For King Day, City Elite Pay Tribute on Sharpton Turf

The Reverend Al Sharpton may be a long-shot candidate for president in 2008, but yesterday he ranked above all the politicians who came through the doors of his Harlem organization to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

At one point Rev. Sharpton, who last week said he was considering running for president in 2008, joked to Governor Spitzer that Rev. Sharpton was "governor" of the House of Justice, which serves as home for his National Action Network.

The King day forum served as a platform for dozens of politicians, including Mr. Spitzer; Mayor Bloomberg; the state's new attorney general, Andrew Cuomo; the new Democratic chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Charles Rangel; and others planning to run for higher office in the near future.

The event was one of several requisite stops, including the annual Martin Luther King event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, for city elected officials.

Rev. Sharpton used the event to call for policy changes in the wake of the police killing of Sean Bell, who was shot 50 times over Thanksgiving weekend. Rev. Sharpton told the crowd packed into his storefront space that he wanted a state summit to examine policing issues, including testing undercover officers for alcohol consumption when they are involved in a shooting.

Mr. Spitzer — who met with Bell's family before speaking — did not directly answer the call for a summit. He used the event to vow further investment in minority-owned business and the public education system, and to make it easier for low-income New Yorkers to borrow money to purchase a home.

The governor also touted his appointment Sunday of an African-American, Theodore Jones, to the state's highest court and a decision he made earlier this month to reduce the cost of collect calls from inmates in New York prisons.

"How many people have struggled and said, ‘Wait a minute, I have a loved one already doing time, but that doesn't mean I should be paying three, four, 10 times what it costs just to make a phone call to somebody,'" Mr. Spitzer said.

Others, such as Lieutenant Governor David Paterson and Mr. Rangel, said King would have staunchly opposed the Iraq war, as he did with Vietnam.

"Let us remember that the same people who oppose a draft now said 30 years ago, during the Vietnam War, that a real American would serve his or her country," Mr. Paterson said.

"What would Martin say if he saw in this country over 3,000 Americans would be killed in a foreign country and the president can go on national television and say, ‘I made a mistake?'" Mr. Rangel said.

Mr. Bloomberg, who is considered a potential presidential candidate himself, restricted his comments to city issues and to the 2008 race.

He noted that a number of New Yorkers are considering running for the White House, but said earlier in the day: "My personal favorite, the person that I am going to endorse if he chooses to run as a New Yorker, is Congressman Rangel. I think Congressman Rangel would be a great president."

Mr. Rangel has not expressed any interest in running for president and seems happy with his new position in Congress. The mayor's remark seemed designed to butter up Mr. Rangel, who could bring back funds for New York in his new role, and to tease Rev. Sharpton, who was clearly in charge yesterday.