Al Sharpton's civil rights organization National Action Network announced plans to picket Madison Square Garden after the venue announced an indefinite ban on Charles Oakley.
Mediaite reported that Sharpton's group announced plans on Monday.
Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton is calling on New York Knicks Owner James Dolan to immediately lift the ban against Charles Oakley, after conversing with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and agreeing that the policy has not been reinforced with other players. Rev. Sharpton is calling upon Mr. Dolan to lift the ban and reinstate Mr. Oakley’s privileges. In the event that the ban is not lifted, NAN’s Northeast Regional Director Kirsten John Foy is mobilizing people to picket Madison Square Garden in solidarity.
The New York Knicks legend was banned from the arena after an altercation. The Knicks owner claims that Oakley was engaging in abusive behavior from the moment he entered MSG on Wednesday.
Oakley was sitting a few rows behind Dolan when he got into an altercation with security and was ejected from the Garden.
NBC analyst Charles Barkley said that he wishes the drama would go away after dominating the basketball world for six days.
"This is probably the silliest, most b.s. thing I’ve ever seen in my 30 years in the NBA," Barkley said. "This was a waste of time, waste of energy. It’s a bad look for the Knicks. It’s a bad look for Charles Oakley. It’s a bad look for the NBA. And I cannot believe we’re wasting all our time on this crap."
EJ, Chuck, Kenny & Shaq react to Adam Silver’s statement regarding Charles Oakley and the Knicks... pic.twitter.com/Nzo5qrk1Qh
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 14, 2017
The New York Post reports that Oakley's ban has been lifted and only lasted four days. Both Dolan and Oakley met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Monday.