Race Wars

Ponder the question: Which city is more racially charged Jena, La., where six black youths are on trial for jumping a white boy, or Staten Island, N.Y, site of recent beating of a black youth?

According to Rev. Al Sharpton race issues are greater in Staten Island.

Sharpton made these comments after Staten Island district attorney decided not to charge the white men who beat a black man in Staten Island as a hate crime.

Skylar McCormick, 20, was beaten by Daniel Avissato, 24, and Mark Maleto, 21 (both White) after he sat on the hood of parked Cadillac last Tuesday, police said.

McCormick received a broken jaw. His three white friends were unharmed.

District attorney Daniel Donovan refused to charge the men with a hate crime because he could not prove the crime was not racially motivated. The two men were charged with gang assault.

"New York is becoming worse than Louisiana," Sharpton said. "We're going to Staten Island, Jena [La.], Washington – and we're going to bring out numbers like you've never seen before. If using 'ni**er' and only beating the Black out of three people isn't a hate crime, then what is a hate crime?"

"Enough is enough. We've got to stop hate in this town. We’re not fighting conservatives. We're fighting Confederates," he said.