Should David Clarke Jr. Be Allowed To Speak In Albany?

Former Sheriff David Clarke Jr is set to make an appearance in Albany to speak at the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police’s 2018 Annual Law Enforcement Vendor Exposition.

If you're not familiar with Sheriff he has a long list of controversial statements and blatant racism even though he is black. David Clarke Jr has often been compared to fictional character Uncle Ruckus from the cartoon boondocks. Uncle Ruckus who is an African American that has a lot of white supremacist views, this may sound crazy but look at some of Sheriff Clarke's statements below :

"Let me tell you why blacks sell drugs and involve themselves in criminal behavior instead of a more socially acceptable lifestyle: because they're uneducated, they're lazy and they're morally bankrupt. That's why."

In 2017, Clarke attracted attention and criticism for trading racial insults with Marc Lamont Hill, an African-American CNN commentator; on Twitter, Clarke used a racial slur ("jigaboo") to insult Hill.

These are direct quotes from the man and they sound like something a Klansmen would say. With all the attention being given in the media to police brutality and race relations in this country. You would think Sheriff Clarke would be the last choice as keynote speaker he was forced to resign because of allegations of misconduct.

This choice demonstrates a poor understanding of what the public needs and wants and is outright scary that Clarke is the number 1 choice to be a keynote speaker at such an event in New York State.

A petition is circulating, aimed at stopping a controversial former sheriff from speaking in Albany this week.

David Clarke Jr. will be the keynote speaker Wednesday at the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police's event at the Capital Center.