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Tag: al sharpton

  • Al Sharpton Organizing March On Washington

    Al Sharpton has had a lot to say about some of the recent high profile cases involving white and black people. After the Ferguson decision and the recent decision by a Staten Island grand jury to not bring charges against Daniel Pantaleo, a police officer accused of choking a black man, Sharpton is more upset than ever.

    He claims that the country is dealing with a national crisis and is hoping to make people more aware of the situation by organizing a march on Washington.

    “We are dealing with a national crisis,” Sharpton said. “No amount of secret grand juries with local prosecutors that put up evidence that we do not know is going to stop people from raising the questions and demanding the answers.”

    Sharpton offered his support to both of the victims’ families during the trials and afterward and claims to be acting on their behalf and on the behalf of all African Americans.

    “A week from this Saturday, Dec. 13, we are having a national march in Washington, DC where we are calling for the Justice Department to take this case and the case in Ferguson and the case in Cleveland,” he said. “It is time for a national march to deal with a national crisis.”

    While many people are thankful to have him speak and act for them, others have accused Sharpton of instigating the riots and violence associated with these two cases and for causing more harm than good.

    Sharpton has been quick to show his disappointment for the recent verdicts and has urged both of the victim’s family to continue to seek justice. While he is planning for the march to be a peaceful one, there are so many mixed views and opinions as well as emotions involved with these cases, that it seems like a peaceful march will not be likely.

    Do you think Al Sharpton causes trouble or is really helping these situations?

  • Al Sharpton Talks 176-Pound Weight Loss

    Al Sharpton Talks 176-Pound Weight Loss

    Al Sharpton has lost 176 pounds in the past four-and-a-half years–and he didn’t have surgery as part of his weight loss plan.

    “I actually lost more weight than I am!” the civil rights leader told People magazine recently.

    The 60-year-old pastor lost 30 pounds back in 2001 as part of a hunger strike. He put that–and even more–back on during his bid for the presidency. It wound up being his daughter Ashley who convinced him to take off some serious weight.

    “Around 2006, my youngest daughter Ashley poked me in the stomach and said, ‘Dad, why are you so fat?’ That kind of hurt my feelings. I grew up in civil rights and politics, so I’m pretty thick-skinned, but when your daughter says it, I started being conscious,” Al Sharpton explained.

    He started his weight loss regimen by avoiding red meats and starches. As he progressed, he became even stricter about what he ate.

    “It’s always the same salad: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, two or three [hard-boiled] eggs cut in and balsamic vinaigrette dressing,” Sharpton says of his only real meal of the day. “My doctor said to me, ‘You’ve got to have some carbs and you need protein,’ so he put me on whole wheat toast.”

    Now Al Sharpton incorporates three slices of whole wheat toast into his breakfast and sometimes one at night as well. On weekends he adds a piece of fish in his attempt to adhere to his doctor’s wish for more protein in his diet.

    “I think the first week, maybe week and a half, I would get hungry every now and then. But the key to it is determination,” he says. He even admits to not missing much of anything he gave up eating.

    “I was a fried chicken junkie,” he said. “I used to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but after about three or four weeks, I didn’t have a longing for that either.”

    Al Sharpton realized that when he added exercise to his diet, even more weight fell off. These days he walks on the treadmill, but only for 20 to 30 minutes per day, five days a week.

    “I’m not trying to run the marathon, just tone up. [I work out] just to keep my blood flowing and to stay active. I didn’t want to be flabby since I lost a lot of weight,” he says. “The best part is the energy and the focus. I feel like I’m totally in charge of myself. And I’ve been able to get a very nice new wardrobe! I can wear a lot of stuff that I couldn’t wear before.”

    For that reason alone, Al Sharpton believes that Saturday Night Live needs to find someone other than Kenan Thompson to play him on the late night comedy show skits.

    “Kenan [Thompson] needs to lose weight, or they need to get somebody in shape to do me,” Sharpton says. “I might break into the studio one night and do Kenan because Kenan is too fat to do Al Sharpton. Kenan is doing an outdated Al Sharpton!”

    SNL? What can you and Kenan Thompson say about that?

    Kudos to Al Sharpton on his 176-pound weight loss. He certainly sets a fine example for many Americans who need to shed a few pounds themselves.

  • Al Sharpton Reveals Secret To His Dramatic Weight Loss: No Dinner

    Reverend and civil rights activist Al Sharpton recently weighed in at 129.6 pounds, which is less than half of his previous weight of 305 pounds and only one pound away from being classified as underweight. Sharpton revealed that the secret to his dramatic weight loss over the years was that he stopped eating so much and started exercising more.

    However, it’s more the former than the latter, looking at his daily intake. Sharpton reportedly consumes just about 1,000 calories a day, spends about 20 minutes on the treadmill each day, and doesn’t eat after 6 PM.

    “I could take all the cartoons in the tabloid newspapers, but I couldn’t take my daughter punching me in the belly and asking why I was so fat. That was my inspiration to lose the weight. And probably the last time anyone hurt my feelings,” said Sharpton.

    Six years ago, Sharpton was eating fried chicken three times a day, but now he’s down to just a little more than one salad a day. “I was absolutely content just doing the salad. As a kid who grew up chubby, I just marveled at the fact that I could be thin,” Sharpton said.

    Sharpton also dished on his daily menu, which is composed of three pieces of wheat toast and a Doctor Earth green juice from Juice Press for breakfast; a salad of lettuce, tomato, onion, a chopped hard-boiled egg, and balsamic vinaigrette for lunch; and another green juice for dinner.

    David Seres of the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center said that Sharpton’s current weight is better than his previous of over 300 pounds, but it might make him vulnerable to sickness. “His intake would make a nutrition expert nervous,” said Seres.

    Sharpton, however, isn’t bothered by his simple diet. “I’m conditioned now so that I never get hungry,” he said.

  • Al Sharpton Friend Accused of Assault After Party

    Al Sharpton’s friend–an as-yet unnamed woman–was allegedly raped in the hours following a celebration for Sharpton’s 60th birthday. Another of Sharpton’s friends–Attorney Sanford Rubenstein–is presently under investigation by the New York Police Department with regard to the rape.

    The New York Post reports that Rubestein allegedly attacked the woman in his East Side penthouse after both of them attended Al Sharpton’s birthday party.

    A source from the NYPD tells the publication that the woman–the alleged victim–is a Manhattan executive in her forties. She reportedly resides in Brooklyn.

    Al Sharpton’s birthday party included distinguished guests like New York’s Governor Cuomo, as well as celebrities like Spike Lee and Aretha Franklin. The alleged victim is said to have attended the party with another woman. At some point after the party for the acclaimed civil rights leader, both women reportedly accompanied Sanford Rubenstein to his home, where they had drinks. The second woman left at some point during the evening.

    “The next thing she knows, it’s Thursday morning, and she wakes up naked in his bed,” a NYPD source told the New York Post of the alleged victim. The source went on to explain that the
    alleged victim was bleeding from the sexual contact during the incident. When the bleeding continued into Friday she sought medical attention at Methodist Hospital. Hospital officials determined she had been sexually assaulted. They were the ones who called authorities. The woman has little to no recollection about what happened at Rubenstein’s home.

    Al Sharpton and Sanford Rubenstein have known one another for years. Rubenstein hosted a party for Sharpton back in 2001 following his hunger strike in prison.

    “I know him, I know her,” Al Sharpton said Saturday night regarding this investigation that now has him in the middle between two friends.

    “But how can I know what happened at somebody’s residence ­after my party?” he asked.

    Sanford Rubenstein has yet to be charged with anything regarding this case.

    This is no doubt extremely perplexing to Al Sharpton, who not only wouldn’t want to think of a friend being sexually assaulted, but certainly wouldn’t want to imagine another of his friends having been the one to commit such a heinous act.

    It will be interesting to learn what the New York Police Department determines in the coming hours and days with regard to their investigation.

  • Al Sharpton Calls Out Cop Who Brutalized Teen

    The Rev. Al Sharpton took great offense to an NYPD police sergeant who allegedly threw a hand-cuffed, 14-year-old boy through a plate-glass window.

    “Two wrongs don’t make a right,” Sharpton said at the National Action Network’s headquarters in Harlem. “We cannot have a city where policemen come and shove handcuffed children through windowpanes.”

    Javier Payne, the alleged victim, sat in a wheelchair beside Sharpton during the press conference with a white bandage across his forehead.

    During the press conference, the teen lifted his T-shirt to reveal a gash in his left side — a gash that required 50 staples to close.

    “This is unbelievable,” Sharpton said. “This is because he talked smart to a cop.”

    Javier, who weighs 98 pounds, and a 13-year-old friend were arrested May 17 in the Belmont section of the Bronx after allegedly assaulting a 39-year-old man they had asked for a cigarette.

    After being handcuffed, Javier apparently began mouthing off to 48th Precinct’s Sgt. Eliezer Pabon, sources said.

    “I don’t care what he said. A police trained does not shove a handcuffed child. If you are so agitated that you can shove a handcuffed child out of anger, you ought not be on the police department,” Sharpton said.

    A surveillance video captured Pabon — who was stripped of his badge and gun Friday — shoving Javier from behind through the window of the Hookah Spot on Arthur Ave.

    Although Edward Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, said he has yet to see the video, he denies Pabon shoved or pushed the boy into the window. He also said the window was already damaged before it shattered.

    “There was a hole with a spider web of cracks around the hole,” Mullins told The Daily News. “It wasn’t structurally sound. The sergeant is going to fully defended and the truth will come out.”

    Sharpton said the brutal attack was inexcusable and said the family wasn’t making excuses for Javier’s alleged behavior.

    “If he and his friend had done anything that was out of order they should be dealt with and litigated by law — not brutalized based on anger and lack of training,” said his sister, Christina Payne.

    The eighth-grader underwent emergency surgery at Jacobi Medical Center and was in intensive care for four days.

    “This is a difficult time,” said Christina. “I’m very upset and I just want justice for my brother, for these cops to be brought to justice.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Al Sharpton: Remove Sterling or ‘We March’

    Al Sharpton: Remove Sterling or ‘We March’

    Reverend Al Sharpton is threatening to protest the NBA if L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling is not dealt with immediately for his racist comments.

    “No one should be allowed to own a team if they have in fact engaged in this kind of racial language,” said the civil rights activist to TMZ Sports.

    Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, is calling for the league to make an investigation into Sterling immediately and said, “We are prepared at National Action Network to rally in front of the NBA headquarters if this matter is not immediately dealt with.”

    Sterling is under heavy fire after berating his girlfriend for hanging out with black people in public and telling her not to bring black people to his games after she posted a photo of herself with Magic Johnson on her Instagram. The comments came in a recording taped by his girlfriend.

    “I’m totally outraged that they are stalling on this,” Sharpton said in a telephone interview to Bloomberg. “It does not take an investigation. Either he is the man on the tape or not. And he has not said unequivocally that he is not.”

    NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that everyone should be allowed due process.

    “All members of the NBA family should be afforded due process and a fair opportunity to present their side of any controversy. The core of the investigation is understanding whether the tape is authentic, interviewing Mr. Sterling and interviewing the woman as well and understanding the context in which it was recorded,” said Silver in the statement.

    An outpouring of disgust over Sterling’s comments is rampant on social media.

    Image via YouTube

  • Al Sharpton To NBA: Investigate Donald Sterling Now

    Reverend Al Sharpton weighed in on the National Basketball Association’s Donald Sterling controversy yesterday, telling TMZ Sports that “No one should be allowed to own a team if they have in fact engaged in this kind of racial language.”

    TMZ broke the story with a alleged recording of Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, admonishing his girlfriend for hanging out with black people in public and telling her not to bring black people to his games.

    “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people,” he allegedly said. “Do you have to?” He added, “Don’t put [Magic Johnson] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don’t bring him to my games.”

    Reaction has been widespread, with criticism coming from NBA legends such as Magic Johnson to even President Barack Obama. The Clippers team themselves even held a silent protest before their next game, dumping their warm-up apparel at center court.

    Adam Silver, NBA commissioner, said an investigation has been launched into whether it was truly Donald Sterling was responsible for the remarks in the recording.

    “The audio recording posted by TMZ is truly offensive and disturbing, and we intend to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible,” Silver said.

    In a statement, Andy Roeser, president of the LA Clippers, said: “We do not know if it is legitimate or it has been altered. Mr. Sterling is emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings. It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life. He feels terrible that such sentiments are being attributed to him and apologizes to anyone who might have been hurt by them.”

    Sharpton is calling for the NBA to make its investigation into Sterling its number one priority, adding, “We are prepared at National Action Network to rally in front of the NBA headquarters if this matter is not immediately dealt with.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Obama Slams Republicans Over Voter’s Rights

    Shame on you Republican Party.

    That’s what President Obama told the attendees of Al Sharpton’s National Action Network conference earlier this week, and he said many on the Right are trying to stop people from voting, and they’re turning America’s clock backwards.

    “The right to vote is threatened today in a way that it has not been since the Voting Rights Act became law nearly five decades ago,” said the President. “This recent effort to restrict the vote has not been led by both parties, it’s been led by the Republican Party.”

    In addition, the President said the strategy of getting people not to vote, so they can increase the chances of Republican candidates winning, isn’t the best game plan, and it shows just how desperate and worried some are about Democrats perpetually winning elections.

    He said it’s a strategy of weakness, not strength, and keeping people from voting is truly hurting the country.

    “If your strategy depends on having fewer people showing up to vote, that’s not a sign of strength,” said the President. “That’s a sign of weakness. And not only is ultimately bad politics, ultimately it is bad for the country.”

    Some on the Right have accused people of committing voter’s fraud by either not being legal American citizens, not having the proper identification to vote, or voting more than once, and some have claimed that’s it’s difficult for some–especially low income folks–to secure proper ID due to the associated costs.

    And those costs are too much for more than half of U.S. citizens, said President Obama.

    “About 60% of Americans don’t have a passport,” he noted. “Just because you don’t have the money to travel abroad doesn’t mean you shouldn’t vote at home.”

    President Obama even spoke about his own legal documents and said nobody should question his citizenship, but if they do, they can always go online.

    “Just to be clear I know where my birth certificate is,” he said playfully. “I think it’s still up on a website somewhere. Do you remember that?”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Al Sharpton Speaks Out On “The System”

    Horrendous killings. Trayvon Martin. Chris Lane. Everyone’s been talking about them. Reverend Al Sharpton has been vocal about his concern that an individual’s race is of paramount importance when determining fairness within the U.S. judicial system. He went to great lengths to ensure that Trayvon Martin’s mother received adequate attention to justifiably voice outrage regarding the conditions surrounding the death of her son, as viewed from the following video.

    In the aftermath of the ruthless killing of Australian baseball player, Christopher Lane, where the perpetrators were enticed into such activity solely in the name of “fun” several news sources have questioned Al Sharpton’s behaviors in not outright shaming those responsible for pulling the trigger. Al Sharpton has been under significant pressure from other news sources such as Fox and CNN as shown below.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UsBBVghZwM

    Al Sharpton has been criticized by other news programs not for what he has done, but primarily for what he has not done. Mr. Sharpton has not vocally chastised the three boys, all younger than 18, involved in the shooting of a man randomly jogging in their vicinity for no purpose beyond sport. In response to these concerns, Reverend Sharpton shared his reasoning.

    “I protest when I’m called in and when there’s an injustice. The three were arrested, there was nothing to protest. The system worked there, and racial? Not only did the police not say it was racial, one of the three were white,” Al Sharpton said.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtYfRIfzbFs

    Al Sharpton has not spoken out against the age of the boys involved in the crime with one of the perpetrators being 16 while another is just 15. Nor does it appear that other news sources are questioning why he is not. Has the gender of the individuals been scrutinized? The type of music enjoyed? Does any of this really matter? Why isn’t the commentary focused around what has driven a society to enable individuals not legally old enough to drive a car feel entitled to claim an unknown human life?

  • Al Sharpton To Speak At Trayvon Martin Rally After Resignation Of Police Chief

    The Reverend Al Sharpton is set to attend a rally tonight for Trayvon Martin despite his mother’s sudden death this morning. Sharpton says she would have wanted him to support Martin’s family, who will also attend tonight at Fort Mellon Park in Sanford.

    Sanford police chief Bill Lee Jr. announced today that he will be temporarily stepping down from his post due to the negative attention brought on the department by the shooting of the teenager in February.

    “My role as the leader of this agency has become a distraction from the investigation,” said Lee. “It is apparent that my involvement in this matter is overshadowing the process.”

    The crowd gathered at the press conference where Lee made the announcement reportedly began chanting, “The chief is gone! Zimmerman is next!”

    George Zimmerman, the man who admitted to shooting 17-year old Martin in “self defense“, has not been arrested yet despite public outcry because an investigation is still pending–and has the FBI involved.

    “He took a life,” Trayvon’s father, Tracy Martin, said. “He took my son’s life and he needs to punished in a court of law for what he did.”

    The rally, which is being called the “Million Hoodie March” due to attendees’ plans to wear a hoodie in support of Trayvon–who was wearing one on the night he was shot–is expected to start tonight at 7 p.m.

    (image)@Anti_Intellect
    Educator    Sanford is only a couple miles away from my place. I’m definitely going to be at that rally for Trayvon Martin.(image) 5 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@from_out_east
    Mr.Hill    On my way to sanford for this trayvon martin rally(image) 1 minute ago via TweetCaster for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@abynorml
    Joanne Robrahn    Voter Registration Training cancelled–going to Trayvon Martin Rally in Sanford.(image) 4 minutes ago via Facebook ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto