Al Sharpton Leading City Wide Boycott Of Sean Bell Verdict

[Walter Cronkite]

Prayers and protests by Sean Bell supporters could turn tomorrow's evening commute into a New York nightmare.

Led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, the demonstrators have chosen six spots around the city - that also happen to be near key transit locations - to stage "pray-ins" aimed at getting the attention of the feds.

The protesters will begin mobilizing at 3 p.m. and simultaneous demonstrations also will be staged in front of federal buildings in Chicago and Atlanta, where the Bell saga is barely known.

Sharpton insisted the demonstrations will be peaceful, but he's willing to get arrested to protest the acquittal of the three cops who gunned Bell down on his wedding day in a 50-bullet barrage.

"If you are not going to lock up the guilty in this town, then I guess you'll have to lock up the innocent," Sharpton said.

Bell's parents, William and Valerie, said they plan to take part in the protest at One Police Plaza - but aren't looking to get arrested.

"I appreciate what people are doing as long as its peaceful," Valerie Bell said. "I have my family to take care of."

Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell, and the two survivors of the Nov. 25, 2006 shooting - Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman - will also take part in the protests.

"They will do whatever it takes to get justice in the name of Sean Bell, even get arrested by way of non-violent civil disobedience," said Rachel Noerdlinger, spokeswoman for Sharpton's National Action Network.

Police said they're prepared for any trouble.

"Everybody can rest assured we will enforce the law and we will do everything we can to make sure we don't violate anybody's rights," Mayor Bloomberg said. "At the same time, those people who don't want to protest, they have rights, too."

Sharpton and other black leaders want to pressure federal prosecutors into trying Detectives Michael Oliver, Gescard Isnora and Marc Cooper for violating Bell's civil rights.

The detectives were acquitted of all criminal charges on April 25.

Bell supporters have vowed to clog city streets from Harlem to Brooklyn to register their rage. Sharpton's team vowed to have lawyers at every location to monitor the protesters and ensure their rights are observed.

"I have attorneys that will be at every site," said Michael Hardy, civil lawyer for Bell's fiancée and the shooting survivors. "Our job is to make sure that everything is peaceful, that people's rights are not violated, we know where they are going, and they're released expeditiously."

Cops have the right to arrest protesters if they gather in large numbers without a permit - and if they ignore orders to disperse, experts on civil disobedience tactics said.

Source: AP

[Walter Cronkite]

Sharpton and others arrested in N.Y. shooting protest

Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton and dozens of others were arrested on Wednesday for stopping traffic to protest the acquittal of policemen who killed an unarmed black man with 50 shots on his wedding day.

Hundreds of protesters snarled rush-hour traffic at bridges and tunnels around New York City in a civil disobedience campaign called by Sharpton, who has been close to the slain man's family since the November 2006 shooting.

A police spokesman said "a couple dozen" people were arrested. A spokeswoman for Sharpton put the number at 190.

Last month, a state judge cleared two detectives of manslaughter and a third of reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23, in a case that outraged New York's black community.

Bell's fiancee and two of his friends who survived the shooting were arrested along with Sharpton, who called on federal prosecutors to bring civil rights charges.

In the main protest, about 30 people knelt and prayed outside City Hall, blocking one of the streets that leads to the Brooklyn Bridge.

"We are holding you all under arrest for disorderly conduct," police announced before handcuffing Sharpton and at least 30 other people. They put up little or no resistance as they were led to police vans, cuffed by plastic strips.

"We are all Sean Bell" the demonstrators shouted.

Some people signed up to be arrested, including Lexine Odom, 47, a mother of three sons, one of whom recently returned from military service in Iraq.

"I have three sons and Sean Bell could have been one of them," Odom said. "To say not guilty is unfair, it was unfair to everyone unfair to the family."

The Justice Department, federal prosecutors and the FBI are reviewing the case and could take legal action if investigators suspect a violation of federal civil rights laws.

A decade ago, Sharpton organized similar demonstrations after four police officers who fired 41 shots were acquitted in the death of an unarmed West African man, Amadou Diallo. Dozens were arrested then, including Sharpton.

Source: REUTERS