Since arriving last week in Ferguson, Missouri, to protest the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, the Rev. Jesse Jackson has not limited his activities to rallying marchers, but has been talking about voter registration and soliciting donations for his church.
While stopping for lunch at a McDonald's franchise that had been looted by rioters, Jackson told onlookers that he was preparing to meet with local clergy to start a registration drive, reports
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Remarking on the absence of minorities in the Ferguson police force, Jackson said getting new voters is the way to bring about change.
"Five thousand new voters will transform the city from top to bottom," he said.
According to
The Daily Caller, Jackson and the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is supported by wealthy financier George Soros, have actively been trying to recruit new voters at various locations around the city.
They even have set up a voter registration table in the same area as a
memorial to Michael Brown.
Jackson is not only seeking votes, but money, as well, according to various reports.
On Aug. 16, during a march from an apartment complex to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Jackson took an opportunity to ask protesters for donations to his church, a move which drew boos and catcalls from those in attendance, reports
The International Business Times.
The booing was loud enough to force Jackson off the stage where he was making the remarks, reports the website
Twitchy.
The solicitation by the founder of the
Rainbow PUSH coalition was widely panned, and the outrage has been lighting up Twitter in recent days.
The
Independent Journal Review also featured a collection of astonished reaction tweets.
On Friday, Jackson was called a racial agitator by Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, and appeared on the network later that day to respond to the characterization.
"I think it's unfortunate for him to name-call and to stereotype in that way," Jackson told Fox News' Andrea Tantaros via satellite from Ferguson.
Story continues below video.
He denied that his actions were distracting the community from moving forward and said what was needed was a White House conference to attend to the needs of urban communities.
In recent weeks, Jackson has been pushing back against criticisms of civil rights activists like himself and the Rev. Al Sharpton. In an Aug. 11 letter, Jackson wrote that he found "these labels to be highly offensive, inciting, and creating deeper divisions between social justice groups and advocates who are working toward the same goals of social justice and equity."
He concluded the letter by invoking Dr. Martin Luther King, who he said was "a master at surfacing the hypocrisy in the arguments of our oppressors while respecting their humanity" and said "we must operate in the same manner."
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