Sharpton vows to 'close this city' after officer acquittals

[Wretched Excess]

I figured we would hear from this gasbag on this one.  he had been quiet too long.

Sharpton vows to 'close this city' after officer acquittals

NEW YORK (AP) - Hundreds of angry people marched through Harlem on Saturday after the Rev. Al Sharpton promised to "close this city down" to protest the acquittals of three police detectives in the 50-shot barrage that killed a groom on his wedding day and wounded two friends.

"We strategically know how to stop the city so people stand still and realize that you do not have the right to shoot down unarmed, innocent civilians," Sharpton told an overflow crowd of several hundred people at his National Action Network office in the historically black Manhattan neighborhood. "This city is going to deal with the blood of Sean Bell."

Sharpton was joined by the family of 23-year-old Sean Bell - a black man - and a friend of Bell who was wounded in the 2006 shooting outside a Queens strip club. Two of the three officers charged were also black.

The rally at Sharpton's office was followed by a 20-block march down Malcolm X Boulevard and then across 125th Street, Harlem's main business thoroughfare, where some bystanders yelled out "Kill the police!"

Fifty of the marchers carried white placards bearing big black numbers for each of the police bullets fired at Bell and his friends.

Sharpton urged people to return for a meeting this coming week "to plan the day that we will close this city down" with the kind of "massive civil disobedience" once led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

"They never accused Sean Bell of doing anything. Then why is he dead?" Sharpton asked, his voice roaring with anger. Authorities "have shown now that they will not hold police accountable. Well, guess what? If you won't, we will!"

"Shut it down! Shut it down!" the crowd chanted, standing up and applauding wildly.

Sharpton didn't say exactly how they would protest the acquittals of the officers who fired the 50 shots. He said Bell's supporters could demonstrate all over the city, from Wall Street to the home of Justice Arthur Cooperman, who on Friday acquitted the three detectives after a nonjury trial.

Sitting behind Sharpton as he spoke were Bell's parents, his sister and Nicole Paultre Bell, who took her fiance's name after his death.

"The justice system let me down," Paultre Bell told the crowd in a soft voice. "April 25, 2008: They killed Sean all over again. That's what it felt like to us."

It was her first public comment since she stormed out of a courtroom Friday after the NYPD detectives were cleared in Bell's killing as he left his bachelor party.

One of Bell's companions, Joseph Guzman, also spoke briefly on Saturday, saying: "We've got a long fight."

Linky

[Chris_]

At most, they'll shut down -- Harlem.  And that will hurt -- blacks.

Race pimps don't care who they hurt so long as you spell their name right and pay the proper tribute.  And their sycophants are too stupid to realize they are hurting themselves.

[Wretched Excess]

At most, they'll shut down -- Harlem.  And that will hurt -- blacks.

Race pimps don't care who they hurt so long as you spell their name right and pay the proper tribute.  And their sycophants are too stupid to realize they are hurting themselves.

yeah, rev. al is all about . . . rev. al.

[mamacags]

By VERENA DOBNIK
 
NEW YORK (AP) - Hundreds of angry people marched through Harlem on Saturday after the Rev. Al Sharpton promised to "close this city down" to protest the acquittals of three police detectives in the 50-shot barrage that killed a groom on his wedding day and wounded two friends.

"We strategically know how to stop the city so people stand still and realize that you do not have the right to shoot down unarmed, innocent civilians," Sharpton told an overflow crowd of several hundred people at his National Action Network office in the historically black Manhattan neighborhood. "This city is going to deal with the blood of Sean Bell."

Sharpton was joined by the family of 23-year-old Sean Bell - a black man - and a friend of Bell who was wounded in the 2006 shooting outside a Queens strip club. Two of the three officers charged were also black.

The rally at Sharpton's office was followed by a 20-block march down Malcolm X Boulevard and then across 125th Street, Harlem's main business thoroughfare, where some bystanders yelled out "Kill the police!"

Fifty of the marchers carried white placards bearing big black numbers for each of the police bullets fired at Bell and his friends.

Sharpton urged people to return for a meeting this coming week "to plan the day that we will close this city down" with the kind of "massive civil disobedience" once led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

"They never accused Sean Bell of doing anything. Then why is he dead?" Sharpton asked, his voice roaring with anger. Authorities "have shown now that they will not hold police accountable. Well, guess what? If you won't, we will!"

"Shut it down! Shut it down!" the crowd chanted, standing up and applauding wildly.

Sharpton didn't say exactly how they would protest the acquittals of the officers who fired the 50 shots. He said Bell's supporters could demonstrate all over the city, from Wall Street to the home of Justice Arthur Cooperman, who on Friday acquitted the three detectives after a nonjury trial.

Sitting behind Sharpton as he spoke were Bell's parents, his sister and Nicole Paultre Bell, who took her fiance's name after his death.(more at link)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080426/D909P8SG0.html

[Wretched Excess]

I posted this same article to GD, but I think you had a better idea to post it here.  I will merge them into BN.

[TheSarge]

Al's just jealous that another bigoted race pimp is stealing his tv time.

[Odin's Hand]

3 Duke Lacrosse players are still waiting on their apologies, Al.

[Lord Undies]

I hope Rush Limbaugh comes on Monday cheering the Reverend Sharpton's stance.  Rush should use this and emphasize Sharpton's actual threats to riot in Denver this August to remind people of what is reality and what is leftist hype against Rush Limbaugh. 

[Chris_]

Angry New Yorkers gathered with Al Sharpton to protest the the acquittals of three police detectives who killed 23-year-old Sean Bell outside a QUeens strip club.  The protesters chanted "kill the cops" while they marched through Harlem.  Two of the three acquitted cops were black.



People protest against the three detectives who were found not guilty in the Sean Bell trial outside Rev. Al Sharpton's radio studio in New York City, April 25, 2008. Bell was shot, along with two friends, after a bachelor party at a strip club in November 2006.



Sweetness and Light notes the radical activists from "People’s Organization For Progress" who showed up for the rally.


http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/04/sharpton-leads-kill-police-protesters.html

[Airwolf]

Excuse me but wasn't Sean Bell wanted for something or being "Tailed" by the cops because of some criminal activity he was involved with? I mean Sean Bell wasn't as innocent as Al Sharpton would have you believe and its not the first time Al has left out facts about a case he has championed so long as the race card was played.

[Chris_]

In his ruling Friday, Justice Arthur Cooperman said inconsistent testimony, courtroom demeanor and rap sheets of the prosecution witnesses — mainly Bell's friends — "had the effect of eviscerating" their credibility.

"At times, the testimony just didn't make sense," the judge said.

Bell was killed outside the strip club as he was leaving his bachelor party. The officers — undercover detectives who were investigating reports of prostitution at the club — said they thought one of the men had a gun.

The officers said that when the club closed around 4 a.m., they heard Guzman say "Yo, go get my gun" — something Bell's friends denied.

Isnora claimed that after he warned the men to halt, Bell pulled away in his car, bumped him and rammed an unmarked police van. The detective also said Guzman made a sudden move as if he were reaching for a gun.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352704,00.html

[mamacags]

In his ruling Friday, Justice Arthur Cooperman said inconsistent testimony, courtroom demeanor and rap sheets of the prosecution witnesses — mainly Bell's friends — "had the effect of eviscerating" their credibility.

"At times, the testimony just didn't make sense," the judge said.

Bell was killed outside the strip club as he was leaving his bachelor party. The officers — undercover detectives who were investigating reports of prostitution at the club — said they thought one of the men had a gun.

The officers said that when the club closed around 4 a.m., they heard Guzman say "Yo, go get my gun" — something Bell's friends denied.

Isnora claimed that after he warned the men to halt, Bell pulled away in his car, bumped him and rammed an unmarked police van. The detective also said Guzman made a sudden move as if he were reaching for a gun.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352704,00.html

Yeah sounds totally innocent to me.  Those horrible mean vicious poopyhead cops!

[Ptarmigan]

The police did act reasonable because Sean Bell tried to run them over and perhaps kill them. Well firing 50 shots may have been excessive, but they were in the dark. The blame really lies with the leadership and politicians, not those cops. Police do not make and pass laws. They just enforce the law.

Don't get me started with Al Sharpton. Speaking of the Rodney King beating, the media did not show the whole video. The police were in every right to beat Rodney King because he was hopped up on PCP that time. Surprisiginly the police could of shot and killed King.

[CG6468]

Where's Jesse when we really need him? He'd surely know how to calm things down.

 

[CG6468]

Where's Jesse when we really need him? He'd surely know how to calm things down.

He'll be there in a jiffy, he's a bit busy having an affair this weekend, but he'll be back to his wife on monday.  So you shouldn't worry about missing his rants of the moral indignation much longer.

Oh! Thanks for the update! I thought he might have been counseling Billy BlowJob and his lovely wife about telling the truth instead of uttering mis-statements.

[Uhhuh35]

I hope Rush Limbaugh comes on Monday cheering the Reverend Sharpton's stance.  Rush should use this and emphasize Sharpton's actual threats to riot in Denver this August to remind people of what is reality and what is leftist hype against Rush Limbaugh. 

Bingo!
Burn Baby Burn! 

[DixieBelle]

Oh FFS! I bet if Bell had been white, Al Sharptongue wouldn't have uttered a peep. This is all about race. Yes, call me Captain Obivous!

And 50 shots. 3 officers firing. According the the stories I read, one officer fired the majority of the shots (30 maybe) and the other two fired about 11 and 9 respectively. So, it sounds like the officer who fired the most shots either reloaded a magazine or used a back up weapon. They are really making a HUGE deal over the "50 bullets" angle. In reality though, most shots fired in those situations are wild and never hit the target. The reports also say that the whole thing went down in about a minute. Not a lot of time for reflection. Especially when the suspects act the way these did and ram into one of the officers. I'd be curious to know how many shots found a target per the ME's report.


Link to the statement read as the verdict was rendered - http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0425081bell1.html

[Randy]

The sad fact is the majority of cops can't shoot for shit. They qualify every so often and that's the only time they use their weapons. Back in the deep mists of time I was a Texas Commissioned Security Officer ( I could carry a gun at work ). We had to go through the same training cops did and shoot the same qualification test. We had to score a 120 out of 150. They had to get a 65.
I did it with a borrowed gun I'd never shot before. You'd never believe what I scored either

[DixieBelle]

Some additional info -

A group of undercover officers working in a gun- and drug-plagued strip joint in Queens had good reason to believe that a party leaving the club was armed and about to shoot an adversary. When one of the undercovers identified himself as an officer, the car holding the party twice tried to run him down. The officer started firing while yelling to the car’s occupants: “Let me see your hands.” His colleagues, believing they were under attack, fired as well, eventually shooting off 50 rounds and killing the driver, Sean Bell. No gun was found in the car, but witnesses and video footage confirm that a fourth man in the party fled the scene once the altercation began. Bell and the other men with him all had been arrested for illegal possession of guns in the past; one of Bell’s companions that night, Joseph Guzman, had spent considerable time in prison, including for an armed robbery in which he shot at his victim.

Here are the points:

1. The place where the incident took place was known to be plagued by drugs and guns
2. Sean Bell and his party were believed to be armed and about to shoot an adversary
3. Sean Bell and all of the people with him had been arrested for illegal possession of guns in the past
4. An undercover cop identified himself and then the car carrying Bell and his party tried to run him down TWICE
5. Seeing a fellow officer in danger the other officers opened fire
6. In total 50 rounds were fired by 5 police officers
7. Video footage and witnesses confirm a fourth man fled the scene once the altercation began (to all those wondering why no gun was found)
8. 2\Two of the officers acquitted were black and one was white (to those screaming racism)

Video of expert witness and video of gun firing test - http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/2008/04/25/bpr.jason.bell.reaction.cnn

[Dixie*Darling]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04292008/news/regionalnews/sharpton_raps_obama_108577.htm

SHARPTON RAPS OBAMA
By CHUCK BENNETT and KAVITA MOKHA

April 29, 2008 --

Barack Obama made a call for nonviolence in the aftermath of the Sean Bell verdict - infuriating the Rev. Al Sharpton, who accused the presidential candidate of trying to "grandstand in front of white people," sources told The Post.

During what a source described as a "heated" phone call yesterday, Sharpton told Obama he was disappointed with the Illinois senator's words on Friday, when Obama said "resorting to violence to express displeasure" was "completely unacceptable and counterproductive."

"[Obama] issues this statement and not a single rock had been thrown," said a source. "How does the candidate of change ask people to accept a verdict that is unjust?"

The source said Sharpton had hoped Obama would "side with the Bell family" and not use it as an "opportunity to grandstand in front of white people."

An Obama spokesman described the conversation as a chance to "hear [Sharpton's] views and to get his perspective."

Sharpton ratcheted up the pressure on federal prosecutors yesterday by bringing Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to Kalua, the Queens strip club where the Nov. 25, 2006 shooting took place.

"We are going to put together a federal strategy on how to deal with the case," Conyers said.

Also yesterday, Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur Cooperman, who rendered the not-guilty verdict, refused to comment on his decision.

"He said what he had to say on the bench," his law clerk said.

[Chris_]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04292008/news/regionalnews/sharpton_raps_obama_108577.htm

SHARPTON RAPS OBAMA
By CHUCK BENNETT and KAVITA MOKHA

April 29, 2008 --

Barack Obama made a call for nonviolence in the aftermath of the Sean Bell verdict - infuriating the Rev. Al Sharpton, who accused the presidential candidate of trying to "grandstand in front of white people," sources told The Post.

During what a source described as a "heated" phone call yesterday, Sharpton told Obama he was disappointed with the Illinois senator's words on Friday, when Obama said "resorting to violence to express displeasure" was "completely unacceptable and counterproductive."

"[Obama] issues this statement and not a single rock had been thrown," said a source. "How does the candidate of change ask people to accept a verdict that is unjust?"

The source said Sharpton had hoped Obama would "side with the Bell family" and not use it as an "opportunity to grandstand in front of white people."

An Obama spokesman described the conversation as a chance to "hear [Sharpton's] views and to get his perspective."

Sharpton ratcheted up the pressure on federal prosecutors yesterday by bringing Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to Kalua, the Queens strip club where the Nov. 25, 2006 shooting took place.

"We are going to put together a federal strategy on how to deal with the case," Conyers said.

Also yesterday, Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur Cooperman, who rendered the not-guilty verdict, refused to comment on his decision.

"He said what he had to say on the bench," his law clerk said.

Looks like Sharptooth's "boy" didn't get the memo.

[Rebel Yell]

Hell ,let 'em riot.  That's nothing about 50 more bullets won't break up.

[jtyangel]

Let's see...'shut the town down' over a case that seems lost over inconsistent details and a he said, she said between cops and these individuals(some of whom appear to have rap sheets and could not keep their stories straight versus "we don't care if its injustice, this is basically 'affirmative action' for previous injustices" ala the OJ Simpson aquittal in the face of substantial evidence that he committed the crime...hmmm...there is an inconsistency somewhere in here , not to mention the overtones of 'black man always the victim'

Also noticed too is how black men are bad guys and criminals and actual thugs according to black leaders only if they are cops. hmmm