Former Rep. Allen West fears the Rev. Al Sharpton could fan the flames of racial unrest in New York City after a grand jury failed to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner last July.
"You're going to have a continuing circumstance of what you saw going on out in Ferguson and especially you need to be concerned because New York City is the home to the number one race baiter and rabble rouser, that Al Sharpton," West said Wednesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
Newsmax TV.
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Sharpton was one of several outspoken leaders demanding justice for Michael Brown, a black teen shot dead by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, during a confrontation in Ferguson, Missouri, last summer — an incident that sparked weeks of racial unrest.
"[Sharpton has] been sitting at the table with Mayor [Bill] de Blasio there and, of course, he has tried to have an incredible, huge impact on the police operations in New York," West said.
"He's already held a rally that was up there in New York City speaking against the New York Police Department. So I just expect the same thing."
The grand jury in the city's borough of Staten Island found no probable cause a crime was committed by Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who had his arm wrapped around the neck of Garner, who yelled "I can't breathe!"
The death of Garner — stopped on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes — was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.
West, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, is author of
"Guardian of the Republic: An American Ronin's Journey to Faith, Family and Freedom," written with Michele Hickford and published by Crown Forum.
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