Just hours after the not-guilty verdict was revealed in the shooting of Sean Bell, the Rev. Al Sharpton announced that he had plans to “shut the city down.”
Sharpton knew the case against the officers was weak and that the Queens district attorney had worked hard to win this case. In issuing his threat, Sharpton was not speaking from anger or hurt. He had time to carefully plan his words. He said, “We strategically know how to stop this city so it will stand still and realize that you do not have the right to shoot down unarmed citizens with no probable cause.”
In modern times only one person has succeeded in shutting this city down. Osama bin Laden brought the city to a halt on Sept. 11. He, too, was filled with self-righteous anger. And he, too, pretended to be doing God's will.
In the post-Sept. 11 era, the threat to shut down the city takes on new meaning. If Sharpton and his National Action Network engage in illegal activity that causes major disruption and loss of business, they should be held accountable.
Both bin Laden and Sharpton are willing to punish people of all races and religious beliefs for events they have nothing to do with. Both men suffer from unbridled arrogance and a willingness to exploit the misery of others to advance their personal political agenda.
