Bloomberg Okays "Sean Bell Way" Renaming

Wherever he is, Sonny Carson is smiling down on Sean Bell Street.

Fine with me as long as it's a dead-end street.

Let's see how many times this sign gets stolen by the neighborhood savages

folks. I know we all hate the thugs and criminals, but if you think as a white person you're treated the same by the police/society youre INSANE.

look at the statistics what is it like one in 5 or one in 4 black men are in jail. its an epidemic. its crazy. you have to think why? what can be done besides shooting somewhere here and there and arresting the rest. the inequality in every statistic is so great you have to address the root of the problem.

the other day I was thinking of the documentary, called On the Ropes....you should watch it and try and put yourself in someone elses shoes

You want to know the real root of the problem? Most of these kids (and later men) who end up in jail have never had any real guidance in their lives. I cannot believe how often I see young black kids out in the street late at night, seemingly being raised by their peers. The vast majority of these people who fall into the criminal life come from single parent homes where the mother is a) overworked from trying to make ends meet, or b) doesn't really give a damn about the kid(s). I'm not saying that the police treat everyone fairly, or that we live in a land of smiles and rainbows, but the real problem lies in the fact that most of these people come from extremely unstable situations that don't exactly set them up for a life of greatness. I wish that people who don't have to financial and/or emotional means to raise children would stop having so many of them, and this sentiment is certainly NOT reserved exclusively for black people.

thats a good start Boogie. Now what can we do to fill in whats not being given to these kids. Maybe people who have had better guidance could step up when parents fail and guide the kids before they become criminals. I know thats vague, but the point is as a Society WE have to improve things, not just stamp our feet.

Also Maybe instead of the city spending money on ads discouraging people to drink SODA...they could spend some money tellings kids that the WORST thing they could do would be get PREGNANT before they're 35.

Slavery, racism, yeah it happened a long time ago, but truthfully you look at black america today and its obvious it hasnt been reconned with.

I don't know if you remember the story of Glen Wright, so if not here's a link: http://gothamist.com/2009/09/17/family_of_slain_student_thanks_goth.php

Glen was the perfect example of a kid who rose above the BS around him to do something better with his life. Sadly, his life was cut short by some POS gang member. Anyway, since his death, I have been in contact with and have donated to the East Harlem Tutorial Program, which is where Glen volunteered. This is a really great program and I suggest you contact them if you're looking to provide a positive influence or financial support for educational programming for some kids in need.

As for the pregnancy prevention ads, I totally agree with you, but also realize that that will probably never happen at a large scale given the clout held by Christian organizations, particularly the Catholic Church, in this city. I don't have a simple answer for this problem. It seems to me that the last thing people who are intellectually, financially and emotionally poor would want is a child, but clearly this is not the case. There is also the frightening issue of high HIV/AIDS rates due to the lack of condom use. Frankly, the whole situation is appalling.

boo fucking hoo - enough already with this culture of victimization! I came from a single parent home, went to NYC public schools, and still managed to stay out of jail!

I should get a fucking street named after me!

I have the exact same story as you verbal. I attribute everything to having a loving a parent. I dont think a lot of this kids have that same enviorment.

you add in all the other societal things, selling drugs, and being a thug seems like a natural thing to do. I feel fortunate and want to help those who arent. you're fortunate and are angry at people who arent. why?

I think your anger is misdirected if you were, in fact, replying to me. I am placing responsibility on ignorant, uneducated and lazy people having kids they neither want nor can afford. The only things these people are victims of is their own poor choices.

Whatever the thug was, the cops were plain wrong. Wronger?

Naming streets after thugs sets a bad precedent.

Name the street after the cops. Then everyone will remember.

Cops will know: you fuck up, you WILL be immortalized.

Hopes too high?

IF we have statues and streets named after slaveholders and racist then I see nothing wrong with naming a street after the victim the NYPD murdered. If Mr. Bell and his pals were dealing drugs or committing any other crime, then why have not been charged. Furthermore what cops here people say "let's get the gun from the car" and the police don't stop them before they get into the car. The NYPD fucked up once again and their supporters are laughable. Hopefully one day they or their loved ones will be innocently murdered by the NYPD. But then again that an impossibility NYPD only "accidentally" murder Non-White citizens, even other Black officers are victims of the NYPD thugs.

"Why have they not been charged?" (I corrected your terrible grammar.)

Not been charged? Really? Before you go opening your pie hole about something of which you are clearly unfamiliar, let me inform you that Sean Bell was CONVICTED (not only charged) on three different occasions for drug offenses, and we're not talking weed here. He was a crack dealer. Now, firing 50 bullets was extreme, but quit painting this guy as a hero. He was not.

Further, one of his buddies was arrested for assault at the Apollo's memorial for James Brown. It takes a real classy "gentleman" to start a fight at a viewing.

"Hopefully one day they or their loved ones will be innocently murdered by the NYPD."

Its more likely that their loved ones will be murdered by one of these street savages, than by the NYPD.

"It defies logic and common sense that the police identified themselves"

How? Were you there? Have you gone through planeclothes police training?

If Mr. Bell had not tried to run over a police officer with his car, he would be alive.

If someone approaches my car pointing a gun at me and NOT identifying themselves as police, I'd run their asses over too and so would you. Cut the bullshit. It defies logic and common sense that the police identified themselves and Mr. Bell chose to run them over with guns pointing at him. Talk about being stuck on stupid. But then when it comes to Black people whatever the police says is believed by SOME people.

it's a start. at least the mayor showed up.

kelly didn't.

maybe now there will be accountability and it stops with him. no more blaming the other guy.

Another sign (literally and metaphorically) of our crumbling empire. We once named streets to honor our soldiers and statesman. Now we pay homage to hapless thugs.

Well said. Regardless of whether Bell's killing was justified or not, he was hardly a pillar of the community.

Ditto, I guess they can associate him with JFK & Martin Luther King now ... give him a whole boulevard next time!

"This is about a life that was taken innocently and before his time on our wedding day." What the fuck, maybe he should have been at work or with his kids on his wedding day...

the wife says it perfectly - "This is about a life that was taken innocently and before his time on our wedding day."

You can't argue with that. you can't defend the police for shooting an INNOCENT UNARMED man. If naming a street after him makes people pay attention to how IMPERFECT our system is and how much it needs to be improved, then I'm all for it.

Yes, you can argue with that. No marriage license = no marriage. Drug dealing thug who was at a strip club where a fight broke out and someone in his party threatened to get a gun. Used his vehicle as a weapon against police officers. He was certainly not INNOCENT. This renaming sends the wrong message to children that will walk down that street.

When we start giving flags to fiances of dead soldiers, then maybe we could think about naming streets after innocent victims. This guy loses on so many points it's shameful that our good for nothing midget moneybags mayor bent over for this clown and his posse.

Didnt know they had an internet cafe at Bellevue. Sean Bell was the farthest from innocent or unarmed- he was a drug dealing slimebucket who used his car as a weapon.

Did you even see the photo of his ridiculous family around Bloomberg acting as if this street sign will mask the truth? Sean Bell is roasting in hell hopefully getting fed white hot pokers. Fuck him, his fake wife, and his "legacy."

Gothamist says "his wife Nicole Paultre Bell told the Post" but of course they were never married since...

Meh.

Sean Bell Way

http://digg.com/d31DZP5

this is the dumbest shit i've heard of in 2009. community of idiots.

What a joke - we should be naming the 21st Queensbrdige F train stop after that little girl with the knife before we even name a garbage dump after this thug.