Sharpton + Brutality = No Olympics (He Says)

By Margaret Lyons in News on Dec 10, 2007 10:53PM

Wow, it's been hours since Al Sharpton was in the news, so here we are today with a new round of Sharpton headlines. He held a press conference outside the Mayor's office this morning demanding that the City effectively treat its police brutality issues--or Sharpton will campaign against Chicago's Olympic bid. He also urged aldermen to reject Daley's nominee for police superintendent Jody Weis's because Daley selected Weis without input from the black community. Psst, Al: He selected Weis without input from anybody.

Some of Sharpton's demands include:

Removing the mayor as the final authority to make recommendations for firing and suspending wayward police officers; releasing the list of 662 officers most frequently accused of excessive force; and allowing disciplinary complaints alleging misconduct toward civilians to be filed anonymously and without a statute of limitations. Sharpton also demanded the realignment of police beats, a Justice Department investigation of the police department and the immediate firing of two police officers accused of sexually assaulting a West Side resident with a screwdriver.

Sharpton says if he doesn't substantial good-faith efforts from the Daley administration to eliminate police brutality, he'll go on an international tour of with torture victims to lobby the International Olympic Committee to reject Chicago's bid for the 2016 games. Because the IOC has shown such great commitment to human rights?

Mayor Daley's response is downright amazing:

Daley says if Sharpton is threatening Chicago’s Olympic bid over police misconduct, he can get in line, with the Daley’s other critics. Daley says his Administration opposes any brutality whether from police or criminals, but he says Chicago’s Olympic bid should be above politics.