Al on America: on Crime


It’s no coincidence that the wealthy don’t get executed

In 2000, Shaka Sankofa asked for me [and 3 others] to attend his execution in Texas. Lying down on a gurney, handcuffed, he repeated, “I did not kill [the man I was convicted for murdering]. Keep marching, Black people. They are murdering me tonight.” While he’s talking, they inject him with the lethal potion and his head jerks back, and minutes later, he’s dead. I walked out after that in a daze. After the execution, George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, stood before the cameras and said, “This was a great day for justice.“ Justice? How do we celebrate killing people? All I kept hearing in my head was, ”Reverend Sharpton, keep marching.“

It’s no coincidence that the wealthy don’t get executed in this country. There have been wealthy individuals who have committed more horrendous crimes than Sankofa and we don’t take their lives. I’m running for president for people like Shaka Sankofa and others who have no rights or resources to save their lives and who have no one to speak for them.

Source: Al On America, by Rev. Al Sharpton, p. 11-15 Jan 1, 2002

Focus on prevention instead of Three Strikes

I am opposed to the three-strikes-and-you’re-out law. Instead of setting up a multi-tiered way to permanently incarcerate people, we ought to be setting up programs that will prevent people from becoming repeat offenders. What the Crime Bill of the Clinton Administration did was spend more money to penalize and incarcerate people than no having things like afterschool and tutorial programs that would prevent young people from becoming repeat offenders. They don’t give any alternative to crime.
Source: Al On America, by Rev. Al Sharpton, p. 131-32 Jan 1, 2002

  • The above quotations are from Al on America, by Reverend Al Sharpton with Karen Hunter.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Crime.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Al Sharpton on Crime.
2016 Presidential contenders on Crime:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI) 		Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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Page last updated: Dec 12, 2018