Sharpton: Make police brutality a priority

Reverend Al Sharpton is threatening to lobby against Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The activist says he will call on the International Olympic Committee to reject Chicago's bid to host the games if more is not done to address police brutality and misconduct in the city.

Since opening an office in Chicago this past summer, the Reverend Sharpton has called repeatedly for police reform here. Now he says he will leverage his position by using the city's Olympic bid.

The Sharpton threat was straightforward: if the Daley administration does not respond adequately to a list of police reform recommendations. the New York City-based activist will ask the International Olympic Committee to reject the city's bid to host the 2016 Games.

"The world must know the kind of city this is if the world is being invited to come into the city," said Rev. Al Sharpton, National Action Network.

"The Olympic spirit, the whole Olympic movement, has nothing to do with politics, local, state, or federal politics or global politics. It has to do with the athlete," said Mayor Daley.

Sharpton called Daley "arrogant" for not consulting African-American leaders before naming FBI agent Jody Weis the new police superintendent. And his National Action Network has demanded the firings of two cops who allegedly sexually assaulted Coprez Coffie with a screwdriver. Last month, a jury awarded Coffie $4 in damages.

"It insults all fair-minded people to believe that these two men are not only still working but still getting paid," said Lewis Myers, National Action Network attorney.

As the City Council finance committee approved a nearly $20 million payout to police torture victims, aldermen reacted to Sharpton's police reform recommendations and the Olympic threat.

"I would prefer to see the battle here in Chicago rather than with the International Olympic Committee," said Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, 4th Ward.

"If we look at the problem they had in New York, in terms of police, Chicago was far ahead of New York. I don't understand what he is talking about, but he is entitled to his opinion," said Ald. Isaac Carothers, 29th Ward.

Sharpton says, if necessary, he will fly police abuse victims overseas to IOC meetings. He says the city's Olympic bid has opened the door for activists like himself who don't live in Chicago.

"You're not inviting Chicagoans to come to the Olympics, you're inviting the world to come to the Olympics," Sharpton said. "And since I live in the world it becomes a world issue that is being considered in Chicago."

Sharpton has given the mayor until December 29 to respond to a list of recommendations.

The City Council is supposed to consider and vote on the Weis appointment in early January.

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