wfn.org | NCC APPEALS TO PATAKI FOR SHARPTON'S RELEASE FROM PRISON

["Carol Fouke" <carolf@ncccusa.org>]

Title:NCC APPEALS TO PATAKI FOR SHARPTON'S RELEASE FROM PRISON

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2227; news@ncccusa.org; www.ncccusa.org
67NCC7/25/01  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NCC APPEALS TO PATAKI FOR SHARPTON'S RELEASE FROM PRISON

	July 25, 2001, NEW YORK CITY - The General Secretary of the National
Council of Churches, Dr. Bob Edgar, has asked New York Governor George
Pataki in a July 24 letter to "do whatever is in your power" to secure the
release from prison of the Rev. Al Sharpton.

	Sharpton, a well-known human-rights activist and President of the New-York
City-based National Action Network, is being held for 90 days in the Federal
Correctional Facility in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was arrested May 23 for entering
the U.S. Naval Base on Vieques to protest Navy bombings on the island off
Puerto Rico, which the U.S. has long used as a site for war exercises.

	On behalf of the Council's 36 Protestant and Orthodox communions, whose
congregants in the U.S. number more than 50 million, Edgar called the length
of Sharpton's sentence "unjust" and "a disturbing message to those concerned
for freedoms in a democratic society."

	Edgar said the Council's interest in the case grows out of the
organization's efforts of more than 20 years, in partnership with Puerto
Rican churches, to end the bombings on Vieques and restore the island's
environment.

-end-

The full text of Dr. Edgar's letter follows:

July 24, 2001

The Honorable George E. Pataki
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Pataki:

I write to you today on behalf of the 36 Protestant and Orthodox communions
that make up the National Council of Churches regarding the incarceration of
the Rev. Al Sharpton in the Federal Correctional Facility in Brooklyn, New
York-where he is serving a three-month sentence for committing a peaceful
act of civil disobedience on Vieques. We believe the length of his sentence
is unjust and we urge you to do whatever is in your power to secure his
immediate release and to suspend the balance of his sentence.

The National Council of Churches' interest in this case grows out of our
participation in the movement to halt U.S. Navy war exercises on Vieques.
Our active support for this cause goes back more than 20 years and has
strengthened our historic ties with the churches of Puerto Rico. For
decades, we have spoken with one voice on the issue of Vieques, and our
denominational and ecumenical partners in Puerto Rico have also joined in
this latest call for justice for protestors on Vieques, including the Rev.
Sharpton.

The harsh sentence meted out to him for taking a principled and non-violent
action on Vieques is out of proportion to the gravity of his offense and,
thus, sends a disturbing message to those concerned for freedoms in a
democratic society. Coming at a time when President Bush has already
announced that Navy exercises on Vieques will come to an end, the severity
of the Rev. Sharpton's sentence raises questions as to why this
controversial figure is being detained for 90 days.

We and our partners in the Puerto Rican churches are concerned about all of
those imprisoned as a result of protests on Vieques. In addition to the Rev.
Sharpton, these include Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Lolita Lebron, a Puerto
Rican nationalist now in her 80s, and many others who have received
excessive penalties for entering the U.S. naval base on Vieques to protest
Navy bombings on the island. Because the Rev. Sharpton, unlike other
protestors, is currently imprisoned in a facility in New York, we appeal to
you as the Governor of the State of New York to intercede in this case.

Thank you for your consideration of this appeal. It comes with our heartfelt
prayers for you, as you carry out the weighty responsibilities of your
office.

Sincerely,

Bob Edgar
General Secretary