POP Protests Racist NY Post Cartoon
The People's Organization for Progress help a protest here, Feb. 21 at Broad and Market Streets against a racist cartoon published by the New York Post. The cartoon showed two cops with smoking guns standing over a dead ape. One cop is saying, “They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”
The reference to President Barack Obama is plain. As well as the ugly racist comparison of black people to apes, the cartoon carries a chilling overtone of incitement to assassination.
Protesters chanted, “Don't read the Post – shut 'em down.” They called for a boycott and urged passersby to ask vendors in their neighborhoods to stop carrying the Post, a right-wing publication with an ugly, flagrant editorial policy of racism.
An upsurge of mass activity was clear. Protesters included veteran community activists and many unaffiliated people as well. Many young people were present. Other than POP, the New Black Panther Party, International Action Center and Freedom Road Socialist Organization were represented. Bystanders and passersby added their voices. “They write negative things about us all the time,” said one.
As the beginning of a boycott campaign POP distributed a leaflet that said, “People's Organization for Progress urges you not to purchase the New York Post for their hateful and racist cartoon of President Barack Obama.”
Noting that the day was the anniversary of the assassination of Malcom X, POP Chairman Lawrence Hamm said, “He'd say you're a fool if you buy a newspaper that attacks you. We're making people rich who hate us. There's old-time 1920s stuff in there. King Kong was all about you. They hate you, they hate what you are. Get your sports from another newspaper.”
