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June 15, 2008
REV. AL SOAKS UP BOYCOTT BUCKS
NY Post
ISABEL VINCENT and SUSAN EDELMAN
In a dramatic flip-flop, Sharpton in 2000 blasted New York developer Bruce Ratner for paying low wages to workers at his Atlantic Mall in Brooklyn."We will not allow you to enslave our communities, Mr. Ratner," Sharpton told a rally. "You must meet with us - you must come to terms with the poverty you are creating using public dollars."
By 2004, the developer's company, Forest City Ratner, had begun to fork over thousands of dollars to NAN. Sharpton now strongly supports Ratner's proposed Atlantic Yards project, which includes a new arena for the New Jersey Nets.
"Just because Pepsi and other companies had me on their board advising them didn't mean that I wasn't blasting them all the time," said Sharpton.
"Look at Forest City Ratner. I blasted them and they came up with one of the best community agreements for blacks and Latinos."
Posted by amy at June 15, 2008 11:30 AM