By Stacey Patton

New York – With less than 24 hours to mobilize, a boisterous throng of nearly 1,000 protestors and civil rights activists held the first in a planned series of city-wide demonstrations to condemn the New York Post for publishing a violent and racially offensive cartoon about President Barack Obama.

The cartoon, featured on page six of the newspaper this past Wednesday, shows a white police officer shooting a chimpanzee to death.  His partner, another white officer, says, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.” The cartoon appeared in the paper two days after police in Connecticut shot dead a chimp in the streets of Stamford and one day after President Obama signed the economic stimulus bill.

New York Post editor-in-chief Col Allan defended the cartoon and denied that it was racist.  In a statement, Allan said, “The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington’s efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.”

But this afternoon, outraged protesters from various racial backgrounds disagreed and spent the lunchtime hours sending a strong message to the paper’s editor-in-chief, editorial staff, and advertisers.

Protesters of the New York Post

The protest began with about two dozen members from 15 local branches of the NAACP gathering in front of the Post’s main headquarters at 1211 Avenue of the Americas just blocks away from the tents, glitz and glamour of the annual Fashion Week in Bryant Park. Clad in yellow hats and matching jackets, the small cadre of activists along with Brooklyn councilwoman Leticia James vented their anger for news reporters.

“This is not parody!  This is not satire!  This is not funny!” said James. “You have offended the intelligence of all Americans. It is an insult to the presidency of the United States.”

“That’s right!” others in the crowd shouted, some pumping their fists into the air.

“To suggest that President Barack Obama is a monkey, a chimp, or a primate is outrageous,” James added. “This is no time in history to be spreading venom and hate.”

The cartoon, drawn by controversial cartoonist Sean Delonas, was printed on the same day that Eric Holder, the first African-American attorney General, drew fire from conservative media pundits for calling America “a nation of cowards” when it comes to dealing with racial issues. Holder called on Americans to have more open and honest dialogues about race.

Al Sharpton, arriving with a flank of supporters from his National Action Network, chastised the New York Post for its silence and unwillingness to engage in a dialogue about the incident. Sharpton accused the Post of meeting the controversy not with compromise and clarity, but with confrontation and silence.

“Apparently the New York Post feels that they don’t have to talk to people,” said Sharpton. “They think we are helpless and that we are mindless. Well, they will find out that that is not the case. On several levels, we intend to show that people’s feelings, that people’s heritage, that people’s pride, and more importantly, people’s self-respect will not be compromised.”

Sharpton and other activists made demands for an apology from the paper to be printed on page one, not in the editorial section. They also called for the dismissal of cartoonist Delonas, who is no stranger to controversy. One blogger has dubbed Delonas as “the Picasso of prejudice” for his loathsome illustrations mocking Arabs, women, and gays.

Shortly after Sharpton spoke to reporters, the crowd outside the News Corporation building swelled to hundreds of protestors wielding signs such as: “We Are Not Chimps We Are Not Monkeys.” “Fire Sean Delonas.” “Boycott the Racist Rag New York Post.”  “Respect Our President.” Police officers were forced to extend steel barricades into a traffic lane on Avenue of the Americas between 47^th and 48^th Streets.

As is customary in most New York City protests, taxi and truck drivers honked to show support and bike messengers let their voices be heard by shouting, “F#$% the Post,” as they swerved through the busy Midtown traffic. One woman passing by flipped both of her middle fingers at the building as employees in the office building peeked through blinds to watch the jeering crowd below.

Sharpton told reporters that clergymen and assembly members will mobilize a boycott of the paper at various newsstands across the City. The National Action Network also plans to travel to Washington, D.C. next week to petition the FCC for an emergency hearing on Rupert Murdoch’s ownership of a disproportionate amount of media ownership in New York City.

“You cannot have a disproportionate amount of media ownership in this town and then tell the citizens of this town that they cannot question your editorial practices,” Sharpton said.

Tomorrow at 5 pm, protests will continue as Sharpton, filmmaker Spike Lee along with protesters will dump bundles of the New York Post on the steps of its headquarters to “symbolize that the paper is no longer welcomed in our communities,” Sharpton said.

Stacey Patton is Senior Editor and Writer of TheDefendersOnline and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

What say you? Log on and share your comments!