85 Days after Ken Gladney Beating by SEIU thugs, no charges filed, but the St. Louis media now coming after Gladney, painting him as an idiot shlub

Good grief. Story out of St. Louis these days is that the black conservative Ken Gladney, who was beaten senseless by SEIU thugs unleashed upon tea party protesters, is not a victim of a vicious crime, but rather a victim of capitalism! I'm not kidding! For those new to the controversy (I don't blame anyone as the MSM never really reported on it much), here is the video of Gladney being beaten outside the townhall of Dem Russ Carnahan:

One of the attackers was Elston McGowan - the Public Service Director of SEIU Local 2000 and a local Baptist minister. Yeah - you read that right. Not only that but get this (from Gateway Pundit): Perfect... Injured Thug Who Beat Ken Gladney Asks For Workman's Comp From the SEIU For His "Work" Injury. Baptists believe in the gift of tongues when one is baptized in the only Spirit. Apparently McGowan got the gift of fists instead. And irony I suppose. In any case, no charges have been filed 85 days after the attack. Speaking of attack, though, the media in St. Louis are instead going after the victim, Ken Gladney. From St. Louis News Blog via The Detroit News Politics blog: Why I Quit the Gravy Train Tea Parties: Confessions of a Former Political Swag Seller. You can sense the flavor of this piece already, no?

Errol Hosea King was shaking his head watching TV coverage of the Tea Party Express all last week. The 16-day, cross-country rally ended Saturday in Washington, D.C., with different news outlets suggesting wildly different attendance numbers for the final day.

Whether hundreds or thousands, a fired-up crowd equals easy money to a button-seller like King, who says that could have been him out there scooping up coin with fellow St. Louisans David Brown and Kenneth Gladney.

But King quit the political-swag-selling business just as the tea party tour got underway.

He contacted Daily RFT, he says, to air out a few frustrations with his former boss, Brown, and to set the record straight.

Brown, you might remember, is a white attorney who grabbed the headlines in August when Gladney, a black St. Louisan, was allegedly punched by SEIU members at a town hall meeting hosted by U.S. Congressman Russ Carnahan. (Video here.)

"Allegedly punched?" How about he was hospitalized! Sheesh. Talk about your media white-washing. The piece goes on to suggest that Brown is not really Gladney's attorney, but rather just a squirrel looking for a nut. Whatever. What is more relevant is what is said about the victim of a vicious attack. Here is the relevant snippet regarding Gladney, however:

Gladney swiftly became labeled in numerous national media outlets as "a black conservative activist" who was "handing out" political memorabilia when the SEIU members allegedly beat him up.

In fact, Gladney was selling the paraphernalia. He was working with The Political Mint, a business owned by David Brown and his sister Angela Brown, according to paperwork filed with the Missouri Secretary of State's Office.

Gladney went on to become a featured member of the Tea Party Express delegation, speaking at rallies across the country. He was identified as "American Patriot and SEIU Beating Victim."

King says he toiled for Brown as a swag-seller, and worked on several occasions with Gladney. "Kenneth is not a conservative and not an activist," says King. "He's a little naive, he's quiet, and he's not that politically astute. That's why you saw David doing most of the speaking for him early on."

See? Gladeny is a victim of capitalism, not SEIU thuggery! Just a product pimp in the wrong place at the wrong time. No mention in the entire article that a black man was beaten enough to require hospitalization while racial epithets were being hurled at him. The St. Louis Post Dispatch had this on the beating: "Kenneth Gladney, a 38-year-old conservative activist from St. Louis, said he was attacked by some of those arrested as he handed out yellow flags with “Don't tread on me” printed on them. He spoke to the Post-Dispatch from the emergency room of the St. John's Mercy Medical Center, where he said he was waiting to be treated for injuries to his knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face that he suffered in the attack. Gladney, who is black, said one of his attackers, also a black man, used a racial slur against him before the attack started. It just seems there's no freedom of speech without being attacked,” he said." The fact that Gladney was selling flags is not in question here. That was well-known. What is at issue here is the beating, not what Ken was selling.

That Post-Dispatch report is now being white-washed and Ken Gladney is being made out to be am unintelligent shlub. A victim not of SEIU thuggery, but of capitalism. The Detroit News political blogger Mako Yamakura goes further as far as the SEIU goes:

No argument about the SEIU not being the greatest organization, but they're not thugs.

They're not thugs, they just play ones on YouTube in beating a black man within an inch of his life. Good. Grief. So here's yet another example of the media trying to form public opinion, rather than simply reporting the news. And they wonder where the heck their readership is going...

UPDATE: Linked by Gateway Pundit. Thanks!

Previously:
Video: Black Conservative Beat Up By SEIU Thugs At Health Care Townhall
And for a whole slew of Ken Gladney coverage, search "Gladney" over at Gateway Pundit for a full scoop and a half.