50 Shots Reverberate Around NYC

Thousands of New Yorkers demonstrated across New York City to protest the acquittals of three police officers in the killing of Sean Bell in a barrage of 50 shots. The demonstrators carried signs that read "We Are All Sean Bell: This Damn System is Guilty" and chanted, "No justice, no peace."

As many as 200 protesters were arrested, including The Rev. Al Sharpton and Bell's fiancée Nicole Paultre Bell. ...

Sean Bell Case

Valerie Bell, right, mother of the late Sean Bell, meets singer Patti LaBelle on stage during the "Divas With Heart" concert at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, May 4, 2008. LaBelle had invited Bell onto the stage during her song, "Two Steps." The concert benefits the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory in Utica, N.Y. (AP Photo/Scott Wynn/Scott Wynn Photography)

Nicole Paultre Bell (L) and Trent Benefield (C) listen as Al Sharpton speaks about the Sean Bell trial during his live radio broadcast in New York May 3, 2008. Sharpton is organizing a rally on Wednesday to protest against the not guilty verdict of the three detectives involved in the shooting death of an unarmed black man. Sean Bell was killed in a hail of 50 bullets on his wedding day. REUTERS/Joshua Lott (UNITED STATES)

Reuters

Nicole Paultre Bell (L) and Trent Benefield listen as Al Sharpton speaks about the Sean Bell trial during his live radio broadcast in New York May 3, 2008. Sharpton is organizing a rally on Wednesday to protest against the not guilty verdict of the three detectives involved in the shooting death of an unarmed black man. Sean Bell was killed in a hail of 50 bullets on his wedding day. REUTERS/Joshua Lott (UNITED STATES)

Reuters

Nicole Paultre Bell (L) listens as Al Sharpton speaks about the Sean Bell trial during his live radio broadcast in New York May 3, 2008. Sharpton is organizing a rally on Wednesday to protest against the not guilty verdict of the three detectives involved in the shooting death of an unarmed black man. Sean Bell was killed in a hail of 50 bullets on his wedding day. REUTERS/Joshua Lott (UNITED STATES)

Reuters

Al Sharpton speaks about the Sean Bell trial during his live radio broadcast in New York May 3, 2008. Sharpton is organizing a rally on Wednesday to protest against the not guilty verdict of the three detectives involved in the shooting death of an unarmed black man. Sean Bell was killed in a hail of 50 bullets on his wedding day. REUTERS/Joshua Lott (UNITED STATES)

Reuters

Sean Bell's fiance, Nicole Paultre Bell, holds her daughter Jordyn during a news conference Sunday, April 27, 2008 at National Action headquarters in New York. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

People block the intersection of 125th Street and 7th Ave. during march to protest the acquittal of the three NYPD detectives on all charges stemming from the November 2006 killing of Sean Bell Sunday, April 27, 2008 in New York. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

Sean Bell's fiance, Nicole Paultre Bell, 3rd -left, sits with her mother, 2nd-left and shooting victim Joseph Guzman, 2nd-right, as Rev. Al Sharpton speaks, Sunday, April 27, 2008 at National Action headquarters in New York. The women at far right and left are unidentified. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

From Harlem to Lower Manhattan and across the East River in Brooklyn, the protesters held a pray-in for a federal investigation of the shootings. They then marched to designated traffic choke points. The plastic handcuffs came out to arrest marchers when they apparently attempted to shut down the city's most commuted bridges, the Holland Tunnel, and the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Triborough and Queensborough bridges.

The pray-in at One Police Plaza was led by the Rev. Al Sharpton who was arrested, along with Bell's fiancée Nicole Paultre Bell and his parents, William and Valerie, and the two survivors of the shooting, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman.

Earlier in the day, I did some person-in-the-street interviews. I asked folks whether they planned to participate in the protests. While most did not plan to go for the usual reasons, e.g., work, school, children, etc., they were fully supportive.

Darlene (she didn't want to give her last name) captured the state of mind of New Yorkers who are outraged by a pattern of police brutality:

I feel like they got over. All of those shots were not necessary. If they wanted to wound them, they could have.

Tony (also didn't want to give his last name) planned to march with Sharpton at NYPD headquarters. He told me:

Justice doesn't balance for black people. I have no choice. That's my black brother. I'm tired of marching but they think killing a n-word is OK.

It seems like this place [U.S.A.] was made specifically to kill black people. It doesn't make sense for you to shoot a man 50 times. Black life is not cherished.

For updated info, please visit the National Action Network.

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LISTEN NOW Hear more about
Al Sharpton's arrest at NPR.

We Are All Sean Bell"

Video courtesy of jessNYC at YouTube.

Reader Comments

1. If I were there, I would have "Protested" too! I would have ben chattin, "No justice, no peace." I would have been protestor #201 and would have locked my AZZ up in jail right along with them.

I think what ticked off the police was when the protesters said, "We Are All Sean Bell: This Damn System is Guilty". "I guess when you say Damn in this country it's HATE WORDS?

"Ms. Tell it Like It IZ" at 7:29AM on May 8th 2008

2. This system is very unfair. They don't care about black people. The saddest part is that they are mainly killing and destroying the lives of young black people who have promising fututes to look forward to. Look at Amadu Dialo's case. It is very sad. But I know that one day Justice will prevail as long as we don't stop fighting, we will get there.

umy at 2:55PM on May 8th 2008

3. While I feel sorry for the family....
Promising future? Oh is that why he was dealing drugs (he had a record), hanging out at a club known for prostitution and drug use, and tried to run over a cop?
If you want to know about someone who the justice system tried to destroy the promising future of, look up Reuben Carter. It's very sad that Sean Bell is gone, but it doesn't sound like he had a promising future given his record and that was something he did to himself. His record I mean.

Unkown at 3:30PM on May 8th 2008

4. Regardless of him having a record or not. That still not give the police ANY right to shoot him down like an animal....HE WAS NOT ARMED!

Shanay at 4:18PM on May 8th 2008

5. William Landers Candidate for Connecticut State Representative.

William Landers speech at the Connecticut GOP Straw Poll.
I was the Huckabee speaker. Please go to the Huckabee section and view it.
http://brainflation.wordpress.com/2008/01/28/gop-straw-poll-coverage-jan-25th/

http://brainflation.wordpress.com/2008/01/31/middletown-straw-poll-coverage-jan-26th/

Contact Info
Email: williamlanders@ameriborn.com

http://www.ameriborn.com/williamlanders
http://www.myspace.com/electwilliamlande...
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Please Join my Election Sites.

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william landers at 6:47PM on May 8th 2008

6. TO UNKNOWN (#3), JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE HAS A RECORD DOESN'T MEAN THEY WON'T HAVE A PROMISING FUTURE. WE WILL NEVER KNOW NOW WHAT THIS MAN WILL HAVE , AND SO QUICK ARE U TO JUDGE BUT LAST TIME I CHECKED U ARE A IMPERFECT HUMAN LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. WHO IS TO SAY HE WAS REALLY GOING TO RUN THE COPS OVER THATS THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY . WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE ACCUSED TO TELL HIS SIDE. OH THATS RIGHT HE CAN'T HE IS DEAD.

DIVATUDE!!!!! at 7:06PM on May 8th 2008

7. To william landers #5,
WHAT DOES AND YOUR ELECTION SITE AND YOUR OTHER LINKS HAS TO DO WITH THIS ARTICLE? "BOO,BOO", THIS IS "IRELEVANT". THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE!

I guess you overlooked above where it said;
Add your comments Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry: inappropriate or purely promotional comments may be removed. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments.

"BOO, BOO," YOU ARE ON THE WRONG BLOG!

"Ms. Tell it Like It IZ" at 8:06PM on May 8th 2008

8. I do feel bad for anyone who dies like this. But it kills me that everyone blames the cops when something like this happens. If Bell was armed and did kill the cop, would there be protest. He was not shot like an animal, he was shot in a split second decision. You are all smart...is a criminal going to anounce he has a gun before he shoots? You all want to lash out at a system that is only as good as you people. You talk about not judging, but you all are quick to judge these cops...one was black, and the other was latino, yet its still a race issue. Maybe when you can expand your mind and look beyond the color of anyone's skin, we will be able to go beyond this. What bell should have done, was keep calm, not go into a tyrade. He has his own life in his hand.

mjcwunyy at 8:50PM on May 8th 2008

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