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Calling state grand jury systems broken, the Rev. Al Sharpton announced a national march on Washington next weekend to protest the lack of indictments against cops in New York City and Ferguson, Missouri, whose actions led to the deaths of black civilians.

Sharpton, speaking from the Harlem headquarter of his National Action Network on Thursday, vowed to put pressure on the federal government to take action in both cases.

We need to centralize and make clear, we want the Justice Department and the federal government to deal with the fact that the grand jury systems on a state level are broken and seem to lack the capacity to deal with police when you are dealing with questions of criminality and killings, he said.

The families of both Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen who was fatally shot by a white Ferguson cop, and Eric Garner, who died after being taken down by a white cop who threw his arm around his neck on Staten Island, will join the leaders of the march on Saturday, Dec. 13.

We want a centralized march around the specific address of a broken system that the grand juries have only underscored, Sharpton said.

He called out the grand jurys decision, released Wednesday, to not indict NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo despite video footage of the incident.

When even with a videotape you cannot seem to achieve a standard of probable cause A man laying down already surrounded by police, and hes still choking. He said I cant breathe 11 times. If that is not probable cause, then I dont know what probable cause has ever been established, Sharpton said.

The outspoken activist, who has been at the forefront of both cases as an advocate for the families, refused to speculate on how big the march in Washington would be, but compared it to past civil rights protests.

I see it as the sort of marches on Washington and other places that were for policy and repair of what needed to happen, he said, mentioning the marches and boycotts that led to the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

[We] hope this march begins a series of efforts that will lead to how we redo the grand jury review of policing in this country.

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Al Sharpton urges national march on Washington

Al Sharpton has had a lot to say about some of the recent high profile cases involving white and black people. After the Ferguson decision and the recent decision by a Staten Island grand jury to not bring charges against Daniel Pantaleo, a police officer accused of choking a black man, Sharpton is more upset than ever.

He claims that the country is dealing with a national crisis and is hoping to make people more aware of the situation by organizing a march on Washington.

We are dealing with a national crisis, Sharpton said. No amount of secret grand juries with local prosecutors that put up evidence that we do not know is going to stop people from raising the questions and demanding the answers.

Sharpton offered his support to both of the victims families during the trials and afterward and claims to be acting on their behalf and on the behalf of all African Americans.

A week from this Saturday, Dec. 13, we are having a national march in Washington, DC where we are calling for the Justice Department to take this case and the case in Ferguson and the case in Cleveland, he said. It is time for a national march to deal with a national crisis.

While many people are thankful to have him speak and act for them, others have accused Sharpton of instigating the riots and violence associated with these two cases and for causing more harm than good.

Sharpton has been quick to show his disappointment for the recent verdicts and has urged both of the victims family to continue to seek justice. While he is planning for the march to be a peaceful one, there are so many mixed views and opinions as well as emotions involved with these cases, that it seems like a peaceful march will not be likely.

Do you think Al Sharpton causes trouble or is really helping these situations?

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Al Sharpton Organizing March On Washington

Firebrand lawmaker Charles Barron blasted the Rev. Al Sharpton on Wednesday over his cozy relationship with Mayor de Blasio and accused the rabble-rousing reverend of pimping out victims of alleged police brutality.

At a news conference outside the gates of City Hall, Barron who last month won his wifes Assembly seat in Albany said Sharpton sold out the black community by backing de Blasios appointment of NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton.

As a matter of fact, de Blasio feels comfortable as though Sharpton speaks for all of us, but Sharpton doesnt speak for all of us, Barron (D-Brooklyn) said.

We are saying to Bill de Blasio: Just because you have Sharpton to support you to bring Bratton in here, dont think that is something the black community wanted. They didnt!

Barron also said Sharpton was exploiting his reputation as an anti-cop activist for personal publicity.

Families call me up all the time. Families need help. They dont want all this politics. They dont want people pimping them for attention, Barron said.

Barron was joined by other minority leaders attacking Sharpton.

Nicholas Heyward Sr. of Parents Against Police Brutality said: It is a very bad thing for him to be that close to the mayor.

Sharpton is doing nothing for the black community. Hes been putting on a show for a long time. He is right now where he wants to get: rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, he added.

Sharptons spokeswoman didnt return a request for comment.

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Barron: Sharpton is too cozy with De Blasio

Hours after a New York grand jury decided not to bring charges against a white police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner, his wife and mother appeared in the historic black neighborhood of Harlem Wednesday night to rally supporters over their shared rage at what was perceived by many as an unjust outcome. At the family's side was none other than the Rev. Al Sharpton, the famed civil rights activist whose profile has been thrust back into the national spotlight by a handful of recent police killings.

"We are dealing with a national crisis," Sharpton told the cheering crowd in Harlem. "How many people have to die before people understand this is not an illusion? This is a reality that America has got to come to terms with."

The speech was the latest public appearance by Sharpton amid a national debate on police brutality and civil rights for black Americans. That advocacy has reintroduced Sharpton to a new generation of socially conscious Americans. As of Thursday morning, his name was trending on Twitter and other social media sites.

Sharpton grew up in Brooklyn and has largely focused his activism on perceived incidents of police brutality in New York City. He became a national figure in 1987 after he advocated on behalf of 15-year-old Tawana Brawley, who claimed she had been raped by a group of white police officers near New York City. A grand jury eventually opted not to bring indictments after determining that Brawley's claims were a hoax, according to NPR. Sharpton was criticized for overreaching in the case to raise his own profile.

His career has been mired by other controversies. He was indicted for tax evasion and fraud and was once stabbed by a white man while leading a march. He notably broke ranks with other African-American religious leaders to support gay marriage and denounce homophobia.His critics often accuse him of being a self-serving, race-monger who has used his national platform to raise money for his civil rights organization, the National Action Network. In 2004, he ran unsuccessfully for president.

From the start, his profile grew with the help of some famous friends. Shortly after meeting civil rights leader Jesse Jackson as a teenager, the older black activist named the a 15-year-old SharptonNew York City youth director for his economic-development program, Operation Breadbasket, according to Newsweek.Sharptonalso became close friends with Teddy Brown, the eldest son of soul singer James Brown. After Teddy died in a car crash in 1973, Sharpton became a surrogate son to Brown, as well as his personal aide and road manager.

Sharpton has spent recent years winning over younger civil rights supporters after the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida led to a national debate on the state's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law. Sharpton also took on the police killings this summer of Garner in Staten Island and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

More recently, he was invited to the White House when President Barack Obama announced his nomination of Loretta E. Lynch, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, as the next attorney general, according to the New York Times.It was a reminder of the complicated relationship politicians seem to have with Sharpton: a mixture of fear, admiration, respect and loathing. He's rumored to enjoy a close relationship with Obama and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, but has a difficult past with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to the New York Times.Weve agreed and disagreed, but I have a lot of respect for her, Sharpton has said.

Continue reading here:
Who Is Al Sharpton? Eric Garner, Michael Brown Police Killings Thrust Civil Rights Activist Back In Spotlight

Hours after a New York grand jury decided not to bring charges against a white police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner, his wife and mother appeared in the historic black neighborhood of Harlem Wednesday night to rally supporters over their shared rage at what was perceived by many as an unjust outcome. At the family's side was none other than the Rev. Al Sharpton, the famed civil rights activist whose profile has been thrust back into the national spotlight by a handful of recent police killings.

"We are dealing with a national crisis," Sharpton told the cheering crowd in Harlem. "How many people have to die before people understand this is not an illusion? This is a reality that America has got to come to terms with."

The speech was the latest public appearance by Sharpton amid a national debate on police brutality and civil rights for black Americans. That advocacy has reintroduced Sharpton to a new generation of socially conscious Americans. As of Thursday morning, his name was trending on Twitter and other social media sites.

Sharpton grew up in Brooklyn and has largely focused his activism on perceived incidents of police brutality in New York City. He became a national figure in 1987 after he advocated on behalf of 15-year-old Tawana Brawley, who claimed she had been raped by a group of white police officers near New York City. A grand jury eventually opted not to bring indictments after determining that Brawley's claims were a hoax, according to NPR. Sharpton was criticized for overreaching in the case to raise his own profile.

His career has been mired by other controversies. He was indicted for tax evasion and fraud and was once stabbed by a white man while leading a march. He notably broke ranks with other African-American religious leaders to support gay marriage and denounce homophobia.His critics often accuse him of being a self-serving, race-monger who has used his national platform to raise money for his civil rights organization, the National Action Network. In 2004, he ran unsuccessfully for president.

From the start, his profile grew with the help of some famous friends. Shortly after meeting civil rights leader Jesse Jackson as a teenager, the older black activist named the a 15-year-old SharptonNew York City youth director for his economic-development program, Operation Breadbasket, according to Newsweek.Sharptonalso became close friends with Teddy Brown, the eldest son of soul singer James Brown. After Teddy died in a car crash in 1973, Sharpton became a surrogate son to Brown, as well as his personal aide and road manager.

Sharpton has spent recent years winning over younger civil rights supporters after the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida led to a national debate on the state's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law. Sharpton also took on the police killings this summer of Garner in Staten Island and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

More recently, he was invited to the White House when President Barack Obama announced his nomination of Loretta E. Lynch, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, as the next attorney general, according to the New York Times.It was a reminder of the complicated relationship politicians seem to have with Sharpton: a mixture of fear, admiration, respect and loathing. He's rumored to enjoy a close relationship with Obama and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, but has a difficult past with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to the New York Times.Weve agreed and disagreed, but I have a lot of respect for her, Sharpton has said.

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Who Is Al Sharpton? Eric Garner, Michael Brown Police Killings Thurst Civil Rights Activist Back In Spotlight