Posts Tagged ‘Al Sharpton’

Tony Wafford

In an exclusive heard here in The Mo’Kelly Report, former plaintiff Sharon Song Byrd detailed her allegations of sexual harassment and battery against former employer and Al Sharpton confidante, Tony Wafford.

Originally Song Byrd was awarded $60,000 in compensatory damages for her troubles, but recently the court handed down a second judgment against Wafford in the amount of $235,972 in court and legal fees.

Oh my damn!

And you know how we do it here…only the facts and documentation.

Click HERE.

The Mo’Kelly Report is a syndicated politics and entertainment journal. Visit http://mrmokelly.com for the latest from Mr. Mo’Kelly. Contact him at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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Another EXCLUSIVE from The Mo’Kelly Report.

Tony Wafford

Tony Wafford of the National Action Network (NAN) will have to pony up $60,000 for his part in the sexual harassment of former employee Sharon Song Byrd while they worked together as part of the NAN sister organization, Palms Residential Care Facility.

The judgment was handed down Tuesday! (Damn Mo’Kelly is fast!)

Pursuant to the original verdict, NAN announced that Wafford would be taking a leave of absence and Sharpton questioned the motives of Song Byrd, intimating that the plaintiff was trying to shakedown NAN.

Mo’Kelly spoke with Song Byrd’s attorney Jeffrey Cowan earlier today and he offered the following:

Although we were hoping the judgment would have been more substantial, we are pleased that the judge recognized the real abuse my client suffered. The most important thing is that the judge sends a message that can’t be ignored. If you commit a civil rights violation, you can be held responsible for your actions.”

Cowan also indicated that he will be filing a motion for Wafford to pay for all of Song Byrd’s legal fees, which will be both extensive and expensive given the 2.5 years the case has been in existence.  The $60,000 will likely grow exponentially in nature with a solid judgment to undergird it.

No word from NAN on this latest announcement, but the information has been forwarded to NAN spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger for comment.

See the court documents HERE.

Related: 

Mo’Kelly Interviews Plaintiff Sharon Song Byrd (Part I)

Mo’Kelly Interviews Song Byrd (Part II)

The Mo’Kelly Report is a syndicated politics and entertainment journal.  Visit http://mrmokelly.com for the latest from Mr. Mo’Kelly and contact him at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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New York Times…where the hell have YOU been?

Personally, Mo’Kelly thinks this article was unnecessary.  It alleges the silence of Sharpton in the debate over the alleged sexual assault of a Black housekeeper by Dominique Strauss-Kahn is both noticeable very “new” in nature.

Only if you haven’t been following Sharpton since Barack Obama became president would you see this as anything “new.”  Ever since the inauguration, it’s been obvious Sharpton has taken a very conciliatory tone in regards to the federal government specifically and issues of race more broadly.

Publicly, Sharpton would say he has “grown” but professionally it’s obvious that his access to mainstream acceptance (read: MSNBC) and political relevance (read: presidential confidante) are tied to softening the rigidity of his outward demeanor.

Some in African-American circles would allege that Sharpton has sold out.  No, he just made a business decision which best suits his longevity.  There is a difference.  You can’t be an MSNBC host and protesting “the man” on a corner in Harlem whenever it suits you.  Can’t have it both ways and Sharpton understands that.  You can’t go on a poverty concert tour by way of a bus, simultaneously complaining about not being invited to the White House and expect to be taken seriously by the White House.

Let Mo’Kelly know your thoughts about this piece…

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In the three months that the city and a good portion of the world buzzed about the hotel housekeeper and the French man of power, voices big and small spoke up for one side or the other, or simply urged that justice be found in a courtroom. There were news conferences, rallies, protests, cable-TV exhortations.

But one New York staple has been silent throughout the debate over the housekeeper, Nafissatou Diallo, and the French man of power,Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a voice many would have expected to be among the loudest: the Rev. Al Sharpton, the provocative civil rights activist.

He has apparently said nothing publicly, issued no position statement. He has not shown up at rallies centered on the case.

Why?

“It’s a good question that I’d like to know the answer to,” said Assemblyman Eric A. Stevenson, a Bronx Democrat who has been outspokenabout seeing the case go to trial. “I’ve wondered, ‘Where is Al Sharpton?’ ”

On the face of it, it seems precisely like the sort of sensational and polarizing case that Mr. Sharpton, a master of sound bites, has habitually inserted himself into, at megaphone volume: Ms. Diallo, a housekeeper at the Sofitel New York, accusing Mr. Strauss-Kahn, then the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, of raping her when she arrived to clean his room. And then the case collapsing after her credibility came into question, with the charges being dismissed.

FULL STORY HERE.

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. For the most recent posts of Mr. Mo’Kelly, visit http://mrmokelly.com.  Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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Listen HERE!

Here in part two of my two-part conversation with Sharon Song Byrd, we go in-

Sharon Song Byrd

depth as to the professional relationship between Tony Wafford and Rev. Al Sharpton and his recent public response penned by Sharpton in response to Song Byrd.

Publicly, Rev. Sharpton has alleged and intimated that Song Byrd’s motivations are connected to money in the form of a threat of a future lawsuit of the National Action Network. Song Byrd responds clearly and resoundingly in this part of our conversation and also gives further insight to back-channel communications between her, the National Action Network and community activist Najee Ali.

There are a number of oddities and irregularities in the public responses from the National Action Network. In emails sent by Rachel Noerdlinger of NAN and published here in The Mo’Kelly Report , Noerdlinger offered privileged information from the case and argumentation verbatim presented by Tony Wafford’s attorney during the proceedings. Seemingly this was done in an attempt to discredit Song Byrd.

It struck Mo’Kelly as highly odd how the National Action Network could on one hand claim ignorance of the proceedings, yet take an active stance in siding with Wafford by using information provided to them via his lawyer. It’s a one-foot-in, one-foot-out approach. If NAN was truly unaware of the case, and the affairs of Wayford relative to the case are completely unrelated to NAN, then the emails and posturing are contradictory at best, sinister at worst.

Today in  The Mo’Kelly Report we present Part Two of Sharon Song Byrd…in Her Own Words. Listen and decide for yourself.

Listen HERE!

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. For the most recent posts of Mr. Mo’Kelly, visit http://mrmokelly.com.  Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

Free Subscription to The Mo’Kelly Report HERE

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Listen HERE!

Sharon Song Byrd

Sharon Song Byrd is still very much uncomfortable discussing the details behind what led up to her successful lawsuit against Tony Wafford of the National Action Network. In close to three hours of conversation, Song Byrd recounted at length and great detail her fear of Wafford showing up at her house at all hours of the night, throwing rocks at her window and an overall inability to accept the fact that his advances were unwanted.

In fact, Song Byrd is still skittish about letting any man know where she lives and requested our conversation be on neutral ground.

I obliged.

So please excuse the sounds of the passing traffic and cooling fans. This was not a typical studio conversation and Song Byrd’s story is anything but typical. Although a similar request was made to Tony Wafford to hear his side on these issues, the request went unanswered.

From evidence concerning questionable accounting and employment practices designed to avoid paying payroll taxes, to extensive police reports and a book’s worth of instant messages printed as proof of a rapport…Song Byrd’s record keeping is exceptional. It would take the average person weeks to effectively comb through and digest all of her material, despite its neat and orderly presentation.

It is voluminous, precise and formidable.

Today in The Mo’Kelly Report, I am pleased to present Part One of a two-part conversation with Song Byrd. In Part One, Song Byrd details the nature of her employment relationship with Tony Wafford, the abuse she endured and the .357 magnum that Wafford illegally carried with him daily as an unstated reminder.

Friday in Part Two, Song Byrd in her own words responds to Reverend Al Sharpton’s recent open letter, offering behind the scenes information which may shed a different light on these issues; whether she ever intended to sue the National Action Network, and in closing offer advice to other women who may find themselves in similar straits.

The story thus far has centered around Song Byrd, Wafford and Sharpton, but it is also worthy of mention that it should also include Wafford friend and confidante Democratic California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who went so far as taking then Senator and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to Wafford’s home, even though Wafford was in the midst of a sexual harassment and battery lawsuit.

Let’s not be naïve, Waters would likely claim ignorance (as does Sharpton) concerning these issues as they were transpiring, but unlike Sharpton she has had offered nothing publicly on these issues since the story broke.

Let’s not be naïve but let’s also be clear.

Congresswoman Waters having nothing to say in the wake of the mistreatment and abuse of an African-American woman in her own backyard says volumes. For all the talk of Sharpton, there should be some concerning Waters too.  Mo’Kelly will hit more on that in the coming days.

But I digress…

With no further ado…Sharon Song Byrd, in her own words Part One…another exclusive from The Mo’Kelly Report.

Listen HERE!

WARNING: This conversation contains objectionable language and imagery; wholly unsuitable for children. Please use discretion when listening in the presence of young people.

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. For the most recent posts of Mr. Mo’Kelly, visit http://mrmokelly.com.  Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

Free Subscription to The Mo’Kelly Report HERE

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Mo’Kelly sits for more than 3 hours with Sharon Song Byrd who has been in an open letter battle of late with Rev. Al Sharpton over Tony Wafford.  In an exclusive for The Mo’Kelly Report, Sharon details her side of the issues leading up to her successful lawsuit against Wafford, her intentions relative to Sharpton in the wake of the verdict and her advice for women who may find themselves in similar situations.

Sharon Song Byrd…in her own words…

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. For the most recent posts of Mr. Mo’Kelly, visit http://mrmokelly.com.  Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

Free Subscription to The Mo’Kelly Report HERE

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From EURWEB.com

Dear Ms. Byrd (C/o Lee Bailey):

I am in receipt of an open letter stating that it came from you. If in fact it did come from you let me say that this is the first communication we have received from you personally. In fact, the first knowledge we had of this matter at all was a little over three-weeks-ago, even though according to your letter and public reports the legal matter was over a year old.

At the time, we also received a call from a community leader who said they were in touch with you stating that you wanted to sue National Action Network and/or me. Despite the fact that we could not confirm that the message came from you or a legal representative of yours, we immediately turned it over to our General Counsel.

At the time we were clearly confused as to why we were being brought into a case that was seemingly over a year old and why we were being asked for money. Our General Counsel was instructed to alert the Los Angeles authorities, if in fact this was real.

For the record, Mr. Wafford served as Chairman of the Los Angeles Chapter and was voted in from the members of that chapter and he has never been a salaried member of our staff. According to the public information we have reviewed, the activities alleged were related to his and your employment with an organization that has nothing to do with us. Therefore, we had no direct action that could be taken over an employee. We could, however, look into the matter if it were coming from a woman in our community stating that she had been violated and wanted us to take the position of either standing up for her rights or disassociating ourselves from the person violating her rights. We did not have a direct appeal from you or any of the organizations you listed. In fact, we have heard nothing from you prior to the open letter, if in fact you issued the letter sent to us by a reporter.

As you stated we have represented many cases over our 20-year history, from Sean Bell to Michael Jackson, and from the Jena Six to Amadou Diallo. We have never gotten involved in a case without the victim coming to us and our legal team and victims unit being able to vet the information so that we were completely secure that we could withstand being sued by the accused. I may add you wrongfully stated that we were involved in the Duke Lacrosse case. We were not involved in that case because we never directly heard from the victim and therefore could not vet the public allegation. Having said that, we are obligated and committed to take seriously any claims of injustice that anyone brings to us, particularly if it involves people associated with us in any form or fashion, and we would aggressively do it very publicly if in fact we had the information and could assess the situation with the aggrieved party and/or victim. To do so otherwise would open us up to moving forward publicly without due diligence and we would be subject to serious litigation from the accused who could rightfully say that we had no basis to make a statement or take action.

Mr. Wafford and an attorney sent us a letter after the issue went public three-weeks-ago, at which time he removed himself from his voluntary position through a “leave of absence.”  We never heard from you directly or from any person claiming to represent you, other than the one community leader that stated rightfully or wrongly that you sought some finances from National Action Network and/or me. If in fact it is your intention to legally seek finances from National Action Network and/or me as told to us, I would urge you to immediately have your legal representative contact our General Counsel Attorney Michael Hardy to discuss this. If that is not the case and as a member of our community you seek us to look into the matter and take a public position on your behalf then we would request that you and/or a representative of yours or the support organizations you mention, contact Attorney Hardy and state that this is the position and we will aggressively and expeditiously look into this situation.

We as an organization, and I as a leader of this organization, take very seriously all injustice. However, we cannot move on situations that we  are not aware of, and we cannot proceed without protecting ourselves by investigating the information. We have been sued, jailed and disparaged in many cases that we have chose to stand up for so we always proceed with
a perfect balance of speed and caution.

I respond to you publicly because this is the only communication that I have received from you or any support groups and I anxiously await for someone to contact our national General Counsel if in fact that is your petition to us.

In Progress,

Reverend Al Sharpton

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. For the most recent posts of Mr. Mo’Kelly, visit http://mrmokelly.com.  Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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Song Byrd, who recently was awarded a jury verdict in her lawsuit against National

Tony Wafford

Action Network executive Tony Wafford (WAY-furd) is not satisfied with Wafford only taking “leave of absence” and has now penned an open letter, blasting Rev. Al Sharpton.

Read it HERE!

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. For the most recent posts of Mr. Mo’Kelly, visit http://mrmokelly.com.  Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

Free Subscription to The Mo’Kelly Report HERE

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Twitter – @mrmokelly