Tuesday, May 27, 2008 |
Detectives Marc Cooper, left, Gescard Isnora, center, and Michael Oliver
The three cops acquitted of killing Sean Bell were hit with disciplinary charges last week. Detectives Marc Cooper, Gescard Isnora and Michael Oliver were accused of firing their weapons outside of NYPD departmental guidelines - charges that could result in their termination from the force. Isnora was also charged with violating NYPD vice protocols by taking action as an undercover.
Al Sharpton, who is demanding that the Justice Department try the three cops for violating Bell’s civil rights, called the internal charges “a step in the right direction.”
“That’s good news,” Sean Bell’s father, William, added. “On a gloomy day like today, I need some good news.”
The three officers remain on modified duty, stripped of their guns and badges.
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Thursday, May 8, 2008 |
Rev. Al Sharpton and Nicole Paultre Bell (fiance of Sean Bell) were among approximately 200 people who were arrested Wednesday as demonstrators blocked traffic during New York’s evening rush hour to protest the acquittals of three detectives in the 50-bullet shooting of unarmed Bell on his wedding day.
Also arrested were Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield - two survivors from the shooting incident. CNN reported:
Police estimated that about 190 people were arrested, including Sharpton, two survivors of the shooting and the slain man’s fiancee. They lined up and put their hands behind their backs as police arrested them on disorderly conduct charges.
Sharpton, the two survivors and the fiancee were released about four hours later, said Sharpton spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger.
The demonstrators prayed, sang and chanted slogans including “no justice, no peace” as they converged on six heavily used bridges and tunnels that carry traffic to and from Manhattan. The protests were part of a coordinated campaign to urge federal authorities to investigate the shooting of Sean Bell in November 2006.
( Photos: Yahoo Photos/AP )
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 |
Talk about doing good and doing well, the Pauletta and Denzel Washington Family Gifted Scholars Program in Neuroscience recently awarded Lindsay Ross (left) and Debi Thomas (center) with Neuroscience Research Scholarships. Denzel then interviewed the two.
He and his wife established the program in 2004 to support and encourage students to pursue a career in neuroscience. It provides $2,500 monthly support for a graduate-level research and $2,000 per month for an undergraduate. Recipients work during the summer months under the direction of respected physicians, neurosurgeons and scientists, and prepare a scientific abstract or paper to submit to a national neuroscience, cancer or neurosurgery organization.
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Monday, April 28, 2008 |
Chris Tucker, Judge Marvin Arrington, Judge Belinda Edwards and Bill Cosby hold hands in prayer. ( view more pictures )
Judge Marvin Arrington, who ordered white lawyers out of his courtroom last month, and Bill Cosby spoke at a forum for at-risk youths from the Atlanta area last week. Chris Tucker also attended the event and urged audience members to find something they’re passionate about, otherwise it’s very easy to get into trouble, he said. Continue Reading »
Monday, April 28, 2008 |
Nicole Paultre-Bell (pictured above with her daughter and Sean Bell’s parents) spoke to the public over the weekend about her reaction to the verdict:
“The justice system let me down,” Paultre Bell said, her voice strong, her message clear. “They killed Sean all over again. That’s what it felt like to us.” [ read more ]
Many people in NYC took to the streets and held protests and marches in Sean Bell’s memory after a Judge acquitted three police officers in his shooting death last Friday (photos after the cut).
The NY Daily news is reporting that the Bell family as well as Sean’s friend Joseph Guzman, who testified about being shot by police the night Bell was killed, are being harassed by random people. The Bell family even received a call the day of the verdict by someone who laughed and hung up. It was traced back to the Sergeants Benevolent Association, a NY police union…
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Friday, April 25, 2008 |
A crowd reacts to the verdict in the Sean Bell shooting case outside the Queens County Criminal Courts Building in New York Friday, April 25.
Three detectives were acquitted of all charges Friday in the killing of Sean Bell. Bell died after being bombarded with 50 bullets by the New York Police Department back in 2006.
Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora were found not guilty of charges of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of two of his friends. Detective Marc Cooper was acquitted of reckless endangerment.
Justice Arthur Cooperman said he found problems with the prosecution’s case. He said some prosecution witnesses contradicted themselves, and he cited prior convictions and incarcerations of witnesses.
As the judge read his decision, Nicole Paultre Bell — Sean Bell’s fiancee — ran from the courtroom crying, saying, “I’ve got to get out of here.” Continue Reading »
