Sean Bell Cops Acquitted

[INDman]

All three detectives were found not guilty today for shooting Sean Bell (who was armed with a car) on the night before his wedding. So what do you guys think? I think it is a good win and I never had a doubt that my boys in blue did the right thing.

[m106crosstown]

i knew they were going to be acquitted.

[Harry]

All three detectives were found not guilty today for shooting Sean Bell (who was armed with a car) on the night before his wedding. So what do you guys think? I think it is a good win and I never had a doubt that my biys in blue did the right thing.

 

I'm not sure they did the right thing but I truly believe it could've been handled differently. This was hard on everyone involved, especially the Bell family. I'm just glad this is all over and all parties involved can move on.

[4 Train]

I was rooting for the boys in blue. Hopefully, there won't be a riot. I never liked Al Sharpton.

[Coolbreezing]

All three detectives were found not guilty today for shooting Sean Bell (who was armed with a car) on the night before his wedding. So what do you guys think? I think it is a good win and I never had a doubt that my biys in blue did the right thing.

 

Bell was killed in November on his wedding day when police fired 50 shots at a car carrying him and two friends. All three men were unarmed. It was said that none of these men had any weapon in the car. As far as I can remember, the detectives pull in front of Sean Bell's car. They did not identified themselves, they was no way those men could have known that their were cops. I don't understand how people can say that the detectives did the right thing when their fired 50 shots to three unarmed individual that poses no threat to them. Oliver is the cop who fired 31 shots. He emptied a magazine, reloaded his gun and continued shooting at Sean Bell and his friends. Now, maybe we have a shot memory not to remember that those police officers were coming from a club. They had been drinking and were tested positive, enough to be considered intoxicated. We know that most of the witnesses on this case were felons. We also know that this verdict was not a decision of a jury. Now knowing these facts, one should asked how did we get a result like that. Why did the system fail these three men. What is it really about?

[TransitGuy]

Quite honestly I understand your point about the 50 shots but at the same time I was hoping these guys get acquitted (note that I don't support cops at all so this is rare) only because Sharpton had to get involved and make everything a media circus and yet another event to push his own agenda. Another thing that really had me going was Mr. Guzman who acted very arrogant and obnoxiously during the court battle as well in front of the press. But you are saying that these three guys were unarmed but honestly what would you have done in the shoes of the cops if a car is charging at you (the car was considered a weapon)? Would you honestly ask politely for them to stop? Would you shoot? What other options are there? But honestly Mr. Guzman and that other guy is going to get millions from the city alone, so I think their wounds will heal. Also, don't forget the wife to be, she's going to get millions also (which I don't think is right for some reason). The person who I truly feel sorrow for is Mrs. Bell (Mr. Bell's mother), if anything she should been on the camera more than the wife to be.

[BusOperator3319]

All three detectives were found not guilty today for shooting Sean Bell (who was armed with a car) on the night before his wedding. So what do you guys think? I think it is a good win and I never had a doubt that my biys in blue did the right thing.

 

You know as a 23 year old Black male i could have been Sean Bell it is unfortunate that this happened and it is unfortunate that rasicim still rears it's ugly head matted33 you as an irish american do not know what it is to experience racial profiling as you are not a Black Male living in this city and i do not support the NYPD in any way they have caused this City undoubtedly so much money over the years than any other City Agency because of Civil Lawsuits stemming from wrongful death cases and what have you it is about high time that elected Officials look into the way police officers are trained

they knew they were getting away with murder when they asked for a judge to decide their case and not a jury and it is not uncommon ask your self when was the last time a cop was found guilty of wrong doing besides Danielle Baymack who KILLED her friend and NYPD partner while driving DRUNK in Nassau County this is wrong and it is sending a message to the NYPD that they can bully any citizen of this city

 

and yes The Judge The Prosecution and the NYPD are bed fellows

and no i am not biased i have friends that are officers one assigned to the DTF one in Vice and one assigned to the 52nd and my moms is an officer in the NYCD

 

and i can recall sometime back of a situation of an officer striking a Bus Operator in the head with his Radio this Operator was assigned to Ulmer Park and he was a white male so this goes to show you that they abuse everybody so this is not a black and white situation because they brutalize everyone and it has to stop

 

and may i add just because some black men wear their pants hanging off their asses does'nt mean we are hoodlums so please stop the sterotypes because there are plenty of faults that other races have

[INDman]

I don't think what they did was too much, police are taught to shot until the target is eliminated. Also Bell was armed, he had a car and was trying to run the officers over. They did ID them selfs as was stated by several eye witnesses and had reason to act they way they did as one of the three men in the car had stated that he had a gun. Also when officers are performing special duties, such as working out of a club such as the one they were at that night, they are allowed 2 or 3 drinks. I do think that it is terrible that a man lost his life that night, but what was done was what needed to be done. I know several NYPD officers who tell me that put in the same situation, they would have done the same thing. Now I just hope that the NYPD does not hang these 3 men out to dry when it comes to departmental charges and a sure to come civil suit.

[Coolbreezing]

Quite honestly I understand your point about the 50 shots but at the same time I was hoping these guys get acquitted (note that I don't support cops at all so this is rare) only because Sharpton had to get involved and make everything a media circus and yet another event to push his own agenda. Another thing that really had me going was Mr. Guzman who acted very arrogant and obnoxiously during the court battle as well in front of the press. But you are saying that these three guys were unarmed but honestly what would you have done in the shoes of the cops if a car is charging at you (the car was considered a weapon)? Would you honestly ask politely for them to stop? Would you shoot? What other options are there? But honestly Mr. Guzman and that other guy is going to get millions from the city alone, so I think their wounds will heal. Also, don't forget the wife to be, she's going to get millions also (which I don't think is right for some reason). The person who I truly feel sorrow for is Mrs. Bell (Mr. Bell's mother), if anything she should been on the camera more than the wife to be.

 

As far as Sharpton is concern, who knows maybe he has his own agenda but that's beside the point since Sharpton is not the one who had to bury a son. If I was an undercover officer and while driving felt a car charging me, I would assumed it's an accident. Unless off-course I have other reason to believe otherwise. Is it really how it happen or did the undercover cops pull in front of Sean Bell vehicle attempting to stop him. As far as I can remember, that's how it happened which mean it was predetermine. And even if it was not so, the 50 shots fired to an unarmed man is unjustified no matter how you looked at it.

 

As far as Mr. Guzman and the other guy or how much money they'll get is purely a disrespect to Bell's family. No amount of money is more valuable than a life. Where it may be for you for others it's different. This is not about fame, I think something is wrong with the way you see this situation.

[BusOperator3319]

I don't think what they did was too much, police are taught to shot until the target is eliminated. Also Bell was armed, he had a car and was trying to run the officers over. They did ID them selfs as was stated by several eye witnesses and had reason to act they way they did as one of the three men in the car had stated that he had a gun. Also when officers are performing special duties, such as working out of a club such as the one they were at that night, they are allowed 2 or 3 drinks. I do think that it is terrible that a man lost his life that night, but what was done was what needed to be done. I know several NYPD officers who tell me that put in the same situation, they would have done the same thing. Now I just hope that the NYPD does not hang these 3 men out to dry when it comes to departmental charges and a sure to come civil suit.

 

I beg to differ they are not the FBI the last time i checked they were given the authority to SHOOT to KILL and those cops are liars i remember from early accounts when they claimed there was a fourth man that never came up again if there was think to your self would they have let him get away i doubt it he would have gotten shot as well there stories do not add up and the NYPD hires criminals just like one who robbed those banks several times this Police Departmant has gotten so desparate over the years because they cannot retain officers

[BusOperator3319]

and further more i'm ever so outraged that the lieutenant was'nt demoted or fired because this would not have happened if he would have taken control as he was the commanding officer at the scene but he goes and hide under the dashboard why is he even still employed just another pat on the back and a job well done

[INDman]

Well I know I can't change your opinion, but I will respect it though I disagree. If you can't tell, I fully support the police and when I graduate college I hope to join the NYPD. I know that many people look down on the police and some even hate them, but there are many, many officers out there every day protecting people like you and I, and I hope that one day I have the honor of serving the people of NYC with respect, compassion, and integrity.

[BusOperator3319]

Well I know I can't change your opinion, but I will respect it though I disagree. If you can't tell, I fully support the police and when I graduate college I hope to join the NYPD. I know that many people look down on the police and some even hate them, but there are many, many officers out there every day protecting people like you and I, and I hope that one day I have the honor of serving the people of NYC with respect, compassion, and integrity.

 

Matted33 you know you seem to be a well rounded kid if i were you i would look for any other Department besides the NYPD try Nassau,Suffolk and the State Troopers well respected more Money and may i add does'nt put up or tolerate with what you see in the NYPD

[Coolbreezing]

As a reinforcement to what Mr. Bus Operator said take a look at this quot from New York Times columnist Bob Herbert.

 

"Since 2002 the number has gone up fivefold. You have more than half a million people in 2006, just one year, who were stopped and, in many of those cases, frisked by the police officers. Only a very small percentage of those stops lead to arrest. What’s going on here? And it’s not little old ladies and middle class whites who are being stopped by the police, it’s overwhelmingly blacks and Hispanics. And I just think that this is an outrage. It’s humiliating. I mean, you have to like put your hands up against the wall. People are patting you down. They put their hands anywhere they want to. And it’s something that I think more attention needs to be paid to."

[INDman]

I have been looking into other departments, but I had also heard rumors that the NYPD starting pay might go up to 40K in the next few years. Plus no other department has an Emergency Service Unit like that of New York. I hear what you are saying and I am getting ready to take test for PAPD, MTA PD, and for the Island too.

[Coolbreezing]

To get to the bottom of all this, I think this verdict in regard to Sean Bell case is an attempt to divide the country. At a time when a prominent democratic candidate Obama question the faith of the American people by demonstrating that he is the right candidate. Democrats, Republicans, both whites and blacks are stun by this outcome. Perhaps, Americans are not racially divided as some people thought. So now, this verdict is suppose to create a distance between whites and blacks which subsequently will effect Obama's voters to give further thoughts. Will this effect the Obama's vote maybe yes, but I would hope not.

[TransitGuy]

As far as Sharpton is concern, who knows maybe he has his own agenda but that's beside the point since Sharpton is not the one who had to bury a son. If I was an undercover officer and while driving felt a car charging me, I would assumed it's an accident. Unless off-course I have other reason to believe otherwise. Is it really how it happen or did the undercover cops pull in front of Sean Bell vehicle attempting to stop him. As far as I can remember, that's how it happened which mean it was predetermine. And even if it was not so, the 50 shots fired to an unarmed man is unjustified no matter how you looked at it.

 

As far as Mr. Guzman and the other guy or how much money they'll get is purely a disrespect to Bell's family. No amount of money is more valuable than a life. Where it may be for you for others it's different. This is not about fame, I think something is wrong with the way you see this situation.

 

Well something may be wrong with the way I saw this but thats definitely what I got from watching the news reports, reading the articles, and pretty much talking and discussing the topic numerous times. Look to be honest with you, at first I thought all 5 officers(the original number) should have been charged and sent to jail but I think Sharpton's involvement really started to change my mind about that. Well overall, I hope an event like this doesn't happen again but statistically it will happen again (if or when it does I sure as hell won't support the cops)

 

As a reinforcement to what Mr. Bus Operator said take a look at this quot from New York Times columnist Bob Herbert.

 

"Since 2002 the number has gone up fivefold. You have more than half a million people in 2006, just one year, who were stopped and, in many of those cases, frisked by the police officers. Only a very small percentage of those stops lead to arrest. What’s going on here? And it’s not little old ladies and middle class whites who are being stopped by the police, it’s overwhelmingly blacks and Hispanics. And I just think that this is an outrage. It’s humiliating. I mean, you have to like put your hands up against the wall. People are patting you down. They put their hands anywhere they want to. And it’s something that I think more attention needs to be paid to."

 

I agree 100% with that quote right there (although its honestly minorities in general who are subject to these frisks).

[Coolbreezing]

You know what ...... .TransitGuy you probably right, I really can't hold you fully responsible for what you said since you're only repeating what you hear and see in the the media. However, I do think you have enough understanding to realized that things are not always as the media portrayed them to be. You're trying to be honest with me and I respect that but at the same time, I expect you to be a little sensitive towards tragedies such as the Sean Bell case. TransitGuy forget about Al Sharpton like I said before, this case is not about Shapton.

 

This case is about how the system treats black people specially when it comes to police brutality. Will it happen again yes and whether or not you'll be against it will still not make a different. To prevent police brutality black people financial situation must change. We need more black entrepreneurs, business people who will be willing to make changes withing the black community. Once the financial status of a group of people change, they will become more respected. As it is the case for the Indians, you don't hear too many Indian being harass by the cops. Some Indians are blacker than black so why is that a reality, well find out which country is landing us money.

 

I hope this thing don't result into a riot because if it does, Obama will lose a lots of votes. Obama represent unity among blacks and whites, I would hate to see this spirit disappeared. Just so you know, your previous message came across as being racial but I understand you didn't mean it that way.

[DOB2RTO]

1. I knew this was going to be the outcome.

 

2. 50+ shots is alot, especially with other people in the car.

 

3. If Sean Bell did attempt to hit them with his car, they had ever right to do what they did. Some say they didn't know they were cops, some say they recognized a few of the under-covers as cops.

 

4. I wasn't there, but fact is both sides will lie to try to get their way.

 

5. As a young black man, I never had any negative stuff from the cops. I live in Yonkers, one of the most racist places. There are some who had negative interactions with police. I did take up Law Enforcement in H.S., and was going to go to John Jay College of criminal Justice. Would of been a cop, or Defense Lawyer. This means I don't rush the judgement. I would rather hear both sides, then sort it out.

 

6. This is why I believe all unmarked police cars, should have cameras in them. Period.

 

7. Even if someone in the car was going for a gun, they suppose to shoot the "suspect", not everyone in the car. This is the part that bothers me. That is overkill.

 

That's all I have to say on this.

[INDman]

DOB2RTO, I know what you mean, all "slick tops" (unmared units) should have camaras. What you said about shooting the suspect I do agree with, but the suspect who said "get my gat" or something to that effect and Mr. Bell were in the car and it was Bell who decided to try and run over a police officer. I do feel, in my opinion, they did what they felt they needed to do to stay alive.

[DOB2RTO]

DOB2RTO, I know what you mean, all "slick tops" (unmared units) should have camaras. What you said about shooting the suspect I do agree with, but the suspect who said "get my gat" or something to that effect and Mr. Bell were in the car and it was Bell who decided to try and run over a police officer. I do feel, in my opinion, they did what they felt they needed to do to stay alive.

 

If one did say that, and if Sean bell did try to run them over, then yes. Cops do have the authority to open fire if a "suspect" tries to harm them or anyone else. A car can be a deadly weapon. There is still to much conflicting stuff though (as in did they identify themselves as cops). This is the one thing that could have make or break this case.

[BusOperator3319]

If one did say that, and if Sean bell did try to run them over, then yes. Cops do have the authority to open fire if a "suspect" tries to harm them or anyone else. A car can be a deadly weapon. There is still to much conflicting stuff though (as in did they identify themselves as cops). This is the one thing that could have make or break this case.

 

Yes there was alot riding on this case but as i said before they knew that they were going to go to jail thats exactly why they picked a judge over a Jury because they knew they would not have had walked if they were judged by their peers

 

sure Guzman was arogant and that may have caused them the case

 

was this a race issue no because Oliver is of lebenese descent and the other two were black

 

what bother's me is that some not all Journalist praise the actions of what these three officers did. and I am particularly angered at the fact that oliver emptied one magazine and had the audacity to reload. andrea peyser of the NY Post is definitely out of character and out of bounds how dear she say this should have never went to trial if it were one of her family members would she be sitting on the side lines saying what a good job they had done

 

this is my final posting on this subject i cannot bare to talk about this any longer all i know is a father of two is no longer on this earth due to reckless behavor on behalf of people that are paid to protect us hopefully the FEDS will get the ball rolling because if they do this will send a wake up call to the cops in the NYPD that they are no longer invincible and untouchable and this is why they do the things that they do and they make the CCRB look like a joke

[TransitGuy]

You know what ...... .TransitGuy you probably right, I really can't hold you fully responsible for what you said since you're only repeating what you hear and see in the the media. However, I do think you have enough understanding to realized that things are not always as the media portrayed them to be. You're trying to be honest with me and I respect that but at the same time, I expect you to be a little sensitive towards tragedies such as the Sean Bell case. TransitGuy forget about Al Sharpton like I said before, this case is not about Shapton.

 

This case is about how the system treats black people specially when it comes to police brutality. Will it happen again yes and whether or not you'll be against it will still not make a different. To prevent police brutality black people financial situation must change. We need more black entrepreneurs, business people who will be willing to make changes withing the black community. Once the financial status of a group of people change, they will become more respected. As it is the case for the Indians, you don't hear too many Indian being harass by the cops. Some Indians are blacker than black so why is that a reality, well find out which country is landing us money.

 

I hope this thing don't result into a riot because if it does, Obama will lose a lots of votes. Obama represent unity among blacks and whites, I would hate to see this spirit disappeared. Just so you know, your previous message came across as being racial but I understand you didn't mean it that way.

 

Well I've been thinking about it a lot and you are right. My opinion was generally based on a person's involvement with the case which was obviously a dumb way to look at it. Also, as you said ofcourse the media never portrays these things truthfully, if anything they want ratings. In general, these cops shouldn't even remain in the department. I do think there has to be a big cleanup and enhancement for the NYPD in regards to their work ethic etc (we all know that). I don't think police brutality is limited to black people though, it is happening to every race.

[Coolbreezing]

DOB2RTO, I know what you mean, all "slick tops" (unmared units) should have camaras. What you said about shooting the suspect I do agree with, but the suspect who said "get my gat" or something to that effect and Mr. Bell were in the car and it was Bell who decided to try and run over a police officer. I do feel, in my opinion, they did what they felt they needed to do to stay alive.

 

Too much speculation going on here but yet not enough thinking. I guest we just going to accept every thing we hear from the media without giving it some thought. Let's assumed that it was true that a suspect said to get my gun, is it relevant to this case. Since no gun was found on any suspect or anyone in the car at the crime scene, it would appeared to me any speculation about a gun is destine for a cover up. Secondly, place me in Sean Bell place, while driving three guys pull up on me with their gun drawn. If I assumed that those guys are folks I had confrontation with in the past who's trying to get revenge, am I wrong to react while thinking that. Since the undercovers did not identified themselves as police officers, would I be wrong if I try to defend myself. We must be naive to think that the cops didn't try to cover up this crime, specially when it was them that were at fault. As a black felon in NYC, it is much easy for the cops to get over. As it was in Sean Bell case those guys in the car had felon and so were the police officers. So now who will you give the benefit of the doubt.

 

 

BusOperator said "was this a race issue no because Oliver is of lebenese descent and the other two were black" It is the rational that gives rise to the intention behind the crime that is racial not the person himself.

 

If being a black officer distance the chances of cops committing racial crime in the black community than as more black officers join the force, the black communities would experience less harassment from the cops. As it is the case, the number of harassment has continued to increase. Just because an officer is black doesn't mean that he won't discriminate against his own kind, it would be illogical to think that. In fact it is what the officer perceived to be true that will dictates how he treat his own kind. It is what these officers are thought in the academy plus their surrounded friends whom they look up to that will change how they see their own kind. It is because of that fact you have organization such as the 100 blacks in law enforcement who care http://members.tripod.com/blacksnlaw/ it's because those conscious officers realized that something is wrong with the system.

 

 

TransitGuy We cool ....I agree. I notice you're from GT and so is my wife. I live with three G.T ... my daughter born here and I originated from Haiti. I been here since 1985 fighting injustice. I never new what racism was until I came to the US.