Garvey's Ghost: Black Talk

Dear Mr. Sharpton

I saw you on the television giving a speech in Howard Beach. I saw ytou again on tv walking with some motorcycles through Howard Beach. Howard Beach is an easy target having been stained by the death of Michael Griffith back in 1986. While I agree that people should not be getting beat on the street, the victim in this case was clearly there to steal someones property and to be honest I would have beat him had he attempted to steal my property. But that is neither here nor there since supposedly at the time no theft was actually in progress. So in the end, regardless as to how henious the crime was, we are talking about a thief. Meanwhile, this weekend in Flatbush a young boy, 15 years old, was stabbed to death over an iPod. The victim of this crime was no thief. He was a bright young man on his way back home. He was walking with his friends and minding his own business. Who killed him? a Black man killed this boy over a little white iPod. So while you were busy reminding Howard Beach that Sharpton "is on the case" little black boys are being gunned down in Flatbush. I'm 99% certain that more black men boys and girls have been killed in Flatbush, Jamaica, Hempstead, etc. at the hands of other black men women and girls than have been killed in Howard Beach between 1986 amd 2005. Now I'm not saying we should let what happened in Howard Beach slide, but this case, is not the Michael Griffith case and while I agree that folks should not have to worry about getting run down and hit over the head for simply walking down a street, I'm hard pressed to find much sympathy for a paid car thief.

So perhaps you could spend less time in Howard Beach. Less time at Gay Pride parades and less time backing doomed stadium deals and spend more time on the issue of black on black violence.

Thank you
Sondjata Olatunji
Garvey's Ghost