipated budget plan, which will not give as much money to education as the governor had previously pledged.  read more »

Barack Obama kept the truce with Hillary Clinton intact when he called into Al Sharpton’s radio show just now. In fact, during the approximately six minute interview the Illinois senator spoke about economic issues and didn’t mention Clinton.

In introducing Obama, Sharpton—who hasn’t endorsed a candidate yet—said, “I have developed a very good working relationship with him. He and I do things differently, we play different roles. We’ve gained a respect for each other during this process, I certainly respect what he’s trying to do.”

Obama reiterated his position that most millionaires pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries, and said he wants to “restore that sense of balance that’s been missing from our economic policies. And it’s going to get worse right now. As you know, we got a recession. And when America gets a cold, black America gets pneumonia.”  read more »

“It’s going to be ethnic politics as usual,” said Al Sharpton during a commercial break from his radio show on Tuesday afternoon, a few minutes before Bill Clinton called in to defend his wife’s campaign, once again, against allegations of racial insensitivity. “The beyond-racial candidates are having the biggest racial attack I’ve seen in a long time.”

“All of a sudden,” Mr. Sharpton added, “we are back in The Bonfire of the Vanities, with a new cast and the same old script.”  read more »

Bill Clinton just called into Al Sharpton’s radio show to explain what he meant when he referred to Barack Obama’s campaign as a fairytale.

“First of all, that’s not true,” Clinton said. “It’s not a fairytale. He might win. I think he’s a very impressive man and he’s run a great campaign. I was addressing a specific argument [Obama made] that had never been brought up in the debate.”  read more »

Tonight, I'm going on New York 1 News' reporters roundtable for, among other things, a look back at the major news stories of 2007.

I discussed this with a few readers at a bar not long ago, and there was some debate as to which was a bigger story: the ongoing problem of Alan Hevesi's financial indiscretion or Eliot Spitzer's eventful first year in Albany.

But there are other possibilities: Michael Bloomberg leaving the Republican Party, inciting speculation about a presidential campaign; Tom Suozzi's affection; Spitzer's quest for humility; Andrew Cuomo's investigations; Al Sharpton's continued relevance; a New York Post reporter quitting her job to cover the war in Iraq.

Personally, I'm still awed by Mathieu Eugene winning three elections in a single year.

So, what were the biggest, most memorable, must-remember stories of 2007?

Your nominees?

A snarky report in on Page Six of Wednesday's New York Post claimed that CNN publicists were scrambling this week to convince B-list guests to attend the network's first ever "Hero's Tribute," which took place last night at the Museum of Natural History, after first choices like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt did not confirm attendance.

Still: The show—hosted by Anderson Cooper and Christiane Amanpour, and designed to honor some 18 "ordinary people" who, the network says, have helped change our world for the better—must go on! Tyra Banks was on the red carpet, in a Pamela Roland gown and vintage jewelry. "I didn't want to be too trendy," she said. "Anderson's here! I thought I had to look White House-ey!"  read more »

In case you didn’t know, it’s the “Day Out Against Hate,” a string of events Christine Quinn organized to raise ideas for combating the reported 20 percent rise in hate crimes.

The Speaker was joined in Brooklyn this morning by a number of people, inlcuding Al Sharpton and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who made the most far-reaching proposal. Markowitz suggested, rather strongly, that city public school students be required to make field trips to institutions like the L.G.B.T. center in lower Manhattan.

More after the jump.  read more »

Al Sharpton’s lawyer Sanford Rubenstein is saying that the FBI thinks that "a dangerous substance" may have been sent to Sharpton's New York headquarters.

Here's a statement he just sent out:  read more »

On Saturday, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly spoke at a weekly meeting of Al Sharpton’s National Action Network on 145th Street in Harlem. For Kelly, who is rumored to be considering a mayoral run, it was a polite enough reception from an audience not always warmly disposed towards the police.

In this clip, Kelly defends the police from the notion that they stop and question a disproportionate number of African-Americans (about 55 percent). He says it is not proportionate when compared to the city's black population, but is appropriate for the number of suspects that witnesses and victims of crime describe as African-American.

There’s a new player in the ongoing fight between the Independence Party of New York City and their own state party organization: the National Action Network.

A lawyer for NAN, which is run by Al Sharpton, joined the city organization of the Independence Party, which is controlled by Lenora Fulani supporters, in Brooklyn state Supreme Court yesterday. They were arguing against the the state party's efforts to take control of the nominating process within New York City.

 

“I’m here and NAN is here because whenever the voting rights of minorities are threatened, we have to be on the front lines and do what’s right and what’s right in this situation is very clear,” NAN’s attorney, Michael Hardy, said in a public statement.

Hardy's presence is significant because it shows a willingness to side with Fulani, who is considering a run for mayor. With the support of NAN, and Sharpton, Fulani’s candidacy could get a lot harder to ignore.

I’m waiting to hear back from NAN for further comment.

The press release from Independence Party in New York City about the case is after the jump.  read more »

Al Sharpton is going Michael Bloomberg one better in a fight over garbage facility siting here at the OEM building in Brooklyn, where the mayor is urging state lawmakers to approve a citywide garbage plan that includes using a state park in Manhattan as one of the trash-processing locations.

"The mayor has said this is a city issue -- to me, it's also a civil rights issue," said Sharpton. "It seems to me ironic, if not pathetic," he continued, that some liberal lawmakers are opposing the plan.

Representative Charlie Rangel, who spoke immediately after Sharpton, added, "To get caught up in the politics of the day, the children really deserve better." Rangel also said somewhat pointedly that the "other side" -- lower Manhattan lawmakers including Assembly members Deborah Glick, Richard Gottfried and Linda Rosenthal -- isn't willing to share the real reason for their opposition publicly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Al Sharpton is taking over for Chris Matthews as host of Hardball on MSBC tonight, a spokesman for Sharpton just announced via email. The guests for tonight's show include Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe, and Democratic National Committee Chairman, Howard Dean. Since Dean's entire tenure at the DNC has been a not-so-subtle of repudiation of McAuliffe's chairmanship, there'll be ample opportunity for some super-insider vituperation. Good thing the Rev. Al's there to exercise his calming influence.

Sewell Chan goes into the history of congestion pricing.

Eliot Spitzer wants to ban flavored cigarettes.

More--and video of Rev. Jesse Jackson reading Rolling Stones lyrics at Al Sharpton's convention this afternoon--after the jump.  read more »

Hillary Clinton's speech at Al Sharpton's convention in midtown this afternoon was tamer than her previous appearance alongside the Reverend.

But she did manage to get a rise out of the audience on a couple of occasions.

On the need for a new energy policy, Hillary said that there were "diseases moving north; the desert spreading, more intense storms; we need to face up to the fact that we're stewards of God's creation and we have an obligation to make sure we don't pass on this wonderful world that we did nothing to create in worse shape than when we found it. That is a call to action for people of faith and people everywhere."

She also talked about ethics.

"We have to reform our government," she said. "The abuses that have gone on in the last six years -- I don't think we know the half of it yet. You know, when I walk into the Oval Office in January of 2009, I'm afraid I'm going to lift up the rug and I'm going to see so much stuff under there."

Big applause.

"You know, what is it about us always having to clean up after people?" she asked. "But this is not just going to be picking up socks off the floor. This is going to be cleaning up the government."

Here's Al Sharpton moments ago at the Sheraton in midtown Manhattan, as he, and the audience, wait expectantly for Hillary Clinton to make her appearance at his National Action Network conference.

The last time Hillary attended a Sharpton-organized event -- a Martin Luther King Day church service -- she said that Congress was run like a "plantation."

7:30 a.m. Al Sharpton's National Action Network convention beings at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, 811 Seventh Avenue.

10 a.m. Disabled Brooklyn College students will speak out against campus discrimination at Brooklyn College, 2900 Bedford Avenue, in Brooklyn.

10 a.m. Literacy advocates will rally for increased city funding for adult literacy classes at the Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South.

Al Sharpton has some news for the Democratic White House candidates coming to his April 18-21 forum: he may criticize you, but that doesn't mean he won't endorse you.

Above, from an interview over the weekend, he explains to me how his 2008 endorsement decision is really all about his constituency, not him.

-- Azi Paybarah

Will Spitzer Stiff New York?    read more »

Will Spitzer Stiff New York?    read more »

Their ads are down but the arguments between Eliot Spitzer and critics of his plan to reduce health care spending continue.

Within minutes of each other, two emails hit my inbox.

From Eliot Spitzer:

"By offering reforms on how we manage the care of high-need individuals, such as the elderly, the disabled and those with multiple medical conditions, we can better manage the care of these individuals while saving the state millions of dollars in the future."

From Al Sharpton:

"Gov. Spitzer says he's for putting patients first. It's difficult to see how cutting more than $1 billion from our hospitals and nursing homes while the state enjoys a $1 billion-plus surplus would achieve that goal."

-- Azi Paybarah

Eliot Spitzer's claims about the reasons for high Medicaid costs are called into doubt. A poll conducted by a group opposing Spitzer's health care plan say the governor's popularity has dropped 21 percent.

Bills to restore Spitzer's proposed reductions in Medicaid spending were introduced in the state legislature.

On health care, Republicans are attacking Spitzer from the left.

Senator Charles Schumer wants US Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to quit.

Rev. Al Sharpton is not on board with Barack Obama.

Spitzer, Schumer and Mayor Bloomberg will meet today to discuss the Javits Center expansion.

Millions a year are spent on education officials who Schools Chancellor Joel Klein can't fire, but wants to.

The number of restaurants closed by health inspectors since rats were seen running around a Village restaurant has tripled.

There is a bill in the Assembly to boost salaries for legislators and judges automatically every four years.

And Tom Suozzi is trying to recruit the Nassau Conservative Party Chairman to run for office.

-- Azi Paybarah

So, Al Sharpton endorsed 1199 in their fight against Eliot Spitzer's health care spending plan.

Does that have anything to do with the fact that both Sharpton and 1199 are clients of the same media consulting company, KnickerbockerSKD?

When I asked the company's president for strategic communications and public relations, Stefan Friedman, about this, he first joked, "It's all me."

Then, slightly more serious, he added, "One has nothing to do with the other. In fact, we all chuckled that I would have remotely that much power."

-- Azi Paybarah

Here's a mailing you may have read about from 1199/NYGHA featuring Al Sharpton, who is gently taking a whack at Eliot Spitzer's health care spending cuts.

It's worth noting that Sharpton and the groups opposing Spitzer's plan share a consultant: KnickerbockerSKD.

There's more on Sharpton's ads here and here.

-- Azi Paybarah

Congressman Charlie Rangel says that he encouraged Barack Obama to run and thinks he “can beco  read more »

I went to Al Sharpton's radio studio yesterday to watch him chat with Joe Biden, who phoned in to assauge Sharpton by expressing regret over his remark's describing Barack Obama as "clean" in yesterday's Observer.

Sharpton welcomed Biden to the program and then praised him for not trying to backtrack or wiggle out of his remarks.

"You have stood straight up on this," said Sharpton.

Sharpton, aformer presidential candidate, nonetheless took issue with the notion that Barack Obama was the first "articulate" and "clean" mainstream African American candidate for president. He asked Biden if that's what he said.

"Al, that's exactly what I said," said before quickly adding that the intention of his comment was to compliment Obama as someone new and fresh and exciting in American politics. He also offered the first of many compliments and peace makers to Sharpton.

"You're one of the most articulate people in the country," he said.

Sharpton said the problem he had with the describing Obama as clean was that it insinuated that since Obama is "Harvard trained" he somehow different from the other black candidates who have come before him, and, as a result, is "less connected to the African American community."

Biden said he understood that concern among black leaders like Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

"I get it and that's what I regret," Biden said, stressing that he himself came of political age during the civil rights movement, to which he feels closely connected.

"That's where I come from," Biden said.

Sharpton then turned uncharacteristically optimistic, and said that he hoped all the focus on Biden would give the Senator the chance to raise the level of public attention on issues important to the black community. Biden in turn talked about the government's failure in Katrina and Iraq.

After a commercial break, during which Sharpton answered his phone, watched some television and checked the Internet, Biden began a full scale schmooze offensive.

Speaking about social justice issues, Biden said, "Al, you have been the one driving this, you have been the one driving this since the last campaign." He pointed out that as a Senator, he had a 100 percent voting record with the NAACP and a "very high" record with civil rights groups. He emphasized that he wasn't in anyway criticizing Sharpton, Jackson or Shirley Chisholm and reiterated his explanation that his use of the word "clean" to describe Obama in this case could be substituted with "fresh."

"I have overwhelming respect for you and what you did," said Biden.

With that, there was a hiss of dead air, and it seemed that Biden's line had dropped.

Sharpton asked if he was still there. Biden said he was.

"I thought you were drowning in giving me flattery," said Sharpton.

Biden ignored the quip and continued. He said he was "going to compete for every black vote," an assertion that literally raised Sharpton's eyebrows.

After the interview, Sharpton told reporters that "in some weird way" Biden might be bringing issues important to blacks to the fore and, though he though Biden's remark went "a step passed George Allen's calling an Indian Macaque" he didn't want to go after Biden, because it would seem suspicious if he, as a potential candidate, tried to knock an announced candidate out of the race.

--Jason Horowitz

Has anyone else noticed the weirdly compelling photography that's been showing up on the City Council's website lately? Images like the above, and like this one, were captured by William Alatriste, who started out as one of the guys who wrote proclamations for the City Council -- an under-appreciated art if ever there was one.

The picture of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson in mid-whisper was taken on Martin Luther King Day.

-- Azi Paybarah

Thumbing through a new "oral bigraphy" entitled Giuliani: Flawed or Flawless?, I came across this colorful quote from Al Sharpton about the former mayor's presidential bid:

"Rudy Giuliani is a power-hungry person. But I also think he knows that the honeymoon he's had with the media since 9/11 would be over if he ran and had to defend things that they don't now bring up. I think he's going to flirt with it; I think he's going to constantly keep himself in the papers because of his ego. But I don't think he'll ever pull the trigger because he knows that he will have to go back and explain everything - from Dorismond to Diallo to how his family separated - a lot of things he doesn't want to explain. It's better to live the reinvention than to have somebody move the veil and see that the wizard really isn't the wizard. So right now, he can lead all the media and the national pundits on the Yellow Brick Road. He'd better never let us get near the veil. I know what's back there; I've pierced it before."

Sharpton is hardly an objective judge, but it seems inarguable that the longer Giuliani goes forward as a serious candidate, the less effective his 9/11 credentials will be in winning him friendly treatment from the press outside of New York.

Arguing from the opposite point of view in the book is Giuliani's former adviser and biographer Fred Siegel, who says -- to sum up simplistically -- that Rudy has plenty of mayoral accomplishments that have nothing to do with fighting terrorism, but that a massive attack during the course of the presidential campaign wouldn't hurt his chances, either.

"The pre-9/11 accomplishments haven't gotten nearly enough attention because if you're going to look at how he'd govern as president, you have to look at how he governed as mayor. And so it's important to see how he operates - the kind of tight staff style he has, where he brings things together; he breaks down barriers. Giuliani is a student of government and I suspect that right now he's studying the federal government. Our vulnerabilities are considerable. If, as we're approaching the presidential campaign, you get something like today's [July 7, 2005] London bombing, that will give his campaign an enormous boost."

-- Azi Paybarah

Al Sharpton's spokeswoman just sent over this statement on today's announcement from Barack Obama:

"I am watching the race as it forms and though I certainly feel that Senator Obama, Senator Clinton, Senator Dodd, Senator Edwards and others each offer very unique and admirable attributes, many of us will judge the candidates based upon their policies, platforms, and track records, not based upon the media's obsession with distraction from the critical elements of their campaigns. My personal decision regarding 2008 will be determined only by the consideration of those in the race and what they stand for and aggressively crusade for."

-- Azi Paybarah

The Journal News reports that local anti-war activists are not happy with Hillary Clinton.

Write-ups of yesterdays MLK celebration at Al Sharpton's National Action Network are here, here and here.

Eliot Spitzer is making a mistake by not putting up a candidate in the race for state comptroller, says the editorial board of the New York Post.

Bill Hammond compares New York's health care spending to California's.

Friends of George Pataki could make millions from a real estate deal in Brooklyn.

Mike Bloomberg installed a clock in his bullpen to remind his staff how much time left they have to complete everything before he leaves office.

New York Republicans had a bad year, but they can always count on Staten Island.

Republican Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado will not seek re-election in 2008, which should make the Democratic National Convention in Denver that much more interesting.

The Pentagon is backing away from remarks made by a top official about boycotting law firms that defend detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

And a majority of women are living without a spouse.

-- Azi Paybarah

Charges of racism are flying over the State Liquor Authority's decision to suspend for two years the liquor license for the Chelsea building that houses Club Mumbai. It's racked up dozens of violations in the last four years for underage drinking, excessive noise and blocked exits, the New York Post reports.

But owner Brahm Prasad thinks the SLA's cracking down on the club mostly because of its African-American clientele:

"We got shut down because of racism, that's the bottom line," said Prasad, who said he's considering a civil suit against the city and has met with the Rev. Al Sharpton recently to discuss further action.

- Tom Acitelli

Andrew Cuomo is going to have some company when he pays his respects to the fiance of Sean Bell, the Queens man killed by police hours before his wedding.

Al Sharpton, Cuomo's one-time running mate Charlie King and attorney Sandford Rubenstein will also be at the 4:30 meeting in Queens with Cuomo, according to a statement from Sharpton's people.

"We requested the meeting to to talk about policing procedures and to ask Cuomo to review the Sean Bell case which is presently before a Queens grand jury," Sharpton said in the statement.

Cuomo's spokesman John Milgrim indicated that his boss is leaving the door open to launching his own investigation into the incident, but wouldn't say anything more specific about whether he'll actually do it. "Right now, we're waiting for the findings of the investigation," he said.

UPDATE: Through a spokesperson, Sharpton said, "If the case is not handled properly, we will ask Cuomo for a special prosecutor."

-- Azi Paybarah

It Takes a Pillage, Part I    read more »

It Takes a Pillage, Part I    read more »

It Takes a Pillage, Part I    read more »

It Takes a Pillage, Part I  read more »

At 10 a.m., the Assembly's Banking Department budget oversight hearing is held at 250 Broadway to evaluate programs run by the state's Banking Department.

The City Council's Aging; Mental Health Committee, and Housing and Buildings Committee will hold meetings in City Hall.

The City Council's Parks & Recreation Committee will meet at 250 Broadway.

At noon, Don King and Al Sharpton distribute holiday turkeys at the National Action Network office (106 West 145th St.) At 1 p.m, the City Council's Economic Development Committee will meet in the Committee Room.

A joint meeting of the Fire and Criminal Justice Services and Civil Rights Committees will be held in the Council chambers.

The City Council's Small Business Committee and Lower Manhattan Redevelopment will meet at 250 Broadway.

And at 4 p.m, Assemblyman Michael Benjamin has a Christmas Party at the William Hodson Senior Center in the Bronx. -- Azi Paybarah

Sharpton Continues His Self-Serving Charade    read more »

Sharpton Continues His Self-Serving Charade    read more »

Sharpton Continues His Self-Serving Charade  read more »

Sharpton Continues His Self-Serving Charade    read more »

Tomorrow, on the day Sean Bell's daughter turns four years old, Rev. Al Sharpton and others will silently march down Fifth Avenue to protest police misconduct in minority communities and press City Hall to implement changes they say were supposed to be in place after the killing of Amadou Diallo.

Sharpton said everything from the 50 shots fired at Sean Bell to a double parking ticket given to Rev. Calvin Butts weeks earlier are "indicative of a problem that is a pattern in this city" with the police department.

Butts referred to some officers as "ignorant savages" who are "culturally ignorant" and "racially insensitive."

Noting that the officers involved in the Sean Bell killing were black, Hispanic and white, Sharpton said, "If they were all black, we would be marching tomorrow."

-- Azi Paybarah

UPDATE: In response to the Butts comments, mayoral spokesman Stu Loeser said, "We don't dignifiy remarks like that with a response."

Rev. Al Sharpton posed briefly for a photo with Mayor Bloomberg in City Hall's blue room before holding his own press conference on the steps of City Hall.

Surrounded by supporters, Sharpton said, "The city must show moral outrage." He alleged that some of the undercover officers at the scene were drinking.

(Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said at least one officer had "two drinks, two beers in the bar," and that the officer in charge of the scene said all officers were "fit for duty.")

Sharpton said the black police union, 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, had taken a vote of no confidence in Kelly and that, overall, community relations with the police are in trouble.

"Imagine living in a city where you have to live in fear of cops and robbers," he said.

Sharpton and company then left to meet with the family, and he said he'll also meet with the Queens DA and speak publicly around 4:30.

Bloomberg, during his own press conference inside City Hall, said he was "deeply concerned," and that Kelly will be the Police Commissioner for the remainder of Bloomberg's term in office.

"There's nobody that should go out into the street and be worried about their safety," Bloomberg said.

NYPDConfidential has a comparison of this incident to the Amadou Diallo shooting.

-- Azi Paybarah

Here's the open letter the Rev. Al Sharpton just wrote to Joe Lieberman, who pointed to Sharpton's endorsement of Ned Lamont as evidence that Lamont was not a strong supporter of Israel.

"For you now to totally flip the script to hopefully incite some race based hysteria in a desperate attempt to save your political career is beneath the dignity of the man I thought I got to know in 2004."

And on Lieberman's record as a young activist registering blacks to vote in the South:

"Little did I know that you would adapt the political strategies of those southern bigots you marched against. Is it just to try and win an election, Joe? You and I often talked about the bible. I remind you then of the biblical verse, "What profits a man to gain the world, and loose his own soul?"

The full letter is after the jump.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

On June 8, a memo was sent to “Black Elected Officials, City, State, and Federal” from City Coun  read more »