Mediaboss Marketing

Donald Trump is on course to be re-elected in 2020 because those in the current crop of potential Democratic presidential candidates are too tame to deal with an untamed opponent, one of the partys key power-brokers has said.

Speaking to a group of Guardian journalists following a visit to 10 Downing Street and a session with black MPs, the Rev Al Sharpton warned that the likely challengers to Trump are failing to galvanise opposition to the president. Theyve lost the ability to dramatise. He [Trump] understands spectacle and drama and they dont.

What was the civil rights movement if not drama? Martin Luther King was the master of street theatre

Citing the current controversy over migrant parents being separated from their children, the veteran civil rights leader said Democratic would-be candidates should be right there, getting themselves arrested by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

What was the civil rights movement if not drama? Martin Luther King was the master of street theatre. No one would have listened if he just gave speeches.

In a wide-ranging and candid conversation, Rev Sharpton expressed his fear that this lack of leadership could lead to disappointment in the midterm elections in November. Landslide wins for Democrats would take a mobilisation that he had not yet seen, he said. You cant just announce a wave, you have to organise a wave.

As to who might take on Trump in 2020, he said that Oprah Winfrey could beat Trump in a heartbeat, speaking especially to poorer voters: Shes been broke longer than shes been rich, he said. But he suspected the TV star and entrepreneur was not keen to run. Former vice president Joe Biden would enjoy strong black support, Sharpton said, not least because he covered [Barack] Obamas back for eight years.

He noted that Bernie Sanders struggled to win African-American backing in 2016 because he could only see class, not race and class. He said Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, tipped as the possible standard bearer of the Democratic left, might fare better as she was more readily attuned to the racial dimension. But overall, he believed the current Democratic field was lacklustre and too easily distracted by Trumps bizarre and theatrical shenanigans.

Democrats needed to pay less attention to the presidents tweets or the latest twists in Robert Muellers probe into collusion with Russia, Sharpton said, and craft instead a message based on rights, jobs and healthcare. You got to get the message right; then youll get the messenger. He added that waiting for Trump to self-destruct is not a political strategy.

The longtime campaigner and baptist minister also had stern words for the activists of the Black Lives Matter movement. Where are Black Lives Matter now? You gave Obama hell, but where are you all now with Trump?

Warning that civil rights once thought safe were again under threat, he cited Mondays ruling by the Supreme Court in favour of a Colorado baker who had refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple on religious grounds. This was one of the worst civil rights decisions Ive seen in my lifetime, Sharpton said, warning that once homophobic discrimination was allowed, sexist and racist discrimination would be next.

On Wednesday, following a meeting with black MPs, Sharpton visited 10 Downing Street to speak to Theresa Mays adviser on race issues, Nero Ughwujabo. Afterwards, Sharpton praised Mays establishment of a race disparity audit, measuring the effect of ethnicity on life chances in the UK, saying it was an approach he hoped to take back to the US.

But his admiration for the UK was not total. Referring to last months royal wedding, he said the picture of inclusion created by the addition of a woman of a colour to the royal family did not reflect the reality of a country that had also been rocked by the Windrush scandal.

As for Trump himself, Sharpton had concluded that the evidence of the presidents racism was now too overwhelming to dispute. You dont have to keep a white hood under the pillow, he said, citing Trumps baseless claim that Obama had not been born in the US and the presidents praise for neo-Nazi marchers in Charlottesville last year as very fine people.

But he urged opponents of racism and xenophobia in the US, Europe and beyond not to lose heart. My message to the resistance movement globally is, dont panic, but dig in.

Read more:
Rev Al Sharpton: Democrats 'too tame to deal with Trump ...

Al Sharpton / Getty Images

BY: Alex GriswoldJune 6, 2018 5:33 pm

Unless Democrats toughen up and fight Donald Trump on his own terms, the Republican president could be on track to be reelected, civil rights leader and MSNBC host Al Sharpton said Wednesday.

Sharpton was in London to speak to black parliamentarians and an advisor to Prime Minister Teresa May, when he took questions from a group of Guardian U.K. reporters about his thoughts on the upcoming presidential election.

The Guardian reported the MSNBC host told them "Donald Trumpis on course to be re-elected in 2020" because all the rumored Democratic candidates are "too tame to deal with an untamed opponent."

"Theyve lost the ability to dramatize," Sharpton said. "He [Trump] understands spectacle and drama and they dont."

Sharpton called on Democratic candidates to get arrested protesting U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers where they were housing migrant children. "What was the civil rights movement if not drama? Martin Luther King was the master of street theatre. No one would have listened if he just gave speeches," he said.

The only candidate Sharpton thought could take on Trump at the moment was a woman who claims she has no interest in running for president: Oprah Winfrey. "Shes been broke longer than shes been rich," he said, adding she "could beat Trump in a heartbeat."

Like other Democratic commentators, Sharpton warned the party needed to run on more than just special prosecutor Robert Mueller's Russia investigation if it wants to beat Trump. He argued Democrats should instead focus on concrete issues like "rights, jobs and healthcare. You got to get the message right; then youll get the messenger."

View post:
Al Sharpton: Democrats Are 'Too Tame,' Could Lose to Trump ...

Civil rights icon and television commentator the Rev. Al Sharpton visited Sacramento Wednesday to meet with the California Legislative Black Caucus about the police shooting of Stephon Clark.

Clark was shot by two Sacramento officers on March 18 after police apparently mistook his cellphone for a gun.

Clark's death led to massive protests in Sacramento and drew international attention. Sharpton was last in Sacramento for Clark's funeral on March 29 at Bayside of South Sacramento Church, where he gave the eulogy, vowing, "We will never let you forget the name of Stephon Clark until we get justice."

Sharpton said Wednesday his visit was part of that promise to continue to advocate on the incident, and he was joined on the Capitol steps by Stevante Clark, brother of Stephon Clark.

"We are not going to let this issue go," Sharpton said.

The California Legislative Black Caucus is a group of senators and Assembly members that advocates on issues and legislation affecting social, economic and educational justice in communities of color.

In the wake of the Clark shooting, the caucus is supporting AB 931, the Police Accountability and Community Protection Act, which would tighten restrictions on when officers can use deadly force. The bill was written by two members of the Black Caucus Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, and Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento.

Sharpton said he also met with representatives of public pension funds to advocate for more investments through minority financial managers.

While in Sacramento, Sharpton also offered an opinion on an NFL decision to prohibit players from kneeling during the national anthem.

"I felt it was a stunning rebuke of the American Constitution," Sharpton said of the NFL action. "It is a dangerous precedent."

Read the original here:
Al Sharpton on May 24, 2018 met with black legislators in ...

CLAIM

Al Sharpton's brother has been arrested for murder after participating in a March for Our Lives rally in Alabama.

Kenneth Glasgow, who is reportedly Rev. Al Sharpton's half-brother, was arrested and charged with murder; although he spoke at a local March for our Lives rally in Alabama, he wasn't a scheduled speaker.

Glasgow is accused of driving the car when his passenger opened fire on a woman, killing her; Glasgow isn't accused of firing the weapon, but under Alabama law a person is considered equally culpable for a crime if they are proven to have the "intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense."

On 26 March 2018, 52-year-old Kenneth Glasgow was arrested for murder in Dothan a city in southeast Alabama after police say a passenger in the car he was driving opened fire on a woman in another car and killed her. Two days before his arrest, Glasgow, a community activist, pastor, and reportedly the half-brother of civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, had participated in a local March for Our Lives protest as part of a nationwide movement against gun violence.

The story went viral, perhaps due tothe juxtaposition of Glasgows participation in the anti-gun violence rally combined with the fact he is reportedly related to Sharpton. An inaccurate post on Facebook that also spread far and wide claimed, Al Sharptons half brother, an anti gun activist, shoots a person in the head, killing them instantly yesterday. CNN silent.

As is often the case, reality is more nuanced than a clickbait headline can convey. Glasgow and his organization, The Ordinary People Society (TOPS), participated in the March for Our Lives rally on 24 March 2018 in Alabamas Wiregrass region; Glasgow was not an organizer, but he did make an impromptu speech. March for Our Lives Wiregrass organizer Kailee Maciulla told us:

He did speak on stage but was not scheduled to our soeakers were Tabitha Isner, Audri Scott Williams and Ambrosia Starling along with several students. So while he wasnt scheduled to speak he did in fact come on stage unscheduled and unplanned. He had nothing to do with organizing the march that was me and several other community members including students. []As a member of the community whose family has been the victim of gun violence myself this crime and whatever Glasglows participation was is absolutely heartbreaking for me as it pertains to the victim, Breunia Jennings and her family.

The night after the march, police were called to the scene of a homicide at about 10:50 P.M., where they foundBreunia Jennings, 23, shot to death.Jamie Emmanuel Townes, 26, was arrested and charged with capital murder. As the local newspaper theDothan Eaglereported,Glasgow is not accused of shooting Jennings; Townes allegedly asked Glasgow to drive him around and look for his stolen car. Townes allegedly opened fire on Jennings because he believed she was the car thief a claim Jennings mother says is not true.

Glasgow was charged with capital murder due to an Alabama law which holds that a person is legally accountable for a crime committed by another,if:

(1) he procures, induces, or causes such other person to commit the offense; or (2) he aids or abets such other person in committing the offense; or (3) having a legal duty to prevent the commission of the offense, he fails to make an effort he is legally required to make.

According to the Eagle, which sent a reporter to Glasgows first court hearing on 27 March 2018, Glasgow questioned why he was being charged with the same crime as Townes, saying:

I dont know why I am facing capital murder charges. Im not responsible for what someone else does. He just asked me for a ride to take him to look for his car.

According to Houston County, Alabama jail records, both Glasgow and Townes are both being held with no bond. Glasgow could potentially be released on bond if the charges against him are reduced, the Eagle reported. We were unable to reach Dothan police for further details despite multiple phone calls.

Wise, Jeremy.Kenneth Glasgows Capital Murder Charge Based on Alabamas Complicity Statute.The Dothan Eagle.26 March 2018.

Forehand, Michele W.Kenneth Glasgow Makes First Appearance in Court, Questions Capital Murder Charges Against Him.The Dothan Eagle.27 March 2018.

Harress, Christopher.Al Sharptons Half-Brother Questions Capital Murder Charge.AL.com.29 March 2018.

WTVY.March for Our Lives Organizers Say Glasgow Arrest Troubling.27 March 2018.

Bedard, Paul.Al Sharptons Half-Brother Charged in Murder After Marching Against Guns.Washington Examiner.27 March 2018.

Original post:
FACT CHECK: Was Al Sharpton's Brother Arrested for Murder ...

Stephon Clarks shooting has drawn the attention of several national figures, perhaps none more so than Al Sharpton, who will land in Sacramento on Wednesday night in advance of Clarks funeral Thursday.

Sharpton is scheduled to give a eulogy at Clarks funeral at 11 a.m. Thursday at south Sacramentos Bayside Boss Church. The 63-year-olds jet-setting habits and street rally soundbites have built him into one of Americas most influential and controversial preachers.

Here are five things to know about Sharpton, a native New Yorker:

Sharptons career at the podium began at age 4, when he preached his first sermon to Washington Temple Church of God & Christ in Brooklyn. He was an ordained Pentecostal minister at age 9, and frequently preaches at Sunday services after hosting MSNBCs Politics Nation.

At age 13, Sharpton was tapped by the Rev. Jesse Jackson as the youth director of Operation Breadbasket for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. When Jackson left the SCLC following a suspension three years later, Sharpton quit in protest and founded the National Youth Movement three years later. The movement folded shortly thereafter, but not before Sharpton met Teddy Brown, whose father, singer and songwriter James Brown, became a paternal figure to Sharpton before Brown's death in 2006.

Sharpton rose to prominence by advocating for the families of black men and women who suffered injustices. These included the police shootings of Amadou Diallo and Sean Bell as well as the misguided case of Tawana Brawley, who claimed to have been gang-raped by a group of white men before a grand jury ruled she had fabricated her story. Sharpton was found guilty of defamation in the Brawley case and ordered to pay $65,000 in restitution, which was covered by his supporters.

National Action Network, founded by Sharpton in 1991, hosts an annual civil rights convention that draws predominantly black celebrities such as former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, filmmaker Spike Lee and then-presidential candidate (now HUD Secretary) Ben Carson. Sharpton remains NANs president and hosts the nonprofits summer conference.

Sharpton has run for political office several times, including three bids for one of New Yorks U.S. Senate seats (1988, 1992 and 1994) and an unsuccessful 2004 Democratic Party presidential campaign. He also ran for New York State Assembly in 1978 and mayor of New York City in 1997.

Two Sacramento Police Department officers shot a combined 20 bullets at Clark, 22, as he stood in his grandparents backyard on the night of March 18. The officers had originally responded to the Meadowview neighborhood after reports of someone breaking into car windows and thought Clark had pointed a gun at them, though the object in his hand was later determined to be a cellphone.

Protests over Clarks death have obstructed Interstate 5, Golden 1 Center and City Hall in the last week, prompting similar rallies in Clark's name across the nation.

Imam Zaid Shakir will lead Clarks funeral service Thursday, just as he did for Muhammad Ali in 2016. Clark was born Christian but converted to Islam, family members said.

Benjy Egel: 916-321-1052, begel@sacbee.com

Read the original post:
Who is Al Sharpton, the man eulogizing Stephon Clark ...