Sharpton Stirs Up Trouble in New York
Apr 28, 2008 General
In November of 2006 Sean Bell was attending his bachelor party at an establishment that was under surveillance by the police for alleged prostitution. One of Bell’s friends got into an argument and one of Bell’s friends was heard saying to get his gun and shoot the “white bitch” (the woman with whom the argument took place). They left and were followed by a police officer who had called for his back-up team. The police identified themselves and ordered Bell to put his hands up (while he was in his car). Instead of complying, Bell accelerated and struck an unmarked police car. The police opened fire and Bell was struck by four bullets and died of his injuries. The police shot fifty rounds in the incident.
Three of the officers were indicted on manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges. On April 25th the three officers were found not guilty on all counts. The judge in the case stated that the officer’s account of the evening was more credible than the accounts of Bell’s two friends, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, both of whom survived the shooting.
Reverend Al Sharpton has been involved in this case since just after the shooting and has paid witnesses to discuss what they saw. Their versions contradict police accounts that a fourth man ran from the scene and was believed to have a gun. After the verdict on Friday Sharpton vowed to shut down New York City. He did state that he was not calling for any violence but that he and the black community in New York intended to shut down the city. Of course, Sharpton always says he does not call for violence and then his chants of “no justice no peace” end up inciting people to commit violent acts sometimes leading to the deaths of others.
Sharpton stated:
“We strategically know how to stop the city so people stand still and realize that you do not have the right to shoot down unarmed, innocent civilians,” Sharpton told an overflow crowd of several hundred people at his National Action Network office in the historically black Manhattan neighborhood. “This city is going to deal with the blood of Sean Bell.” My Way News
I was not there and have no way of knowing what really happened any more than Sharpton does. However, Bell was intoxicated and when ordered by police to put his hands up accelerated his car and ran into theirs. His friend had been heard talking about getting a gun and killing a “white bitch” and the two friends have criminal records that involve guns. If Sean Bell had listened to the police and put his hands up he might still be alive today but instead he made an aggressive move that resulted in his death. Bell’s acts, in no way, can be seen as those of an innocent man. He might have been innocent when they ordered him to put his hands up but he lost his innocence when he accelerated and ran into their car.
Al Sharpton will incite a riot and people will probably get hurt. If we are fortunate one of the casualties will be Sharpton and he will no longer be around to incite black hatred. Whites in LA did not riot when OJ was found not guilty because the court had issued its ruling, like it or not.
The incident with Bell was tragic and though I personally think that shooting fifty times is excessive, I was not there. I do not know the neighborhood or the circumstances the officers faced. I do know that a court found them not guilty of manslaughter and that is good enough for me whether I think they are guilty or not. The only thing Sharpton can do is muddy the waters more than they are and promote hatred and racial intolerance.
Thanks to my friend Kender for this bit of humor to end this post:
The Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, while visiting a primary school class, found themselves in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.
The teacher asked both men if they would like to lead the discussion of the word ‘tragedy’. So the illustrious Rev Jackson asks the class for an example of a ‘tragedy’.
One little boy stood up and offered: ‘If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a runaway tractor comes along and knocks him dead, that would be a tragedy.’
No,’ says the Great Jesse Jackson, ‘that would be an accident.’
A little girl raised her hand: ‘If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy.’
I’m afraid not,’ explains the exalted Reverend Al. ‘That’s what we would call a great loss. ‘ The room goes silent. No other children volunteered.
Reverend Al searches the room. ‘Isn’t there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?’
Finally at the back of the room little Johnny raises his hand. In a stern voice he says: ‘If a plane carrying the Reverends Jackson and Sharpton were struck by a missile and blown to smithereens that would be a tragedy.’
Fantastic!’ exclaim Jackson and Sharpton, ‘That’s right. And can you tell us why that would be a tragedy?’
‘Well,’ says little Johnny, ‘because it sure as hell wouldn’t be a great loss, and it probably wouldn’t be an accident either!”
Other Sources:
WCBSTV
Wikipedia: Sean Bell Shooting
