Harveylives
11-26-2003, 04:48 PM
Jesse Jackson rally turns against him
Counterprotester: 'What has he sacrificed for his beliefs? Us'
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Posted: November 26, 2003
5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
A rally in downtown Chicago led by Rev. Jesse Jackson turned into a protest against the black leader himself.
Jackson's Rainbow Push Coalition is trying to rally the thousands of disenfranchised young Chicagoans unemployed or not in school. But a group of people unhappy with Jackson's leadership organized a protest of their own yesterday that sometimes drowned out the more-jobs message, reported WLS-TV in Chicago.
With boos, bullhorns and verbal jabs, a group called VOTE said they had had enough of what they call the rhetoric in the African-American community.
"We are tired of coming here to voice our opinion when we got African-American people sitting at the table and saying they represent our interests and playing this puppet game," said one protester, according to WLS.
VOTE says it is comprised of ex-offenders, community activists, church leaders and Muslims.
Leaders aligned with Jackson were demanding unions set up a trade school in Chicago to train workers.
After the rally, Jackson told WLS why he had come under fire from protesters.
"They lashed out at Dr. King, they lashed out at Nelson Mandela, they lashed out at Jesus, so all of those who fight for change become the object of frustration," Jackson said.
VOTE member John Johnson said of Jackson: "What has he sacrificed for his beliefs? Us. We've been sacrificed. On the altar of his political ambition our people have been destroyed."
WLS asked Jackson if the counter-protest distracted from his message.
"It distracts from the message but it shows the pain," he said.
Many blacks, however, are distancing themselves from establishment leaders such as Jackson. Among them are "the other Jesse," Jesse Lee Peterson, the author of "Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America," published by WND Books,
"I don't recall the entire black race in this country taking a national vote to elect Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan, the NAACP, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the Congressional Black Caucus or liberal black preachers as our leaders," Peterson writes, "yet they've seized the mantle of leadership and claim to speak for all blacks in this nation."
Counterprotester: 'What has he sacrificed for his beliefs? Us'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: November 26, 2003
5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
A rally in downtown Chicago led by Rev. Jesse Jackson turned into a protest against the black leader himself.
Jackson's Rainbow Push Coalition is trying to rally the thousands of disenfranchised young Chicagoans unemployed or not in school. But a group of people unhappy with Jackson's leadership organized a protest of their own yesterday that sometimes drowned out the more-jobs message, reported WLS-TV in Chicago.
With boos, bullhorns and verbal jabs, a group called VOTE said they had had enough of what they call the rhetoric in the African-American community.
"We are tired of coming here to voice our opinion when we got African-American people sitting at the table and saying they represent our interests and playing this puppet game," said one protester, according to WLS.
VOTE says it is comprised of ex-offenders, community activists, church leaders and Muslims.
Leaders aligned with Jackson were demanding unions set up a trade school in Chicago to train workers.
After the rally, Jackson told WLS why he had come under fire from protesters.
"They lashed out at Dr. King, they lashed out at Nelson Mandela, they lashed out at Jesus, so all of those who fight for change become the object of frustration," Jackson said.
VOTE member John Johnson said of Jackson: "What has he sacrificed for his beliefs? Us. We've been sacrificed. On the altar of his political ambition our people have been destroyed."
WLS asked Jackson if the counter-protest distracted from his message.
"It distracts from the message but it shows the pain," he said.
Many blacks, however, are distancing themselves from establishment leaders such as Jackson. Among them are "the other Jesse," Jesse Lee Peterson, the author of "Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America," published by WND Books,
"I don't recall the entire black race in this country taking a national vote to elect Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan, the NAACP, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the Congressional Black Caucus or liberal black preachers as our leaders," Peterson writes, "yet they've seized the mantle of leadership and claim to speak for all blacks in this nation."