>>FWIW, I don't like Sharpton and never have. But I'm really tired of this meme that it's racist when black leaders (however dubious the quality of their leadership) advocate on behalf on the black community.
>>
>>
>
>Well, the issue isn't that he's advocating on behalf of the black community. I have no problem with anyone taking up advocacy of any community.
>
>The issue is that he pumps up the vitriol only when the issue is white on black (or even perceived to be white on black).
>
>His defenders claim he learned his lessons years ago from the Tawana Brawley case. I challenge that. He made false accusations in the Duke Lacrosse case that were so bad that even Whoopi Goldberg called him out. And then last year he had thousands of his followers believing that SYG laws in Florida were extremely prejudicial towards blacks, never bothering to check that African Americans statistically benefit from the laws at a high disproportionate rate. He manipulates his followers into a good amount of B.S.
>
>If MLK were alive today, he'd be very disappointed in Sharpton. (I'll grant that his conduct this past week has been better than it was two years ago).

As I said, I don't like Sharpton and I don't really care to defend him, but I did post a link earlier in the thread to his involvement in opposing gang violence.

Tamar