THE CORNER STORE 360

Rev. Al Sharpton and members of his National Action Network will picket in front of The New York Post headquarters (1211 6th Ave between 47th and 48th Sts.) at noon on Thursday in protest of a cartoon in Wednesday’s edition that allegedly links President Barack Obama to the 200-pound chimp that was killed for attacking its owner’s friend this week.

The cartoon refers to Travis The Chimp, who was shot to death by Stamford, Conn. Police on Monday after it mauled a friend of its owner. The cartoon, created by Sean Delonas, depicts a dead chimp and two police officers, one with a smoking gun.

“They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”

On Wednesday, Rev. Sharpton released a statement calling the cartoon offensive and divisive. It reads:

“The cartoon in today’s New York Post is troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual reference to this when in the cartoon they have police saying after shooting a chimpanzee….”

Sharpton said:

“Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama (the first African American president) and has become synonymous with him it is not a reach to wonder are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill?”

The cartoonist called the controversy “absolutely friggin’ ridiculous” in a statement to CNN late Wednesday:

“Do you really think I’m saying Obama should be shot? I didn’t see that in the cartoon. It’s about the economic stimulus bill. If you’re going to make that about anybody, it would be [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi, which it’s not.”

NY Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan also stood behind the cartoon:

“The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington’s efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.”