Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Protest Protest Protest!


Al is calling folks to come together to protest the massive injustice of the Sean Bell verdict.

Reverend Al Sharpton has organized a city-wide "pray-in" schedule, in protest of the recent acquittal of three New York City police officers on all charges related to the shooting death of would-be groom Sean Bell.

In conjunction with the National Action Network, Sharpton assigned six locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn as places for protestors to gather today. Participants will be asked to get down on their knees in prayer, with hopes that the peaceful disruption will lead to a citywide slowdown, according to AllHipHop. The locations were strategically choosen for their proximity to busy traffic areas in New York City.

One such location will be the NYPD headquarters in Manhattan, where Sharpton will be joined by Bell’s would-be bride, Nicole Paultre-Bell, and the other two men injured in the shooting, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield. The event is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Other protest leaders include National Action Network chairman Franklyn Richardson in Harlem, NAACP leader Hazel Dukes in Tribeca, and Reverend Herbert Daughtry in Brooklyn.

Sharpton reportedly has plans to continue these protests on a weekly basis, leading to a larger city shutdown later this Spring. The infamous civil rights figure has called for protests to be peaceful, but requests that demonstrators be prepared to go to jail.

“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 while announcing protest plans May 4.

"[T]he world must see that we're in a climate where the justice system in this state will lock up folks who'll be nonviolent and pray, but will not lock up police," he added.

Paultre-Bell, who has become somewhat of a media darling, confirmed her participation in the protest.

“Justice wasn’t done, so I’m still here,” she said. “On Wednesday, I will be there. We are going to do this peacefully.”

Protest meeting points are scheduled as follows:
125th Street and Third Avenue;
Park Avenue and 34th Street;
60th Street and Third Avenue;
One Police Plaza;
Varick and Houston streets; and
The House of the Lord Pentecostal Church, 415 Atlantic Ave.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

And on and on it goes. Major reforms needed.

http://tiny.cc/0IDW8

..and in other news Myanmar death toll may reach 100,000.Please remember to donate anything you can

http://donate.ifrc.org/

Anonymous said...

ain gon lie, I'm really likin this soul revival thats been bubblin under the surface. In fact I like it so much I'm thinking of writing up my own tune,ha! Was also wondering how an Amanda interpretation of this type of music would be..hehe,could be fun

http://tiny.cc/SXh0i

http://tiny.cc/BlFUW

Anonymous said...

Yes we must protest for all injustice actions we not going to take this bull shit anymore the time is now!

Anonymous said...

hey ..jus heard alot of ppl were arrested @ this protest. did u go?hope u aight Deev