NYPost

REV. AL MAY BOLT

By MAGGIE HABERMAN, ROBERT HARDT and BRIDGET HARRISON

November 3, 2001 -- The Rev. Al Sharpton yesterday threatened to call for a voter boycott of Tuesday's elections over lingering allegations of race-baiting by Mark Green's campaign.

Sharpton vowed that if his charges against Green's camp were not investigated, he would "begin an active campaign to suggest to New Yorkers who are against race-baiting and race-baiting politics to refrain from voting."

Sharpton, who had been backing Fernando Ferrer in the mayor's race, is steaming over a last-minute flurry of anti-Ferrer phone calls and fliers in last month's runoff contest.

Green has denied any involvement in the attacks, which some critics have charged were racially inflammatory.

"It is using racism, racial hysteria and racial fear, something that we cannot and should not and must not tolerate in the Democratic Party," Sharpton said.

"We will not be treated like the bastard children of the Democratic Party.

"Either we are going to be respected and protected, or we are going to refrain from participating in our own degradation."

During a press conference at his Harlem headquarters, Sharpton also stressed that he had not given his endorsement to Green.

A rattled Green delayed the start of his own press conference at PS 101 school in the Forest Hills section of Queens yesterday because he was talking to Sharpton on his cell phone.

Green said he had assured Sharpton that he would cooperate fully with an investigation by the Democratic National Committee into the allegations.

Green insisted that neither he nor anyone in his office had "cooperated with, encouraged or participated in any planned attack" on Sharpton or his association with Ferrer.

"It's slanderous for anyone to say that I willfully attacked Rev. Sharpton to get votes when I never did. Period," Green said.

Meanwhile, Ferrer and Bronx Democratic boss Roberto Ramirez were expected to skip a Democratic "unity" fund-raiser for Green last night featuring Bill and Hillary Clinton.

-- Anonymous, November 03, 2001