Al Sharpton-led March Canceled Over Concerns For Officer Safety
On Saturday, organizers announced they had canceled a march in Cleveland that was scheduled to be led by Al Sharpton on the eve of the Republican National Convention, citing concern for the safety of police officers and participants in the wake of the Dallas police shootings, cleveland.com reports.
The march was slated to be part of a larger event, called “Keep the Promise,” which has the stated goal of calling on Republicans and the RNC to, “articulate clear domestic and global policies on HIV/AIDS, income inequality and other critical social-justice issues.” The event, sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and being held on Cleveland State University’s campus, will feature speeches by Cornel West and “Orange is the New Black” actress Diane Guerrero, and a performance by The Roots.
In other words, there will still be plenty of of pre-RNC sitting, dancing, and swaying in place, just no marching around. Too dangerous.
Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, told cleveland.com:
In the current uncertain environment nationwide, we are concerned for police officers who would be charged with protecting our marchers and advocates as well as for the safety and wellbeing of our march participants….We feel strongly that remaining on campus at The Holstein Center at Cleveland State University allows us to share our ‘Keep the Promise’ message loudly and clearly without increased risk for police and all participants in the event.