Sharpton Opts Out of Panel on Crown Heights Riots
Thursday, August 18, 2011 - 01:26 PM
Reverend Al Sharpton has decided not to speak on a panel to mark the 20th anniversary of the violent Crown Heights riots after critics — including the family of a Jewish man who died during the clash — fumed over his participation in the event this weekend.
Sharpton was scheduled to join City Councilwoman Letitia James, Rabbi Robert Kaplan and Rabbi Marc Schneier on a panel titled "The State of Black-Jewish Relations: Twenty Years After Crown Heights" at The Hampton Synagogue on Sunday.
In a letter to panel organizer Rabbi Schneier on Thursday, Sharpton said local detractors "want to engage in the business of division and distortion" rather than have a dialogue, and out of respect to Norman Rosenbaum and due to this distortion, he decided to opt out of the discussion.
The riots between blacks and Jews were sparked when a 7-year-old boy was killed by a car driven in a motorcade for a Hasidic leader in August 1991. Yankel Rosenbuam was a 29-year old Australian student who was stabbed to death during the melee that followed.
Sharpton’s role in the riots has been controversial.
In his letter, Sharpton pointed to a state study on the riot that said he had no role in the violence. Norman Rosenbaum and others believe Sharpton did help fan the flames during those three days in 1991.
Comments [7]
Al Sharpton is a miserable bigot. I wish this type of reverse-racism were not so common. As a former schoolteacher, I have had multitudes of such experiences often from LAUSD principals. Unfair discrimination,disrespect, favoritism fowards minority-race t eachers is epidemic in Los Angeles. Although I have African American friends, this type of reverse-racism is tolerated and promoted by many institutions. It is time that citizens speak up when they are subject to this ugly behavior.
Al Sharpton has promoted and encouraged African American racists to feel entitled to unleash their frustrations onto innocent undeserving Caucasians. Jews are the easiest target.. I have seen Black Muslims taunting and defaming Jews in African-American neighborhoods.
B'SD
JDO
Al Sharpton Black Nazi both durng the Crown Hts Pogrom and the Freddys Massacrre whiped up violenyt mobs of Jew-Haters to riot and kill !Theb JDO was there to prortect and defend Jews physically from huge numbers of Jew-hating rioters he bused in .
More go to www.jewishdefense.org
James,
You are exactly right. This was a pogrom by the blacks against the Jews in Crown Heights and Sharpton instigated this pogrom with his lies and self promotion. I had an office in downtown Brooklyn at that time and came in contact with Sharpton on many occasions. He has not changed his views, only his attitude. The liberal papers, especially the Times, put their own spin on the story. Please read the excellent piece in the Jewish Week by Ari Goldman for a first-hand account.
Sharpton has evolved into a much better leader and person than he was in the '80s. It would be good if he attended the event and said so, but that is a lot to expect from a public figure.
His guy has gotten someone killed with his bigotry. We need to push him off of MSNBC by boycotting all the shows sponsors, just like they did to Glenn Beck.
This is the same extreme rabble rousing Al Sharpton who now pontificates on his own MSNBC television "news" program. Mainstreaming this disagreeable bigot is a disgrace.
They weren't riots "between blacks and Jews"
Read this:
http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/telling_it_it_wasnt
It was a pogrom.
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