Creep of the Week - July 18, 1998

Image: Al Sharpton Image: Alton Maddox Image: Vernon Mason

Al Sharpton, Alton Maddox, and Vernon Mason
"Three Excuses for Racism in America"
Let's say you're the Grand Dragon of the Klu Klux Klan at one of those cross-burning rallies, dressed in your prettiest white robe and Halloween mask. You want to stir up the troops and perhaps convince a few of the onlookers that your white-power, survival-of-the-Aryan-race views are not so outlandish after all. All you have to do is hold up pictures of the Reverend Al and his two bros and you'll have the crowd eating out of your racist hands within minutes.

The Rev. Al (Moe) Sharpton, certainly one of the slimiest characters of any color ever to sully the American racial landscape, along with sidekicks Alton (Larry) Maddox and Vernon (Curly) Mason, were found guilty this week of defaming former prosecutor Steven Pagones when they accused him of participating in the abduction and attack of 15-year-old Tawana Brawley in 1987. You may recall their story: Six big, bad white men kidnapped poor black Tawana, raped her, smeared her body with dog feces and racial epithets, then threw her in a garbage bag where she was found four days later. The Three Stooges, out to make a name for themselves as champions of society's black victims, made a series of public statements blaming Steven and two other law enforcement officials for the crime. What was the evidence? They're white establishment pigs, of course they did it! Here's one of Al's statements, made on a news program, which has now been deemed defamatory:

"We stated openly that Steven Pagones, the assistant district attorney, did it. His lawyers say he may or may not sue us. If we're lying, sue us, so we can go into court with you and prove you did it. I'll use your show to dare them to sue us, sue us right now. We are saying Steven Pagones did it. Now if he didn't do it, why isn't he suing us?"

Of course, Steven did sue. He sued right after a grand jury determined that Tawana was not only not attacked by the accused men, she wasn't attacked at all. She'd returned home late from a party, was afraid of her father's reaction, and made the whole thing up.

Now Al and the boys owe Steven some large some of money which could reach $395 million. In reality, Steven had best not buy that yacht yet, because Alton is a suspended lawyer, Vernon is a disbarred lawyer, and nobody has any idea what Al does, including Al. However, we might have the opportunity to be entertained by the sight of all their possessions being confiscated and sold off, a la OJ Simpson. I doubt whether Rev. Al has a Heisman trophy, but he probably has a "Slick James Brown Look-Alike Contest Winner" trophy around the house somewhere.

And what does the Good Reverend have to say about all this now? "If they want to stop me, they need to shoot me." After seeing what happened with his "Sue me" challenge, you'd think Al would be a little more careful.

Let me know what you think at montgome@servtech.com

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