Sean Bell case thoughts

[t0nythelover]

A little late in posting but this is totally on my mind and totally NYC. Seems the Rev. Al Sharpton is planning to "tear down" the city in protest for the verdict. What a douche bag. I think it's really time to just let go. Saying this case is a racial issue is clearly untrue, since two of the cops on trial are black. In addition Sean Bell tried to run them over with his car. Whether or not the police identified themselves they did in fact have a right to open fire. As to the 51 bullets, in Mayor Bloomberg's words "as a layman that sounds excessive." An yes it does to most people. However an african american corrections officer explained to me that he routinely shoots 16 shot clips in under four seconds while at the range. Maybe 51 bullets at a moving car driving towards you is not excessive, if you consider that it was night as well things are not so clear anymore.

The bottom line is that these police did not commit a crime, nor did they actively seek to deprive these men of their civil rights. In hindsight we can all say what should have been done, but we were not there. I agree that there is institutional racism still present in the United States, but a criminal court trying this case is not the venue for larger issues. Where was Al Sharpton before the shooting? Doing jack as usual. I am glad these officers were found not guilty, and hope that more people show gratitude for the men and women who guard their streets everyday for $12 an hour.

[danceshake01]

I'm looking forward to the special prosecutor's investigation to see what they conclude. I can't say much on the matter, but can say that this ended up horrible about several guys going to a strip club to have some fun.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080427/ap_on_re_us/police_shooting

Outcome of NYPD case leads to call for special prosecutor

By RICHARD PYLE, Associated Press Writer Sun Apr 27, 6:37 PM ET

NEW YORK - A coalition of civil rights advocates on Sunday urged changes in the handling of police misconduct and brutality complaints after the acquittal of three officers involved in the shooting death of an unarmed man on his wedding day.

They also called for a permanent state-level special prosecutor to investigate such cases.

"The verdict in the Sean Bell case proves it is almost impossible to successfully prosecute cases of police misconduct, especially in homicide cases," said lawyer Norman Siegel, former head of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

"The verdict underscores the need for systemic change in the way New York handles these important and at times high profile cases, and to improve community relations," said Siegel, an outspoken advocate on civil rights and law enforcement issues.

Three city police officers were cleared Friday in the November 2006 shooting death of Bell outside a night club where he had just left his bachelor party. Two friends were wounded in the volley of 50 shots fired by the undercover officers and two colleagues.

The officers charged said they thought they were in mortal danger, but no gun was found in Bell's car.

Siegel was joined at a news conference outside police headquarters by state Sen. Eric Adams and retired police officer Marq Claxton. Adams and Claxton co-founded 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care.

Adams, a former police captain, said the state-level special prosecutor's office should be reinstated permanently by law. A previous special prosecutor's office was created by former Gov. Nelson Rockefeller in 1974 but abolished in 1993 by Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, whose office prosecuted the Bell shooting case, had said there was no basis for the appointment of a special prosecutor.

The special prosecutor should have power to investigate allegations of police misconduct and brutality, as well as corruption, they said. The previous office was created primarily as a result of corruption exposes in the NYPD, and that was its primary focus, Siegel said.

"They looked the other way on cases of brutality," Siegel said.

Adams also urged passage of legislation to give the state attorney general's office power to take immediate control of a crime scene in cases like the Bell shooting to make sure all evidence is preserved.

"I don't believe a police department involved in a shooting should be responsible for the crime scene," he said.

Siegel and Adams said they looked for support on the issues from Gov. David Paterson, who recently replaced the disgraced Gov. Eliot Spitzer, saying that as a legislator and minority rights spokesman Paterson had been a strong voice in previous police shooting controversies.

Erin Duggan, a spokeswoman for Paterson, said the governor had learned of the proposals only from media reports and would review them.

He "takes the issue of police wrongdoing very seriously, but he also believes that the overwhelming majority of police officers perform their duties honorably and conscientiously each and every day," Duggan said.

Also Sunday, more than 200 people, including elected officials and civil rights leaders, gathered at the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network in Manhattan to renew calls for officials of the U.S. Department of Justice to bring federal charges against the three officers.

___

[it290]

51 bullets is a lot for a mistake. Then again, if I thought I was being shot at/run over, who knows how many times I would pull a trigger. No matter what decision is made, nobody wins in this one.

I would like to think if I was being accidentally shot at they would stop at some point to reconfirm I needed shot at.

[t0nythelover]

From what I understand there were five cops involved and only three were charged. 51 shots from five cops is not alot considering most cops are trained to empty their clip in a situation like that. thats about 10 bullets per cop on average, even though they have like 16 shots per clip. one guy emptied his clip and reloaded. guns shoot fast. it is a terrible situation all around, i just wish people would take a balanced look at the facts.

[t0nythelover]

i love the way they say "an unarmed man on his wedding day." how different would it sound if they said "a car full of drunks with criminal records, with a drunk driver who tried to run down a cop." using your car as a weapon hardly means you are "unarmed"

[GYRUS]

its a very sad and shocking situation. No justice can prevail when the govt of NYC is allowed to judge complaints and cases against its own staff.

[BRIAN1500]

It is was the right verdict.