Gothamist: Sean Bell Protesters Arrested, Including Sharpton

ohio

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:06:28 -0500

and the DoJ is investigating police procedure now. i think that's all that was wanted. to revaluate what got us all here in the first place. so it doesn't happen again. taht's all i wanted. Kudos Reverend Sharpton. Kudos Bell Family. Kudos active citizens. A job well done!

ohio

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:04:00 -0500

so much misinformation just to support your claims. really makes me wonder about the intellect you possess not to think more critically about lies you were told in school. makes me wonder about the self-serving homes and isolated communities you grew up in. keepin up with the Joneses. makes me think about the lives you live-racially segregated, culturally inexperienced, so divided by class. Very 20th Century. perhaps not, but i try hard to wrap my brain around the values that you cling to. it scares me. i fear you. I fear for the future. so much anger and resentment...grasping, reaching, holding tight. change now or be swept away by the turning tide of the coming years. this era is coming to a close and your beliefs will not stand. the century of the other is at hand. good luck! History-we will never agree upon what happened in the past. Philosophy- we will all have different experiences and thus different perspectives and style reagrdingh how we live our lives. Langauge- to find ways to communicate is the only solution.

Nunyah Bidnit

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:56:29 -0500

those cops killed an unarmed man. Not exactly true. He used his vehicle as a weapon.

thefacts

Thu, 08 May 2008 21:47:30 -0500

gobama: You're entitled to your opinion. Opinions aren't facts. Fact: Anyone who sleeps with shyster Sharpton has dubious merit, including Nicole (who stands to make millions) and Guzman, who is in $debt$ to the National Action payroll. sharpton is in it for the money, as is Guzman and Nicole. There are a lot better causes for you to champion than a thug who tried to run over a cop and who was out whoring a few hours before he was to wed the mother of his two bastard children. What was going to be his wedding gift to Nicole: the gift that keeps on giving, the clap? Pick your battles! Haiti, Sudan, Kenya, Zimbabwe, the Halsey Projects could use your assistance.

ihateallbrokers

Thu, 08 May 2008 20:13:41 -0500

heres a good quote to understand what i mean... The Case of Cory Maye A cop is dead, an innocent man may be on death row, and drug warriors keep knocking down doors. http://www.reason.com/news/show/36869.html While narcotics officers have (or at least are supposed to have) extensive training in how to act during a raid, suspects don’t, and officers have the advantage of surprise. Yet prosecutors readily forgive mistaken police shootings of innocent civilians and unarmed drug suspects while expecting the people on the receiving end of late-night raids to show exemplary composure, judgment, and control in determining whether the attackers in their homes are cops or criminals.

ihateallbrokers

Thu, 08 May 2008 20:09:45 -0500

this is a difficylt issue to explain, i am not black nor do i play video games, do i encourage violence and mayhem and innocent pretty little white kids getting killed? NO, do i envision someone sneaking up to a cop and blowing his brains out, YES. this subject is too difficult to explain. i know that by posting these messages i might get a knock on my door or be sent to gauntamano. we live in a prison society. i encourage all people to free themselves from it. lets talk about iraq, do i envision our american soldiers getting their brains blown out, yes, i sincerely and wholeheartedly want more american soldiers to die painful and horrible deaths. now lets look at the reasons, the usa has invaded a country and is currently occupying and stealing their oil, while killing their women and children at a super duper high death rate. now consder those people opposing the occupation of irag and afganistan, are they terrorists or patriots, freedom fighters, depends on who you ask, now consider that nyc is invaded, will be stand up and fight or will you be ruled by an invader or foreign authority. now try to understand why they are wrong and you are right? same fight? same motives. lets now go back to minorities, how much more of a difference would the average poor oppressed black man feel if NYC was invaded and occupied by a foreign entity, not much else, after all they are already oppressed and feel a paramiltary police presence in their neighborhood. should they fight back, no, i say lets see what happens when the new system is in place, should they fight back against the current oppressors, YES, after all the system is actually created by the same former oppressors who enslaved them and supposedly delivered them from bondage, there is no freedom for the black man in america, what do i think of al sharpton, hes an idiot, he should run for mayor, the best reason being that every single person i spoke when he did run for mayor or president or whatever said that if he becomes president then black people will think they can run wild, well ladies and gentlemen it seems to work in some cities and states in the good old usa & african countries, (except zimbabwe ha) that black people do not run amok just becuase a black man is in charge. right now, whether or not its a black or white cop shooting an unarmed civilian or its a minority cop arresting another minority for weed, its all about padding their overtime and acclimating minorities to the prison system and furthering the ruling elites goal of having them as indentured servants when they find difficulty in getting jobs or going to college. do i think that the black man and most minorities place themselves in their own mental prison, yes, people like JayZ or Jordan should not be glorified, after all they are vampires sucking $$$ out of the poor communities. this country was founded on revolution, it was only change from revolution.

gobama

Thu, 08 May 2008 19:56:02 -0500

and it's MS. born and bred nyer. thanks.

gobama

Thu, 08 May 2008 19:55:27 -0500

yeah thefacts, i do remember 1987 and i'm no fan of sharpton (never said I was). but newsflash, this is 2008 and this isn't about tawana brawley, it's about whether the sean bell verdict and whether justice was rendered-- something that reasonable people can disagree on. Many, including Sharpton, believe that our judicial system failed in the Sean Bell case. The verdict means that there is no longer any possibility of recourse through the criminal justice system. To raise awareness of the tragic shooting and express their disappointment in the verdict, people took to the streets in peaceful protest, praying. I support that.

thefacts

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:15:47 -0500

Gobama: NYer born and bred? OK, do you remember 1987, the Tawana Brawley spectacle, which catapulted Sharpton to fame from his prior street corner preaching on the NE corner of 8th Ave and 42nd in the old slimey Times Square? If you were old enough to be reading the news then, what is your opinion of Sharpton's role in the whole sordid mess, which started him off? E.g, Was Tawana raped by the KKK as Sharpton contended, or was she out late at night having sex with her boyfriend and needed an excuse to avoid trouble with Moms? Did the DA rape Tawana as Fat Al ludicrously contend? Do you believe that the I.R.A. take time off from fighting the Brits to travel to Yonkers to smear shit on Tawana as Sharpton contended? Were not Fat Al's two lawyer allies in this fiasco not disbarred for their role in this? Did not the DA win a defamation lawsuit against shyster Sharpton? Just testing your knowledge of NY history, Mr. Born and Bred NYer. I eagerly await your answers to the questions.

ANGRYGOD11

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:59:15 -0500

With all due respect, I've seen much larger crowds for all kinds of concert tickets.

chris lee

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:52:01 -0500

To me is the issue is the whole undercover program itself. Unidentified people coming at you in a bad neighborhood and their lack of accountability. But the news cycle is never complete without this kind of story. The black underclass overall stands in opposition to the civility and social progress of the city they sense it and react in wrongheaded ways. The proper target of the Bell family's complaint is the legal system and they should pursue their grievances THERE not on the general public.

Robot

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:09:14 -0500

I love peaceful civil-disobedience. Very classy way to work, Rev. Al!!!

emilydickinson

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:05:42 -0500

@58: I think your sarcasm meter needs a tune up.

Amanda Harlech

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:28:03 -0500

maybe WORKING AND GETTING AHEAD is a better way of getting out of a shit life than just protesting. How many imgrants on their own can take advantage of the stystem...without protesting.

gobama

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:00:43 -0500

oh and btw, I'm a NYer born and bred

gobama

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:59:56 -0500

@48 Um, since when can't someone express their opinion on the outcome of a court case? You don't need to be a federal judge to do that last I checked. Also, being arrested doesn't imply that the protests weren't peaceful. Can be arrested for lots of "peaceful" or non-violent activities, actually.

Snoopy

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:30:02 -0500

"Like Bob Grant used to say, Sharpton is a phony and a fraud and real New Yorkers, eyekantspel, Spirotof76, edEx, Spear Chucker, berniegoetz, babyhitler, and Snoopy seem to know this. Thank you for your comments." Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Art S., for including me with the other greats on this forum.

HitTheLights

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:34:31 -0500

@emilydickinson: "Black leaders in America have never had any success with peaceful civil disobedience, right?" Let's please not forget about MLK, a true believer in civil disobediance, as it is classically exemplified by Gandhi. I admit, I am skeptical of Al Sharpton. I certainly don't put him in the same company as the aforementioned leaders above (or even Jesse Jackson, for that matter), and I do believe he is motivated at least as much by his own public image as he is the issues at heart, but I'll try to be optimistic that something good comes out of his actions. One would imagine that keeping discourse about the Sean Bell incident alive is the most immediate and important effect.

altrent

Thu, 08 May 2008 03:14:56 -0500

#9 -- I have, for some time now, absolutely adored your ongoing tagline in posts on this subject: "50 shots = 50 dead cops". Why? First, that math won't hold if those fifty shots are being fired by the thug/goon/animals you seem to hero-worship, because they never clean their guns and can't fire straight anyway. More like "50 shots = one wounded innocent Korean shopkeeper, who self-proclaimed 'victimized' losers tried to rob of everything he spent his whole life working for, rather than working towards success themselves." You *go*, victimized people of color! Take it out on people who haven't decided to steal and kill to "equalize" things! (EDITOR'S NOTE: in all fairness, the OTHER correct equation is "50 shots = some dead innocent person, possibly a child, living in a mostly minority area, who unfortunately happened to be caught in the crossfire between warring thugs who have ruined entire neighborhoods with their illegal and anti-social activites, none of which The Good Reverend Al ever seems to mention".) Second thing I love about your tagline is the implication that you will be among those "doing" something about it, i.e., firing at least one of those fifty shots. Why not just stop the charade and go fuck yourself once and for all? And if you're black, why not start to rectify the situation by telling Tha Brothas to stop acting like fucking animals whenever they get out among normal, peace-loving folks (of all races) who appreciate the societal contract that one might otherwise assume is part of 21st century Western culture? Fuck you, and fuck the law-breaking animals. Keep your dicks in your pants, your drugs off the streets, and your guns in your homes, and maybe you won't be seen as threats to non-criminally minded people and won't be shot when you try to run over cops with your cars. Oops, just an example.

Art Stewel

Thu, 08 May 2008 01:07:59 -0500

Dadoc, I am not sure what Doody-Rudy in Washington Square is, but if projectile shit you launched hit His Honor, high five.

dadoc

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:59:15 -0500

Sorry, that was "Madagascar", it's getting late. Dadoc

dadoc

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:56:32 -0500

Ouch #52, you almost dragged me into the "innocent" thing. The NYPD members are not scared shitless. The folks that do that job are OK, and can handle just about anything. Their leadership, always over-sensitive to political ramifications, on the other hand, frequently are scared sh-tless. Detailing a "Rev Al" disobedience rally leaves the line folks "scared Sh-tless"? I think not. No, I'm not a cop. Been to many rallies, protests, even Doody-Rudy in WSPark. When you're doing the 1st Amendment thing, I always think of the penguins in "Madascascar". "Smile & wave, boys, smile & wave". Speak, voice, comply, make your point. Have respect for the fact that you can assemble and state your point, and do it with energy and pride. And always with respect for that right and the rights of others. Including the NYPD. Dadoc

JacqueMehoff

Wed, 07 May 2008 23:56:37 -0500

the gothamist hall of fame list ^^^ God Bless You Reverend Al Sharpton, you keep doing what you're doing. Your Heart is in the right place.

Art Stewel

Wed, 07 May 2008 23:36:03 -0500

Like Bob Grant used to say, Sharpton is a phony and a fraud and real New Yorkers, eyekantspel, Spirotof76, edEx, Spear Chucker, berniegoetz, babyhitler, and Snoopy seem to know this. Thank you for your comments. Ohio - piss of, douche. Emily Dickinson, I loved Live at Five and recall those sermons and agree he knows the game and have sometimes been amused by the Rev, but I feel today - his whole agenda - is wrong, and he should be held to task for tramping on the accused. I believe there is some grander conspiracy he is involved and have several times heard it said he is a government rat cooperating with the feds. Today was not merely an inconvenience. Most cops assigned this mess and given this assignment, were likely scared shitless. For what? $50k? Hats off to them for handling things as professional as ever. They are the best and deserve better than some of the inflammatory comments herein. Thanks, as always, NYPD. The Sean Bell incident should not rally the masses, and it will not. A select group of alder people will examine what happened and figure out what protocols and procedure should change so that the next time an innocent man on his Wedding Day drunkenly leaves a strippers and hookers bar located in a shitty nabe with a drunk and drugged gang of friends woofing talk of gunplay violence at 4 a.m. and thereafter rams his car into a police officer whom has never not once ever fired his gun, that innocent man does not get killed.

dadoc

Wed, 07 May 2008 23:25:10 -0500

#50, agreed, other #'s +/-. This is NYC, guys. Political theater, a little spice to the day-to-day. Hell, Rev Al has always been less of an inconvenience than the Tribeca FF, but just about as entertaining. You can't handle a little 1st Amendment display with some media grandstanding? Everybody's gotta get their face time, Al, Bell, NYPD, Ray-Ray, NY1, Just a blip. Helluva lotta less impact than the recent N-Train derailment. Shoot, You shoulda seen NYC in the 60s & 70s in NYC. You wanna live in "The Big City", grow some cojones & stop whining. You're on one side, get out there & protest, & make it loud. You're on the other, ignore it, it's gone tomorrow. Unlike the lines at Shake Shack. Dadoc

tblake

Wed, 07 May 2008 23:00:54 -0500

Some clueless turds trolling around here.

babyhitler

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:53:09 -0500

how is punishing law abiding commuters justice? I don't get it. That's like if I don't like the return policy of bestbuy I protest at circuit city.

thefacts

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:39:33 -0500

"calling attention to the shitty verdict." Who the eff are you to call it a 'shitty' verdict? Are you an effing Federal judge? If not, STFU "just a peaceful demonstration, why so bothered?" Peaceful? Then why the arrests? What did hard-working commuters do to deserve to be held up going home to their family and dinner? They were the real victims!! You and the others who think Pig Sharpton is legit were obviously not living in NYC in 1987 during the Tawana Brawley controversy. Read up before you speak up Real NYers know this shyster is a scammer.

gobama

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:11:53 -0500

@29- it was a tragic event and shitty verdict, all in all an appropriate cause to peacefully rally over. @23- maybe starting with some better police training would be the best solution? Before anyone decided to "disturb the peace," they worked with the prosecution and through the legal channels to seek justice. That didn't happen and they are expressing discontent and calling attention to the shitty verdict. just a peaceful demonstration, why so bothered?

mayaposa

Wed, 07 May 2008 21:41:33 -0500

#29 - "a better cause to rally over" ?? So this incident didn't bother you? You must live in a very safe, privileged world - too bad Sean Bell didn't.

Steven

Wed, 07 May 2008 21:24:32 -0500

If Sharpton and the rest of his protesters put this effect into sometimes more useful, such as cleaning up the black community from gangs, drugs and shootings then maybe the black community will earn some respect. Sharpton will probably be out of jail by the end of the week with a fine.

heycanihavethat

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:56:21 -0500

@eyekantspel A white guy supporting Obama does NOT make him anti-racist. I hate these people walking around saying "oh yeah, the guy who gives me my coffee in the morning is black. See, I totally love black people!". Associating in some way with a [insert minority] does not make you this peace loving and tolerant person. You supporting Obama with some button is not your ticket out of racism, sorry. and @snoopy Have you graduated high school yet? Do you even know how to read? Any text book would confirm that you have no grasp of history.

Snoopy

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:35:54 -0500

One of the biggest problems with the populace that have heritage with the condition known as slavery is that they want more, more and more for a condition that most Americans had nothing to do with. Twenty acres and a mule? My parents never had that much shit dropped on them gratis. Neither did most of the Chinks, Jews or Micks coming into this country who worked to make their life better. The freed slaved after the Civil War just stopped working because they didn't know what to do and thought the US of A was going to pick up the slack. And they (for a larger percentage than should be accepted) go on and on and on and on with that asshole attitude.

midtown

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:35:48 -0500

So say the feds cave in to this play for attention and lay charges against the cops. If they are acquitted once again, would that be justice? Or is it only justice if they are convicted? Or are convictions not enough, do they need to serve jail time also? So tell us Rev Al, what is "justice"?

blablanyc

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:29:59 -0500

It's a good thing Sharpton has been arrested. He could lose some weight.

babyhitler

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:27:19 -0500

#5 -"..... Then they came for me--but I was too busy playing Grand Theft Auto IV on my High Definition Television that I didn't open the door and they Left".

berniegoetz

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:11:30 -0500

Make sweeping generalizations defending the victimhood of all non-whites: you're morally superior, good-hearted, etc. Dare to criticize an event you disagree with or simply find lame that happens to be taking place with 1,000' of a black person: you're a racist and society hasn't evolved one day since slavery. Whatever.

thefacts

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:10:45 -0500

Hi 34, The acid kicking in 'bout now?

emilydickinson

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:09:38 -0500

I love Al Sharpton, seriously. Since I was a toddler, I can remember constantly seeing him on Live at 5, and in every paper. He's one of the best flacks since Ivy Lee and understand the game much better than people give him credit for. Black leaders in America have never had any success with peaceful civil disobedience, right? How can you fault the guy for peacefully speaking his mind and voicing dissent? This didn't inconvenience anyone really, and if it did, too bad. I support peoples rights to speak their mind without limit. I don't have an opinion on the morality of the Sean Bell incident, but hey as the MTA loves to tell us, 'If you See Something, Say Something'.

Snoopy

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:06:06 -0500

I hear that the rev Al is doing Nicole Paultre Bell. She had two kids before her wedding day and she decided that what the fuck's another one.

Snoopy

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:02:03 -0500

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.

ohio

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:58:21 -0500

the blame game is easier they shot him 50 times. Sharpton is a man of least resistance he went to jail for his beliefs today. have been supporting Barack Obama please. what's not to support. that's a question of fact a human life was taken by the NYPD. dispute that. since they haven't been convicted cops have been free to kill people of color 4eva. 200,000 American soldiers this war is based on lies. Sean Bell's death was probably, at worst, a case of overzealous use of force by the cops i wish this on someone you know. then tell me how you feel. how you're able to speak for the oppressed and the persecuted stop projecting. someone has to speak for those without influence(see Niemoller quote for why). Everyone's just a little bit racist doesn't have to be that way. make the world we live in a better place by resisting ignorance. these people thank you very much for proving my point.

nik13

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:57:51 -0500

What or less likely, who is a "street artist"? Does this count as "street/performance art"? Last year, I saw an utterly spaced out homeless guy, sitting on a broken & discarded chair outside Gristede's on 8th & 50something. It was hot & humid & he wore nothing but red shorts, while vigorously pleasuring himself. Real art, while sitting on a three-legged stool in deep, drunken stupor. LOL

thefacts

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:44:07 -0500

#5: Ohio, You're giving that state a bad name. Perhaps you can find there a good orthopedist who can cure that knee-jerk reaction of yours. In fact, Niemøller was a one-time member of the Nazi party and an anti-Semite. What he wrote reflected his own life. It wasn't apochryphal. He was an anti-semite and only changed when he was sent to a concentration camp, you fool! Niemöller's behaviour in this time is assessed critically and remains a continual subject of controversy. Professor Werner Cohn states: "I lived as a Jew under the Nazis in the very years that he [Martin Niemöller] told his Dahlem congregation that we Jews were race aliens, and also that we deserved what we got, having murdered Christ. I lived not too far from his church, and his name was mentioned in my home."[11] Historians quote from one of Niemöller's sermons in 1935: "What is the reason for [their] obvious punishment, which has lasted for thousands of years? Dear brethren, the reason is easily given: the Jews brought the Christ of God to the cross!" [12] According to Holocaust scholar Robert Michael, Niemöller agreed with the Nazis' position on the Jewish question.[3] Michael notes: "These kinds of statements are a result of traditional antisemitism, and beliefs such as these corrupted average people as well as the elite and made them all not just victims of Nazis but active or passive collaborators in the Holocaust."[13] Perhaps you should go back to Ohio, you effing uneducated, self-important, arrogant, self-righteous little twit.

liulide

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:40:49 -0500

#21, i wasn't equating blacks and homeless with street artists. those were the three groups (the 3 i remember anyway) that Guiliani went after in his batshit crazy effort to "clean up" the city. your comment betrays your ignorance. your transplant roots are showing.

RoDogg

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:34:32 -0500

The sad thing about some of the stupid comments on this post is that most don't realize that Al stands up for HUMAN RIGHTS. I don't agree with everything done by him but he stands up for you when your human rights have been violated. So it's ok for cops to shoot at someone 50 times but when Al holds a peaceful and non-violent protest he is a dumbass and gets insults. The sad thing about this board and racist is that it has no logic, its just random ignorant remakes. Al has done more for people then anyone of you stupid asses posting ignorant remarks. Get a life and stop being attention whores internet tough guys. At least Al stands up for something, most of you sit down to piss.

eyekantspel

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:28:11 -0500

it's refreshing to see some civil disobedience in action. too bad they don't have a better cause to rally over.

Spear_Chucker

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:26:04 -0500

Problem is, these people tend to be civil disobedient regardless.

mhmath

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:25:15 -0500

To Ohio -- are you a poor black man? Is that how you're able to speak for the oppressed and the persecuted? Or are you just a white person who feels guilty about having racists thoughts and tries to overcompensate by flaunting your self-righteousness in anonymous forums like this? I find that it's my white middle class friends who are so into being "politically-correct" and making sure no one says anything racially degrading about me or other minority friends...when we could really care less. Like that song ins Avenue Q, "Everyone's just a little bit racist".

eyekantspel

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:24:16 -0500

read a few comments on gothamist and there is proof that the anonymous scholars of the blogosphere are a racist majority. If you read gothamist, you'd know that there are only 2 or 3 resident racists, and that the large majority of anonymous scholars on this site have been supporting Barack Obama. an innocent man is dead. that's a question of fact, and none of us know the answer. The judge determined that the police had cause. those officers should be jailed. that's your opinion. however, since they haven't been convicted of a crime, jailing them would go against the very freedoms you claim to support. these citizens have every right to protest. absolutely. and they are. just not many of them. and I'm enjoying the freedom to comment on that. there was a time when civil disobedience was respeted as a form of speech. it still is. but when Al Sharpton is leading the group, protesting a situation where black cops shot a guy with a record who supposedly drove his car into them at 4am, the facts are far from clear, and it's hard to get fired up about it. it seems our generation is full of cowards who stand for nothing but what benefits them bullshit. there are 200,000 American soldiers from our generation fighting a war in Iraq that doesn't benefit them at all. They aren't cowards, and while some might argue they shouldn't be there, they aren't doing it out of self interest. I don't see anything so brave or noble about participating in a Sean Bell rally. freedom to assemble. freedom of speech. all taking place today. go march if you care. one day they will come for you. lol, paranoid lunacy. No one is coming for anyone. Sean Bell's death was probably, at worst, a case of overzealous use of force by the cops. If the gun statement was real, and if Bell did drive into someone who identified himself as a cop, then force was justified. The facts are murky. If the state really DOES start coming for people, I'll go to a rally against it. This rally just seems like a tired publicity stunt to get Sharpton a little more free press and based on the turnout, it looks like most people aren't that interested.

gobama

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:17:09 -0500

good for them- and, frankly, it's refreshing to see some civil disobedience in action.

Whammo

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:09:38 -0500

Hopefully someone will show Sharpton a good time on Rikers Island.

edEx

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:06:11 -0500

disturbing the peace is counterproductive. perhaps starting within the black communities and working outward is the best solution... but hey the blame game is easier and Sharpton is a man of least resistance.

jenchungsgrammar

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:57:29 -0500

i went to go look at the park/34th street one as its a block away from work. lame turnout, less then 15 people, more cops then protesters

eyekantspel

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:49:32 -0500

equating blacks and homeless people to street artists? oh, those poor oppressed street artists, prevented from expressing themselves at the expense of society by damaging property with their colorful tags. if the cops were shooting street artists, there would be a parade instead of a protest march.

ohio

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:47:01 -0500

it means nothing to you now because your existence is not being challenged. if you were a poor black man, you would see the world differently. read a few comments on gothamist and there is proof that the anonymous scholars of the blogosphere are a racist majority. in real life they influence the biased way in which people see the world. those cops killed an unarmed man. despite what each side has said, an innocent man is dead. those officers should be jailed. these citizens have every right to protest. there was a time when civil disobedience was respeted as a form of speech. it seems our generation is full of cowards who stand for nothing but what benefits them and against anything that benefits their fellow man. freedom to assemble. freedom of speech. without justice, there is no possibility for any of us to truly be free. one day they will come for you. i hope someone speaks up before then.

Nick S

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:28:26 -0500

those poor street artists!

sonyactivision

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:28:04 -0500

"Excessive Jheri Curling in a No Jheri Curling Zone."

Novanglus

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:24:34 -0500

#16, obviously you were a criminal, druggie or a loser during the Guiliani years.

liulide

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:14:24 -0500

#15, you obviously were not black, homeless, or a street artist during the guiliani years.

Spiritof76

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:09:11 -0500

[5] So just who are "they" coming for right now? I hadn't noticed any systemic, government-sanctioned purges against any groups. BTW, nice of you to Godwin the comments so early.

Novanglus

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:08:34 -0500

"Your ignorant comments make me feel sorry for the future of New York...does anyone care about freedom anymore?" What freedom are you referring to? that doesn't mean anything.

GOP

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:07:05 -0500

I see some white ppl in that protest.

Larry

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:02:40 -0500

I was outside much of the day and didn't notice this at all. Lamest city shutdown ever.

Georgina

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:02:16 -0500

From the man who brought us Tawana Brawley...

moocowtoo

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:53:55 -0500

Where's al sharpton eh? err. oh, wait.

ihateallbrokers

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:52:38 -0500

50 shots = 50 dead cops

Kevin Bracken

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:51:49 -0500

Props to Sharpton for getting arrested for an act of civil disobedience I thought he was all talk

theevilone

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:51:21 -0500

...and just in time to make the 5 o'clock news. Good work, Rev Al.

Kreetoo

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:44:36 -0500

Where's Al Sharpton to protest Al Sharpton getting arrested?? But seriously, way to go living up to your claims of "shutting down the city," like you could ever do that. I'm reminded of the bombastic claims of Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War about how it would be the "mother of all wars" and how he would annihilate us, etc. It's all schoolyard posturing and empty talk. All you "protesters" did was inconvenience your fellow citizens who actually have jobs and need to commute home. Thanks for that. Maybe you should focus all your pent-up energy on actually revitalizing the communities like the one where this tragedy took place because I don't see you protesting and organizing to clean up neighborhoods that are known for drug dealing and prostitution. Ok, so 10 out of 10 for style, but minus several million for good thinking, yeah?

ohio

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:42:06 -0500

In Germany they first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me--and by that time no one was left to speak up. Pastor Martin Niemoller Your ignorant comments make me feel sorry for the future of New York...does anyone care about freedom anymore?

Spear_Chucker

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:38:02 -0500

Retards...

zpk

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:35:40 -0500

That's a great way to protest the Sean Bell verdict: Take it out on innocent New Yorkers.

eyekantspel

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:35:21 -0500

if that picture is any indication, it's a pretty light turnout.

choppynyc

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:32:57 -0500

dumb asses