Dr. Boyce on CNN Paula Zahn Thursday night at 8 pm EST

Note to Al Sharpton and Russell Simmons – Slow ya Damn Roll

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

OK, I need to quit.  I’m going to say some things that will get me into trouble, but as my mother used to say “Boyce, your mouth will either make you great or get you killed, I’m curious to see which one!”  I have thought and spoken extensively on the Michael Vick dog fighting situation.  I have debated the issue with professors, journalists and brothers at the barbershop.  Most of us agree that dog fighting is not acceptable, and that Vick might go down faster than Vanilla Ice with ankle weights.  

But I almost jumped out of my “drawz” when I read the latest moves by The Rev. Al Sharpton and Russell Simmons.  Together, they have joined with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and the Humane Society to write letters to Vick’s corporate sponsors condemning his actions.  “Wow,” I thought to myself.  “They’re really trying to get a brother fired.”

I like Al Sharpton, and I’ve been on shows with him in the past, but I can’t help but wonder if that perm on his head was strapped down too tight. Teaming up with PETA to go after Michael Vick’s sponsors?  What the hell are you thinking? Russell Simmons is usually as apolitical as a piece of chicken, and when it comes to being controversial, he is usually as chicken as a piece of chicken.  I am not sure why a hip hop mogul like Simmons would get involved with a case involving an athlete accused of dog fighting.  And a pastor like Al Sharpton teaming up with PETA makes as much sense as a hamster having sex with a phone book. Their actions wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that they’re all black, would it?

The peculiar partnership between Al Sharpton, Russell Simmons and PETA also makes no sense because many PETA members HATE Michael Vick.  Understandable, but they are jumping the gun.  Whatever happened to something called “innocent until proven guilty”?  Two black leaders teaming up with PETA to go after Vick’s corporate sponsors borders on serious, intense, pathological haterology.  That’s like me getting together with my brother’s worst enemy to tell a woman down the street that my brother is cheating on her.  If Vick is already getting publicly lynched for allegedly committing a crime, should we go out and buy extra rope?  Sadly enough, these events can make the rest of the world think that someone may have been bought.  Not to say that anyone is being underhanded, but this looks as suspicious as R. Kelly in an elementary school.

Had Vick been white, this pact between PETA, Sharpton and Simmons never would have happened.  Were Sharpton or Simmons white, they would never have been asked to participate in the condemnation.  Why IN THE WORLD people would be allowed to pit blackness against blackness in such a humiliating way is absolutely beyond me.  

I am not a fan of what Michael Vick might have done.  Cruelty to animals is inexcusable, so if found guilty, he should be seriously punished.  But to go after him so early in the process is borderline asinine on the part of all parties.  Al and Russell, I love you both and I am sure that when I see you, you will glare at me like Mike Tyson at a bucket full of earlobes.  But in this case, I must be the one to tell you:  You’re both dead and horrifically wrong.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “What if George Bush were a Black Man?” He makes regular appearances in national media including CNN, ESPN, CBS and FOX.  For more information, please visit www.boycewatkins.com.

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Reader comment - Please send your own!

Dear Mr. Watkins,

I recently read your article on Al Shaprton and Russell Simmons joining forces with PETA to protest the actions of Mick Vick and I thought there was one point that was left out that needs to be told. A  year or so ago PETA launched an anti animal cruelty campaign/exhibit  that compared animal abuse to the enslavement of Africans in America. Now, I am no animal hater, I have owned dogs of all breeds for the majority of my 34 years and I would never engage in the cruel and barbaric actions that Vick is accused of. However, to compare the way a dairy farmer milks cows or how a poultry  farmer raises his chickens to the brutality inflicted on millions of innocent Africans and their families is a slap in the face to African Americans and a blatant disrespect to the legacy of  those once held in bondage here in America. Its also worth noting that PETA launched a similar campaign using the Nazi holocaust in place of slavery however that display was cancelled after the ADL complained. However PETA refused to discontinue the traveling exhibit comparing animal abuse to slavery even after thousands of African American voiced their displeasure and distaste for this exhibit. What this clearly tells me is that PETA has no interest in being sensitive to the oppression, past and present, of African Americans and the fact that Sharpton and Simmons would join with PETA suggest that these men are more interested in getting media coverage than with advancing the causes of African Americans.

Sincerely

Dalton Roberson Jr.

By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports July 26, 2007 RICHMOND, Va. – The crowded, chaotic sidewalk on Main Street, across from the federal courthouse, was an unlikely location for a lesson on the virtues of the fifth amendment. But standing behind a throng that wanted a pound of Michael Vick's flesh – people that had just screamed for the Atlanta Falcons quarterback to "burn in hell" and held signs advocating his murder, torture and neutering – was Thomas Smith in work boots and a white t-shirt. High above his head he held a simple sign with just a single word: "Constitution." "These folks have convicted a man who hasn't even had a chance to defend himself," said Smith. "They just forget everything about America." But here was America in full force, full vision, mixing it up while Vick pled not guilty to federal charges pertaining to an alleged dog-fighting ring on property he owned in rural Surry County. And front and center, impossible to ignore, was race.

On the other side was an emotional, angry, passionate anti-Vick group that was overwhelmingly white.

Certainly not every animal rights supporter was screaming for Vick to die. Many were just there to support the cause of caring for animals, ending the barbaric practice of dog fighting and using the massive media presence to benefit good.

But a significant number were focused on Vick. When he emerged from a black SUV and made a slow walk up a ramp and into the courthouse, they pushed toward police barriers and let loose.

"Burn in hell you (expletive) (expletive)," repeatedly screamed one woman.

"Die like those dogs," shouted another.

Not long after Vick got inside the courthouse – and in a scene that was repeated when he left less than two hours later – the two sides clashed in shouted voices and dueling signs.

White people screaming for justice; black people asking if they still remember everything justice entails.

That a case involving dog fighting can break so quickly along racial lines is a testament to how it bubbles below just about everything in this country. We all wish it wasn't so, including both sides here. No one wanted this. Almost no one even wanted to acknowledge it. But it was there, plain as day in black and white.

"I wouldn't say it's a racial thing," said David Williams, an African American, in a hopeful tone. "It's not racial. But for these animal rights people to take one person and crucify him isn't fair."

The thing is, the "animal rights people" here were an estimated 90 percent white. The pro-Vick/due process crowd was probably 95 percent black.

Obviously, both animal rights advocates and due process proponents come in all colors. And certainly a circus show like this, revved up by a massive media presence, isn't representative of America.

But, then again, I also know what I saw and what I heard.

"They are not going to give the man a chance?" Williams said. "You're innocent until proven guilty. He hasn't even had a trial yet."

There should be two undeniable, 100 percent agreed upon truths concerning this case: First, dog fighting is a barbaric felony and whoever participated in it on Vick's property should get hammered by the justice system.

Second, Vick deserves the right to defend against the charges. The indictment cites four "cooperating witnesses," but presuming each is a dog fighter himself, potentially facing prosecution unless they rolled on Vick, who and how reliable are they?

That said, the U.S. Attorney's office is known for its detail and diligence – this isn't some hack county prosecutor like the Duke lacrosse case. They rarely lose, so the challenge for Vick is serious and significant. But he has the right to fight.

"This is going to be a hard-fought trial," agreed Billy Martin, Vick's attorney.

It may not be any less intense than the scene out on Main Street, where two sides, clearly divided and easily identifiable, both anchored in righteous beliefs and moral causes went at it.

Two black women held a sign declaring: "I support Mike Vick due process." That caused vocal jeering from the protesters, which in turn caused the women to taunt them back by waving the sign at them. Later two men had to be separated by security as their debate descended toward physical confrontation, all as a crowd surrounded shouting in all directions.

And on and on it went on this hot Southern sidewalk.

Dan Wetzel is Yahoo! Sports' national columnist. Send Dan a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.