Protest Protest Protest! UPDATE

Yesterday folks came out in the hundreds to protest the non-guilty verdict of the officers in the Sean Bell case. Al Sharpton and Bell's widow, Nicole Paultre-Bell were arrested among others. I attended the protest on 125th in Harlem but there were also gatherings on 34th st, the 59th st bridge and at 1 Police Plaza in the Financial District. I am proud that folks came together to take a stand against injustice. The latter seems to happen far too often and we have to be consistent in letting the govt, police, media, etc know that it will NOT be tolerated.

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.

Something to get us Through

It's a tough day. But we need to remain on the good foot. This link will brighten anyone's day.

:)

We Have to do Better Pt. 13

I am not surprised. BUT I AM ANGRY. AND WE ALL SHOULD BE.

Detectives Gescard F. Isnora, Michael Oliver, and Marc Cooper were declared innocent of all charges against them today by judge Arthur J. Cooperman. There was no jury in this trial, per the officers' choice. This was the verdict that Ray Kelly and police officials were concerned might cause unrest across the city, so expect upped police presence around town today. According to ABC in New York, Sean's ex-fiancée, Nicole Paultre-Bell, stormed out of the court upon the news. We'll tell you more when we hear reactions from Sean Bell's family, lawyers, and the officers themselves. Already, the Bell family has vowed to continue this battle further.

The takeaway from Judge Cooperman's verdict seems to be something he said while delivering it: "Carelessness is not a crime." Credibility issues were also at the heart of the not-guilty decision. Meanwhile, after the trial, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was quick to say: "We don't anticipate any violence." When asked what he thought of the result, he replied, "it's inappropriate for me to comment on the verdict."

Since when is "carelessness" not a crime??? What about "Manslaughter?"

Source

MANSLAUGHTER - The unlawful killing of a human being without malice or premeditation, either express or implied; distinguished from murder, which requires malicious intent.

Killing a person while doing an act of mere wantonness, is manslaughter as, if a person throws down stones in a coal-pit, by which a man is killed, although the offender was only a trespasser.

When death ensues from the performance of a lawful act, it may, in consequence of the negligence of the offender, amount to manslaughter. For instance, if the death has been occasioned by negligent driving. Again, when death ensues, from the gross negligence of a medical or surgical practitioner, it is manslaughter.
--b--

And that is at the very least! It's judgment would have been merely a Pyrrhic victory for a battle we've been fighting since the inception of race as a tool for control. There simply is no beating this system. These cops are now to continue to be on the force? They are to still be considered protectors of the peace? How is that possible? The fact of the matter is this folks: we are SO far away from the mountain top.

We live in a nation riddled with injustice and a community stunted with complacency
Born out of revolution but imbued with inequality
The bell it tolls for Sean and those who know no sense of what it means
To feel at least the peace of mind of seeing history redeemed

-Deev