Posted on 05/22/2010 1:56:18 PM PDT by Steelfish
Sharpton: Detroit Girl's Death Is 'Breaking Point' May 22, 2010
DETROIT -- Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton gave a rousing eulogy Saturday for a 7-year-old girl killed in a police raid, challenging the hundreds of mourners to take responsibility and help stop a spiral of violence that has swept the city.
Sharpton lobbed some criticism at Detroit police, whose explanation of how Aiyana Stanley-Jones died from a gunshot has been contradicted by the girl's family. But he mostly offered a broad cultural message to a city where at least three children and an officer have been killed in recent weeks.
''I'd rather tell you to start looking at the man in the mirror. We've all done something that contributed to this,'' he said referring to Aiyana's death. ''This is it,'' Sharpton said at Second Ebenezer Church. ''This child is the breaking point.''
The congregation stood and applauded Sharpton, the final speaker at a nearly two-hour service that included stirring gospel music and remarks from clergy. Aiyana was shot in the neck while sleeping on a couch May 16. Police hunting for a murder suspect say an officer's gun accidentally fired inside the house after he was jostled by, or collided with, her grandmother. A stun grenade was also thrown through a window.
A lawyer for Aiyana's family, Geoffrey Fieger, is suing and claims the shot was fired from outside the house immediately after the grenade was used. A camera crew working on the A&E reality series ''The First 48'' accompanied police on the raid.
''Do they throw these flash grenades in everybody's neighborhood? Would you have gone in Bloomfield Hills and did what you did?'' Sharpton said, referring to a wealthy Detroit suburb. ''Have you ever heard of putting on a light and calling people to come out?''
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
What are the details of these cases? Why did a 7 year old die? Was she a human shield?
I find it hard to believe that police officers deliberately opened fire on a tiny child.
Leave it to the good Reverend to never lose an opportunity to exploit a tragedy.
Just another good "community organizer" doing his job!
Sharpton; Jackson are examples of people who are left with no shame and any other civilized society would have banished them from the public arena a long time ago. They make their money by shakedowns and thuggish rabble-rousing. Isn’t there at least one black leaders who can stand up to these chalatons?
Accidental discharge hit the kid.
It went from the ‘cycle of ‘violence’ to the ‘spiral of violence.’
Rev Al smells political/racist/financial opportunity like a blow fly smells rotten meat.
I can only recall one: Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson.
Maybe Al could attack the mayor of Detroit.
Oh wait.......
The little girl was not deliberately shot.
She had the misfortune to be inside a house that was raided by the police looking for a murderer.
The police threw a ‘flash bang grenade’ into the home. The rest of the story is contradicted by everyone.
The little girl was sleeping on a couch near the windows where the grenade entered the first floor apartment.
We really have no corroborated details about how the gun ‘accidently’ fired and she was killed.
Ridiculously enough there was an A&E team filing for a reality show when the police attempted to catch the murderer who was believed to be inside that building.
The entire episode may or may not be on film. The film has not been made public.
I had him in mind-but he’s not yet risen to the status of a national leader because he doesn’t have the masses behind him on account of his Republican leanings and therein lies the problem- as HRC might say this is a plantation problem.
“We’ve all done something that contributed to this.”
***
And I’d say you, Reverend, have done more than your fair share.
You’ll notice that he pointed a finger in the direction of a wealthier neighborhood as an example of where it wouldn’t have happened.
In a twisted sense he’s right but he’ll never put it all together. Things like this are less likely but not impossible in Bloomfield hills because Bloomfield Hills doesn’t have near the crime problem and police tend to be a bit more laid back because of it.
I bet a cop hasn’t pulled a gun in my little town in 50 years or more. It isn’t because we’re wealthy, its because we don’t have the crime.
Wonder if the same standards would apply to one of us "untrained professionals"
Guns don't "accidentally" go off, this cop had his finger on the trigger with no sighted target, that's a big no, no in gun handling and safety.
Just sayin.
The black/hispanic communities need to get a grip on witnessing and coming forward.
They live & DIE by the policy of “I’m no snitch”.
40 witnesses to a multiple killing in Oakland, in broad daylight, and they all turn into “see no evil-hear no evil-speak no evil”.
The gangs are running the city communities. It is a cesspool where the ‘victims’ are also part of the problem.
Their ‘code of silence’ has to be completely frustrating to any & all LEO’s in the entire country.
How about JC Watts? But I haven’t seen him in awhile...
“Turning on a light & calling for the people to come out”.
Rev Al has never gone on a ride-along with the cops, has he?
Even if he was to watch “COPS” on Fox every weekend, he might learn something.
4 Oakland officers lost their lives to one killer last year when 2 officers tried to stop his car. Broad daylight.
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