NY'rs Rally in Protest of NYPost Cartoon Tomorrow Noon; Read Rev. Sharpton's Statement

Sharpton Pissed At Post: Activist calls for protest tomorrow; demands explanation for paper's "dead monkey/stimulus cartoon." | EurWeb

*In no uncertain terms Reverend Al Sharpton is taking aim at the NY Post over a cartoon that apparently represents President Barack Obama as a monkey killed by NYPD, because one officer says to other, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

Here's a statement by Rev Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network:

New York, NY (February 18, 2009) -- The cartoon in today's New York Post is troubling at best, given the racist attacks throughout history that have made African-Americans synonymous with monkeys.

One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual inference to this form of racism when, in the cartoon, the police say after shooting a chimpanzee, "now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill."

Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama (the first African American president) and has become synonymous with him it is not a reach to wonder whether the Post cartoonist was inferring that a monkey wrote it? Given that the New York Post cartoonist has come under heavy fire in the past for racially tinged cartoons including the infamous cartoons depicting 2001 mayoral candidate Freddy Ferrer and me in very unflattering ways (that ultimately was used as a campaign tactic to inflame racial prejudices), one cannot ignore that history when looking at this morning's cartoon.

The Post should at least clarify what point they were trying to make in this cartoon, and reprimand their cartoonist for making inferences that are offensive and divisive at a time the nation struggles to come together to stabilize the economy if, in fact, this was yet another racially charged cartoon.

The NY Post's cartoon:

REV. AL SHARPTON, MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK AND OTHER LEADERS TO PICKET IN FRONT OF THE NEW YORK POST HEADQUARTERS TO PROTEST THE "RACIALLY OFFENSIVE" CARTOON BY POST CARTOONIST SEAN DELONAS

WHERE:
1211 6th Ave between 47th and 48th Sts., New York, NY

WHEN:
Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 12:00 pm

In response to Sharpton, NY Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan said:

"The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist."

See the cartoon here.