Tomorrow, on what would have been his 51st birthday, as many as 10,000 Michael Jackson fans are expected to swarm Prospect Park in celebration of the pop star’s troubled life. After Borough President Marty Markowitz declares it Michael Jackson Day, Rev. Al Sharpton will lead a prayer and Councilmember Letitia James will continue petitioning the MTA to memorialize the King of Pop. |NYT|
Gun-Loving Rapper Hosting Anti-Gun Rally
Grammy award winning gun collector T.I. will hold an anti-gun and violence rally in Harlem on Monday. Last year, the rapper was convicted on various felony weapon charges after his bodyguard implicated him in a poorly planned attempt to buy illegal machine guns and silencers. Facing up to 10 years in prison, T.I. copped a deal for 1000 hours of community service and just one year behind bars, a cushy sentence that many, including 50 Cent, speculate he earned by snitching. Read more »
Rev. Al Sharpton refuses to go out like all those other cooperating Sean Bell protesters and will not accept a deal from the Manhattan DA: “His legal team was not willing to accept the district attorney’s offer for Mr. Sharpton to avoid jail time or fines by pleading guilty. (Disorderly conduct is a violation, not a crime, and would not result in a criminal record.) So the case was put off to July 28 while Mr. Sharpton’s lawyers try to negotiate a better deal.” |NYT|
Al Sharpton On Scott McCllelan Book: Impeach George Bush!
While attending the Critical Mass rally this past Friday, a very familiar face made his way through the fidgety crowd: Reverend Al Sharpton. He was there to discuss police brutality, continuing his campaign to publicize the Sean Bell case among throngs of disinterested cyclists who were clearly more concerned with riding their bikes than hearing speeches. But before he made his way to the podium, I was able to get Sharpton’s attention just long enough to get a comment about former White House press puppet, Scott McClellan’s new ‘Bush is a forgetful cokehead‘ book. The off camera lead question was about his first impression it, to which he quickly responded “It’s about seven years too late.” I then followed up with some awkwardly worded questions about whether McClellan is a coward, should Bush be impeached and who has the “balls “guts” to make that happen, prompting Sharpton to joke about the tongue twisted wording. At a little over 20 seconds long, it quite possibly could be one of the shortest piece of amateur citizen journalism ever documented.
Since the NYPD is basically given carte blanche every time they kill unarmed black people, the Rev. Al Sharpton is lobbying for the Federal government to withhold monies until the boys in blue can prove there not a modern age version of the KKK, “You gotta hit them in the pocket and let them know we mean business,” Sharpton said during a community forum in lower Manhattan. “Cut the money off, and they’ll take you seriously.” |NYDN|
Although the surging popularity of track bikes has often been compared to skateboarding, looks like the two share even more in common. |Trackosaurusrex|
Al Sharpton and crew were arrested for blocking traffic after thoroughly closing the 59th Street Bridge during planned civil disobedience rallies. |Gothamist|
Hovie talks Vietnam and war footage, explains his choice of imagery for concerts. |Radar|
Dealbreaker unveils the appropriate ad for Citibank’s “Citi Never Sleeps” tagline. |Dealbreaker|
Help put an end to squirrel murder in Astoria. |QueensCrap|
On his radio show this afternoon, Al Sharpton described the wholesale acquittal of the three Sean Bell slay cops as an “abortion of justuce,” noting how a “miscarriage” is involuntary. The reverend claims this bad verdict was deliberate. He went on to promise that his supporters will shut the city down—by non-violent means of course. He’s asking people to sign up for his “brigade.”
Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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