It'll be a sad sad day if the only civil right leader the African American community can look up to is Rev. Al. With that said, I don't want the guy to be killed, but hopefully just disappear with his influence to dwindle.

listen up if rev al sharpton is hurt or worse this city and country would have a 5day riot war worse than when mlking was killed i hop e and pray for the safety of a great man al sharpton this country cant stand for another burning of cities again. peace and love only..

No number 26, I was contradicting what Tom wrote.

How can one group justify their strippers and not the other.

I remember all those posts written on Gothamist stating they (S. Bell) shouldn't of been at a strip club anyway.

Yes, Karma is a bitch, 1 in 166 is a bitch.

I guess post number 20 justifies the Sean Bell shooting then right? I mean they were in a strip club.

I don't like Al Sharpton. I don't think he speaks for all black people. I think he takes things too far and resorts to dirty tricks. Nevertheless, I think he provides a valuable service.

The reason why the Al Sharptons of the world exist is to provide a voice to a sub-population of disenfranchised people. He's merely a lightening rod.

Why do we need him? Look at history - ever hear of the Watts riots? In the 60s, every medium to large city had significant riots by black people who were angry that they weren't being heard. A few big mouths step up focus the anger of the mob and get them to protest peacefullly instead of tearing a city apart, setting files, and looting.

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and their predecessors are tools of the government and have been since we were all in diapers. But Al is better than a riot any day.

Karma is a bitch Mr. Sharpton.

Sooner or later it'll come and bite you on the ass.

I'm glad you're going to remember that, TOM.

Remember what happened at the Sean Bell shooting, they too, went to strip club.

So, I guess you're in good Company, The Duke students and the Sean Bell party.

which is it? Can't have both parties being choir boys. Or, can we????

ta ta.

The Duke players hired the stripper, not exactly pillars of society.

So.... if you hire a stripper you deserve to labelled as rapists and dragged through the media.

Got it. I'll keep that in mind next time I go to a bachelor party.

Hip Hop, rap music what ever you want to call it, IS an immense contribution to the cultural life of this country, maybe not for you, but it is. Just b/c you don't like something doesn't mean it hasn't contributed something to the collective culture of the country or the world. And not all hip hop is about shooting off guns and screwing women.

When you can go to clubs from Warsaw to Dakar to Los Angeles to Buenos Aires to Paris to Iowa City and see people decked out in their b-boy gear and dancing to rap music, its hard to make an argument that the artform didn't contribute anything to US or global culture.

Lest we forget,

The Duke players hired the stripper, not exactly pillars of society.

What the hell happened in the latter half of the twentieth century? Blacks and Whites could read the writings of of Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, W.B. duBois, Martin Luther King. We could all listen to the music of Duke Ellington and, frankly, so many black musicians that it would be futile to try to make a list.

Now we have a slime ball like Sharpton pretending to speak for Black America and rappers pretending to sing (is that the right word?) to it. Frustration and outrage is what they peddle. It's just sad.

For the first three quarters of the last century Blacks made truly immense contributions to the cultural life of this country and I believe that that's no longer the case. We are all the poorer for it.

Oh really? did you even read all the responses to Roker's blog?

I suppose those are OK. I'm being very very fair.

Reverend Sharpton never dragged a HUMAN BEING behind a pick up truck, nor did he murder anyone.

Why should Mr. Roker apologise to the Duke lacrosse players? Really now, why should he?

tell me, I'd like to know why should he?

I'm waiting.

two words: tawana brawley.

Reading all the comments here and in the Al Roker Blog,(and many others) I firmly believe the racial chasm in this country is wider than ever.

Let's be fair. Al isn't exactly helping to narrow that chasm. While he could have used this opportunity to open a dialog about racism with Imus (who was obviously willing to do so) he instead pressed to have him removed from the air. That turned Imus into a martyr for free-speech. It solved nothing.

I'm waiting for Al's public apology to the Duke Lacrosse players. I won't hold my breath, though.

Look, I'm not a fan of Al Sharpton, but, man, nothing like a black man with influence saying unpopular things to draw all the closeted resentment, fear, misunderstanding, dare I say "racism", out into the light. Good job Shanikwa (racism AND misogyny, good one!), drew, Rabble Rouser or Media Whore?. All of you prove why Sharpton even exists. Its people like you.

Sharpton IS an opportunist, no doubt. What I'm most troubled about by him is his tendency to "speak for the black community" when of course, one man cannot represent the views of an entire group of people. But the venom which is spewed towards him by all of you emboldened by the anonymity of blogging is really disgusting yet enlightening. It just goes to show, Big Al Sharpton does have ONE thing right: there is still a lot of racism in the world, most of it is held in private, and it takes public idiots like Imus and Michael Richards bring all of this seething resentment through the placid surface of political correctness and conformity. We have troubles people, big troubles. So nobody tell me racism is dead.

Al Sharpton is an evil opportunist, he's driving a steak through the already dying heart of America.

so unintentionally funny.

Last I checked, Rev. Al Sharpton never dragged a human being from the back of a pick-up truck, nor did he commit any murder. or, even assault on anyone.

it's true, what goes around, comes around. If only a segment of the population really believe in that.

Al Sharpton is an evil opportunist, he's driving a steak through the already dying heart of America. Obama is going to suffer big time for speaking on this because not that many people agree with it!

Hey guy's don't worry, we the people of color, will lead you...no drag you into civilization by the scruff's of your neck.

GO REV AL!!!!

If Sharpton's so insignificant, why does he piss off the Gothmaist poster...so much?

Ethnic whites your so predictable, it's not even ironic.