sws4420
04-14-2007, 08:45 AM
WCBSTV.com learned early Saturday that the National Action Network has increased the Rev. Al Sharpton's security due to a number of death threats in the wake of the firing of radio host Don Imus by MSNBC and CBS Radio.
There will also be added security at the National Action Network's headquarters in Harlem.
“We have no way of knowing the seriousness of these threats, but they have intensified greatly in the last two days as Rev. Sharpton was figured prominently in the firing of Don Imus," Attorney Charlie King said in a statement early Saturday morning.
"Since Rev. Sharpton survived a personal assassination attempt where he was stabbed, we take any and all threats, especially at this volume, very serious. Therefore, all may be comfortable that we will not take the safety of our staff or that of our President lightly.”
Sharpton was stabbed in the chest by Michael Riccardi on Jan. 12, 1991, as the Reverend was leading a protest in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. Sharpton later filed suit against the city accusing the NYPD of failing to protect him. The two sides eventually settled.
Sharpton took up the cause of the members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team after Imus referred to them as "nappy-headed hos" on his radio show last week.
Sharpton told CBS 2's Marcia Kramer on Friday that just hours after he met with CBS Chairman and CEO Les Moonves on Thursday he got a call that Imus was getting fired.
"I remember saying to Mr. Moonves, 'if you said it, you'd be fired. Does he have more rights than you?'" Sharpton said.
Part of Sharpton's power and visibility comes from his National Action Network -- with its half a million supporters across the country, and his ability to mobilize both opinions and protesters.
Despite toning down his flamboyant and combative style over the years, many still think Sharpton hasn't done enough to erase his controversial past. His most talked about misstep came two decades ago when he threw much-publicized support behind then-15-year-old Tawana Brawley. The black woman received national attention after claiming she was raped by half a dozen white men, including police officers, near Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
The alleged incident soon became a media sensation, with Sharpton pulling all the strings. However, a grand jury investigated and in October 1988 said there was a lack of evidence that she had been abducted, assaulted, raped or sodomized.
"He could be much more of a formidable force in this country, much more of a leader and respected across the board if he just said I apologize for my past. I did wrong. I'm sorry," radio host and columnist Armstrong Williams told CBS 2 on Friday.
Sharpton told CBS 2 on Friday he does admit to past mistakes.
"Sometimes, being flippant, shooting from the hip ... sometimes letting your vanity outrun your sanity," Sharpton said, citing examples.
In 1999, Sharpton came to the aid of the family of Amadou Diallo, an African immigrant who was shot to death by NYPD officers. Sharpton claimed that Diallo's death was the result of police brutality and racial profiling. Diallo's family was later awarded $3 million in a wrongful death suit filed against the city.
More recently, Sharpton took up the cause of Sean Bell, an unarmed groom, who was shot dead in a hail of 50 police bullets on Nov. 25, 2006. Sharpton has been a fixture next to Bell's friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, who were wounded in the shooting.
http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_104002437.html
There will also be added security at the National Action Network's headquarters in Harlem.
“We have no way of knowing the seriousness of these threats, but they have intensified greatly in the last two days as Rev. Sharpton was figured prominently in the firing of Don Imus," Attorney Charlie King said in a statement early Saturday morning.
"Since Rev. Sharpton survived a personal assassination attempt where he was stabbed, we take any and all threats, especially at this volume, very serious. Therefore, all may be comfortable that we will not take the safety of our staff or that of our President lightly.”
Sharpton was stabbed in the chest by Michael Riccardi on Jan. 12, 1991, as the Reverend was leading a protest in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. Sharpton later filed suit against the city accusing the NYPD of failing to protect him. The two sides eventually settled.
Sharpton took up the cause of the members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team after Imus referred to them as "nappy-headed hos" on his radio show last week.
Sharpton told CBS 2's Marcia Kramer on Friday that just hours after he met with CBS Chairman and CEO Les Moonves on Thursday he got a call that Imus was getting fired.
"I remember saying to Mr. Moonves, 'if you said it, you'd be fired. Does he have more rights than you?'" Sharpton said.
Part of Sharpton's power and visibility comes from his National Action Network -- with its half a million supporters across the country, and his ability to mobilize both opinions and protesters.
Despite toning down his flamboyant and combative style over the years, many still think Sharpton hasn't done enough to erase his controversial past. His most talked about misstep came two decades ago when he threw much-publicized support behind then-15-year-old Tawana Brawley. The black woman received national attention after claiming she was raped by half a dozen white men, including police officers, near Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
The alleged incident soon became a media sensation, with Sharpton pulling all the strings. However, a grand jury investigated and in October 1988 said there was a lack of evidence that she had been abducted, assaulted, raped or sodomized.
"He could be much more of a formidable force in this country, much more of a leader and respected across the board if he just said I apologize for my past. I did wrong. I'm sorry," radio host and columnist Armstrong Williams told CBS 2 on Friday.
Sharpton told CBS 2 on Friday he does admit to past mistakes.
"Sometimes, being flippant, shooting from the hip ... sometimes letting your vanity outrun your sanity," Sharpton said, citing examples.
In 1999, Sharpton came to the aid of the family of Amadou Diallo, an African immigrant who was shot to death by NYPD officers. Sharpton claimed that Diallo's death was the result of police brutality and racial profiling. Diallo's family was later awarded $3 million in a wrongful death suit filed against the city.
More recently, Sharpton took up the cause of Sean Bell, an unarmed groom, who was shot dead in a hail of 50 police bullets on Nov. 25, 2006. Sharpton has been a fixture next to Bell's friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, who were wounded in the shooting.
http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_104002437.html