Rev. Al Sharpton, Councilman Charles Barron Denounce Tony Yayo’s Alleged Assault Of 14-Year-Old

The Rev. Al Sharpton joined a group of people today (Apr. 2) who spoke out about an incident involving the son of Czar Entertainment founder Jimmy "Henchmen" Rosemond and G-Unit member Tony Yayo.According to reports, Yayo, allegedly backhanded the 14-year-old boy for wearing a Czar Entertainment T-shirt and shouted curse words towards the company on […]

The

Rev. Al Sharpton

joined a group of people today (Apr. 2) who spoke out about

an incident involving the son of Czar Entertainment founder Jimmy "Henchmen"

Rosemond and G-Unit member Tony Yayo.According

to reports, Yayo, allegedly backhanded the 14-year-old boy for wearing a Czar

Entertainment T-shirt and shouted curse words towards the company on Mar. 20,

as the boy headed to his internship at Czar Entertainment. Yayo,

born Marvin Bernard, was later booked on Mar. 25 on one count of misdemeanor assault

and one count of endangering the welfare of a minor and was released on $5,000

bail. He

is scheduled to return to court on Apr. 25.The

boy is the son of Rosemond, an industry executive who manages Compton, CA rapper

The Game and has a well known rivalry with 50 Cent and G-Unit.Rosemond’s

son accused 50 Cent of ordering the attack, charges 50 Cent has denied and dismissed

as false. Today

(Apr. 2), protesters picketed outside the Manhattan offices of the Universal Music

Group, with signs that read "ban

50 Cent" and "save your children." Sharpton,

city Councilman Charles Barron, Ramirez’s ex-girlfriend and son Stephanie

Hires and Stiles Ramirez, Czar executive Bryce Wilson, Cynthia Reed (mother of

Rosemond’s son) and others appeared during the press conference and denounced

50 Cent, Tony Yayo and other associated with the rappers. Sharpton

referenced the death of Busta Rhymes’ bodyguard Israel Ramirez, as well as several

violent altercations, since he hosted a "peace summit" in Mar. 2005

at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.The

conference was held after the rivalry between 50 Cent and G-Unit ended with one

man associated with The Game being shot in front of New York’s Hot 97, while Violator’s

W. 25 St. office (on the same street as Czar Entertainment’s offices) was subsequently

riddled with bullets"I’m

not here to take sides, I’m here to say that all sides are letting us down and

need to come down to the table again and create a level of decency and respect

for the communities that has been the basis of your wealth," Sharpton said.

"We put the ‘I.N.G.’ in your bling bling [and] have no choice but then to try

and [take] ‘the’ “I.N.G.” out your bling bling by withdrawing our support commercially

of your records and your use of airwaves.” Cynthia

Reed, the mother of Rosemond’s 14-year-old son, called on various business

partners of G-Unit like Marc Ecko, Vitamin Water, adidas/Reebok, to condemn Yayo’s

actions or be faced with a boycott. She

called on Universal Music Group Chairman and CEO Doug Morris and Interscope Records’

founder and CEO Jimmy Iovine to condemn Yayo’s action and asked 50 Cent: “are

you a business man or are you running a mob?” Stephane

Hires, an ex-girlfriend of Ramirez, had a child with Busta Rhymes’ slain bodyguard

Israel Ramirez. Police

are seeking to question Yayo in the murder of Ramirez, who was shot and killed

on Feb. 6 on the set of of Rhymes’ "Touch It (Remix)" video shoot, during

an altercation between a group of men associated with Yayo and an entourage connected

to superstar producer Swizz Beatz. Police

believe the gunman who murdered Ramirez was with Yayo and that the G-Unit rapper

may have fled in the same vehicle as the gunman. While

Swizz Beatz and Yayo have made amends, Ramirez’ murder remains unsolved because

of a lack of cooperation from the rappers and various witnesses, according to

police. Along

with her six-year-old son, Hires condemned Yayo’s actions.“We

shouldn’t have to be here today, but unfortunately due to an act of senseless

violence we are," Hires said. "This young man [her son] Stiles Ramirez

is why I am here. You may have forgotten, but I can’t and he won’t,

that his father was senselessly murdered at a video shoot on Feb. 6, 2006. Young

men today face many obstacles already. As a community we have to take responsibility

and protect them from harm."City

Councilman Charles

Barron also expressed his outrage at the abuse of a child and the escalating

violence within the rap community."It

is out of control," Barron said. "We gotta deal with the police who

are out of control. Then we gotta deal with some of our own people who are out

of control. I’m on the side of black youth who should be able to walk this

community without being abused because of some foolishness that adults who are

making bling, money, whatever you’re making, you shouldn’t even be involved

in dealing with beefs that will lead to more death and destruction of our people.

Let’s use Hip-Hop for liberation and revolution, and not foolishness.”

Sharpton

called for a sit down to resolve the issue."Am

I blaming a specific person for this beating, I don’t know. I know he [Rosemond’s

son] didn’t beat himself. I don’t know who killed her husband [Israel

Ramirez]. I know he didn’t commit suicide. Something is going on and we need

to be responsible enough and courageous enough to address that. I appeal to all

sides to let us sit down. I’ll go anywhere, anytime, meet with anybody, to

try and bring about some level of accord and some level of respect. Because these

ultimately are our kids.” 50

Cent denied any connection to the incident in a statement issued to AllHipHop.com

on Sunday (Apr. 1). “I

have authorized an independent investigation of the incident to determine whether

anyone associated with G-Unit Records was involved in the confrontation,"

50 Cent said. "I must state for the record, that I was at my home in Farmington,

Connecticut the entire day completing songs for my new album.”