NYPD Spied On Rev. Al Sharpton During Sean Bell Protests

1 year ago

Black Leaders Denounce Dept. While NAN Contemplates Legal Action

Watchdog columnist Len Levitt of NYPD Confidential has obtained proof that the NYPD was spying on Rev. Al Sharpton while he and his National Action Network were planning protests in the wake of police officers being found not guilty of the murder of Sean Bell.

The informant, who isn't named in the document, went back relayed details of the "acts of civil disobedience" that NAN had planned to execute.

[Also Read: Rev. Al Sharpton: Silence Is Not An Option]

According to the Huffington Post:

The report, which is unsigned but dated May 3, 2008, appears to have been written by the lieutenant in charge of the Priority Targeting Unit to the Commanding Officer of Intelligence Operations and Analysis Section, who according to a 2008 police roster was Inspector Larry Nikunen.

This is not the first time the NYPD have sent snitches to infiltrate Sharpton. They have had their Shaeyes on him since the 1980s when he came into prominence for public defending and rallying for Tawana Brawley, the woman who falsely claimed to have been raped by three white men.

HuffPo also got word from a former informant that in 1998 the NYPD had plans to discredit or silence Sharpton by planting rumors that he was homosexual.

Sharpton has yet to be reached for comment but check out what some other prominent people had to say:

Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League

""The NYPDs spying actions are an intolerable abuse by law enforcement, and remind us of the bad days when J. EDGAR HOOVER recklessly spied on DR. KING and other CIVIL RIGHTS leaders in the 1960s. Its time for NYPD to disclose the full extent and nature of its spying operation on all Civil Rights organizations. We will not stand for a return to this abuse of process in the 21st CENTURY.""

Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Senior Pastor of Grace Baptist Church and Chairman of the Board, CNBC (Conference of National Black Churches) and National Action Network