Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Maybe They Were Looking For Hal Blarpton: NYPD Denies Spying On Al Sharpton
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 15, 2012
Modified Feb 15, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 15, 2012
Modified Feb 15, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
On Monday, NYPD chronicler Leonard Levitt (who is feared by the NYPD brass) reported, "An NYPD informant spied on the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network [NAN] as the group was organizing large-scale protests of the Sean Bell case acquittals, a police document shows. The confidential informant infiltrated a NAN meeting on May 3, 2008, and reported back to the NYPD's Intelligence Division, according to a document marked 'secret,' which was obtained by NYPD Confidential. The informant had attended the NAN meeting a week after a Queens judge had acquitted three detectives of the fatal 50-shot killing of Bell and the wounding of two of his friends in November, 2006."
The informant was dispatched to report on Sharpton's planned civil disobedience pray-ins, a protest against the acquittals. Additionally, Levitt noted, "The NYPD had continually spied on Sharpton in the 1980s after he came to prominence for championing the case of Tawana Brawley, a black girl who falsely claimed to have been raped by hooded white men. Two undercover police officers who spied on black protest groups in the 1980s told this reporter in 1998 that the department was so intent on discrediting Sharpton that they were tasked by their superiors to spread rumors that he was homosexual."
While NYPD "spokesman" Paul Browne did not respond to Levitt's queries for comment, Browne did respond to one from Capital New York's Azi Paybarah: "I emailed Browne to ask about the alleged spying incident, asking whether the department had an officer or informant providing information to them about Sharpton's activities without his knowledge. Brown's responded: 'Neither the Rev. Sharpton nor the National Action Network, but a separate individual who was present was the subject of the NYPD Intelligence Division‘s interest at the May 3, 2008 meeting in question.'" Ohhhh—a "separate individual."... maybe his name was "Hal Blarpton." Russell Simmons Tweeted his support of Sharpton, "Dear @TheRevAl Sharpton-- we got your back. #NYPDStopSpyingOnTheRev"
Tagged
al sharpton
nypd
NYPD spying
reverend al sharpton
sean bell
sean bell shooting
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Forest Hills Stadium can keep its concerts under deal with neighbors
Neighbors had complained of traffic and loud concerts for years.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 22, 2026
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
By
Charles Lane
Ex-Adams aide accused of pocketing kickbacks from community program funds
By
Samantha Max
MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .