Extra, Extra
Extra, Extra
Extra, Extra
Extra, Extra
Early Addition
Photograph of protesters in Harlem on April 26, 2008 by urbanblitz on Flickr
Today at 3 p.m., six pray-ins are planned around Manhattan and Brooklyn to protest the Sean Bell shooting verdict. The Reverend Al Sharpton is leading the events and has said he and other participants are willing to be arrested to make a point about the acquittals of the three police detectives who helped fire a total of 50 shots at the unarmed Bell on November 25, 2006. Sharpton said, "If you are not going to lock up the guilty in this town, then I guess you'll have to lock up the innocent."
However, the NYPD and Mayor Bloomberg do not expect the protests to be violent. The NYPD said, "The vigils and demonstrations related to the Bell case to date have not been violent. We have no reason expect otherwise now," while Bloomberg said, "I think it's another example of people being able to protest in New York City, but rest assured that we will enforce the law and we will do everything we can to make sure we don't violate anybody's rights." (Lesson learned after the 2004 Republican Convention?)
- One Police Plaza (Rev. Al Sharpton. Nicole Paultre Bell, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield will be at this location)
- Varick and Houston Street: Led by Hazel Dukes, NAACP and Labor leaders)
- 125th and Third Avenue: led by Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman of National Action Network)
- House of the Lord Church, Brooklyn, New York: Led by Rev. Herbert Daughtry
- Third Avenue and 60th Street: Led by National Action Network Senior Staff
- 34th and Park Avenue: Led by National Action Network Senior Staff
Newsday notes many of the protest sites "are near transportation pressure points" (the Triborough and Queensboro Bridges, the Queens Midtown and Holland Tunnels). The MTA's Jeremy Soffin said, "We will be in very close contact with the New York Police Department and their command center to reroute buses and redirect people as necessary."
And Sharpton wants the feds to prosecute the police officers, "The city hasn't shown ... the ability to reform itself. We need federal intervention."
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
Al Sharpton is like Freddy Krueger, if you stop paying attention to him he will cease to exist!
And if Al thinks racism is bad now, wait until he turns Midtown in rush hour gridlock today over this nonsense.
If he wants to make a difference he should organize protests at known drug corners, housing projects where gang murders have occured, etc.
It will be a good time for the police to check out their new automatic weapons.
If anyone owns a sniper rifle, now's the time to save black people by taking out Sharpton. You know where he'll be.
Also, I love the fat woman in the picture above who is struggling to stand up and/or breathe.
Rev Al should be focusing on the fact that there is still a civil case, police disciplinary action to be taken and a potential federal civil rights investigation. There is still plenty of opportunity for justice, according to him, to be served.
@4 - I think she might actually be dancing in her motorized wheelchair that was paid for with taxes.
.....i got a popsicle in the freezer, you like popsicles don't ya. mmmmmmmm
If you are in a room with Al Sharpton, Kim Il Sung, and Osama Bin Laden, and you have a pistol with only two bullets, what do you do?
If Sharpton wants to shut the city down isn't that an act of terrorism? If so, send him to Gitmo.
That "woman" in the wheelchair isn't a woman, it's James Brown come back from the dead to help out his long time buddy Rev. Al.
Put two in Sharpton!
Just to make sure!
If you a million lesbians join the Million Man March what do you get?
A million people who don't do dick!
A million people who don't do dick!
(sigh)
Love the level of compassion with comments on topics like these...
Slow day at work??
If you are in a room with Al Sharpton, Kim Il Sung, and Osama Bin Laden, and you have a pistol with only two bullets, what do you do?
This isn't a hard choice to make since Kim Il Sung is already dead. I'd shoot Fat Al twice.
What? No protests are set for the Times Square/Port Authority area? Amatures. I thought Sharpton likes to go for the jugular?
If you're gonna make a LOUD statement throughout the city you go where the heavily trafficked areas to cause the most congestion and incovenience thousands? I thought that would be more Sharpton's style...
How is it racist when 2 of the 3 cops that got off are black?
Who said it was racist?
I think the issue is that it was unjust for the cops to be let off. Color is only an issue in this case for the ignorant, uncompassionate, redneck f*cks commenting on this blog.
"Slow day at work??"
if only the people planning on attending this nonsense were busy doing something productive. something that would help their community. something like, i don't know....working!
According to Sharpton those two cops aren't black, they're blue. I would guess based on this that Al isn't planning to run for mayor again.
"We need federal intervention."
We certainly do, and hopefully the Feds will bring the fire hoses and German shepherds!
I'd like to know how inconveniencing the working people of the city is going to get justice or more people to the cause.. I agree that something needs to be done but it's childish to set out to make everyone's commute extra shitty. WE didn't do it, for god's sake!
and by "it" I meant let those cops off the hook.
looking at the proximity of the protest sites to major tunnels/bridges, it doesn't take a psychic to see that the aim will be to disrupt traffic. the question is whether it'll happen around rush hour. i'm curious to see how the po po will react to this.
Sharpton is an ASS CLOWN. What a maroon. Can someone please accidently hit the accelerator when they see him on the street?
I'm not a mathematical genius, but one million lesbians and the Million Man March equals TWO MILLION who don't do dick.
Try to get the punchline right.
Federal intervention?
Good idea!
Just call that compassionate fellow in the White House.
I'm sure he will help you.
Of course Sharpton is going to target working people. His constituency is made up of the non-working, hence people with jobs are the enemy
50 shots = 50 dead cops!
So I had to sit in a train next to the old fishy smelling chinese lady who was hocking up loogs from her lungs, the squat little Mexican dude who just had to stand 1 inch from me, and the little black thug who mumbled "excoos me" when he bumped into me.
I also saw two fruits holding hands, and had to smell the sweaty odor of a bearded old jewish guy who decided to wear full winter garb and a big friggin hat.
Thanks, fat Al; for ruining my day.
I had to suffer all the above because that fat raisin Al Sharpton decided to screw up traffic, and I had to ride the train instead of riding into work today.
So...what's it like out there? Anyone near those locations know what's going on? Any riots?
Just came back from the Houston and Varick demo, and it was b.s.
Just about 50 people going around in circles. I heard the leader say to the crowd, "we keep marching
in a circle for a while, then we walk down town"
This was an hour into the 'demo' at 4 pm
Those guys looked like they were not going to get arrested. More cops and news crews than demonstrator.
Score another cheap publicity campaign for Fat Al.
yeah from my secret hideout i see lower and upper level south bound traffic on the 59th st bridge just fine. just fine
a DUD of a protest, the ny post is going to lampoon sharpton tomorrow.
DAMM DO SOME RIOTING, scare away the yuppies, gentrifiers, hipsters and stroller moms
I WAS THERE! TALK ABOUT SCARY. I was at the rally at Houston and Varick at about 4:15 this afternoon and I must say it was horrific. I came out of the subway and all these cops were standing around not knowing where to go and then there was this wave of protesters, and I almost pissed my pants.
Reality check here. There might have been 150 people in total, 80% white from NYU. It was a two for one. The cops must be laughing their ass off getting double time for this bullshit protest. If Rev AL HAD THE BALLS HE WOULD CALL FOR RIOTS. Against what? Who knows.