FALLS CHURCH, Va., Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) today released a two-part YouTube video titled "Sharpton and Jackson: Wrong About Jena." In the video, NLPC President Peter Flaherty and NLPC Senior Analyst Carl Horowitz discuss distortions and exaggerations by supporters of the so-called Jena Six, and attempt to put the events in perspective.
Horowitz describes the assault of a white student in Louisiana named Justin Barker as an "unprovoked ambush of an innocent person." One of his assailants, a black student named Mychal Bell, was ordered back to jail on Friday for violating the terms of his probation resulting from earlier convictions.
The video critically examines the role that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have played in the controversy, with emphasis on their history of promoting anti-Semitism and/or violence.
Making reference to the Duke rape case, Flaherty states, "This is not the first time Jackson has arrived on the scene. And it is not the first time he has been wrong."
The video details corporate America's financial support of Sharpton and Jackson. Flaherty states, "We believe this is the untold story of Jena. When you have hustlers and agitators like Jackson and Sharpton showing up at a place like Jena, one should know where their support comes from. It's companies like Pepsi, Citigroup, Boeing, Anheuser-Busch, Freddie Mac and Bank of America that support Jackson. They write five- and six-figure checks that allow him to travel around the country and have a platform."
Flaherty condemns the newfound respectability accorded to Sharpton by corporate executives like Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott, who recently called Sharpton a "dynamic leader."
The video can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd0WebiLSUE (Part 1), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Rm6iRB6dB4 (Part 2)
NLPC is an effective critic of Sharpton and Jackson. In 2003, Sharpton was fined $5,500 by the Federal Election Commission as a result of an NLPC Complaint. In 2004, Sharpton was ordered to repay $100,000 in federal matching funds received by his presidential campaign and also denied further matching funds as a result of another NLPC Complaint.
In 2005, the New York Stock Exchange ended financial support for Jesse Jackson's groups in apparent response to NLPC's requests.
NLPC promotes ethics in public life, and sponsors the Corporate Integrity Project.
Website: http://www.nlpc.org/
National Legal and Policy Center
