My prayers goes out to the family. I dont know them but my heart cries out to them. I cant even imagine what it feels like. Especially for a young woman to raise 2 little girls all by herself due to a ruthless action by the police.

Yet again this is prime example of the “good ole boys” net work. The system is corrupted always has been, always will be. Black people will forever be condemened for being what we are. Each time police go on shotting sprees they all have the same excuse “we feared for our lives.” So I guess that justifies killing unarmed men.

My friends and I are deeply hurt and mad as hell by this situation. The sad part is, this has happend in the past and will continue to happen. It leaves us wondering will justice ever be served? What about the people the police are sworn to protect? We are the ones fearing for our lives from criminals and the police alike!

How can we change this? How are we suppose to keep moving on from incidents like this? How do you tell grieving families to pick up the pieces? How many marches and protest can we attend? How many times are rogue officers going to get away with killing innocent people? Are the police really above the “law?”

The officers are not the only ones to blame, but the judges (too) who pass down the verdicts. The “justice system” is a network designed to protect only those who serve in it. We as a people need to be on alert!

This verdict is SOP for this city. The judge did not judge the case,he judged the witnesses. These cops had followed the men out of the club for what legitimate reason? None. It was pure murder without provocation. In addition , the sentence had already been decided or they would not have had a cordon of cops ready.

In reference to the aquitall of the new york police officers for the shooting of sean bell. if sean bell had obeyed the police officers’ commands in the first place he would be alive and well today…with the exception of possible drunk driving charges?? When attempting to flee a scene, you place YOURSELF in harms way. As to the Rev Al Sharpton…is he truly a man of God or did he give himself that title? If he is the former, he should be ministering to the community via the church rather than the self serving instigator who will exploit anything to place himself in the media spotlight!!!!!

Are the police untouchable in today’s american society ?

Why 50 shots? isn’t that overkill? Its been said the officers shot without provocation! I think too many cops are trigger happy and believe they are above the law! I disagree with laurie. Even though Sean bell did not obey the officers, that does not give the police the right to open fire 30, 40, or even 50 times!!!!

This case puts into perspective some of the big problems facing policing, the law, and race. One the one hand, you had the NYPD doing what they are supposed to be doing, investigating a location that reports indicated was a criminal hot spit. On the other, you had a young man who was having a good time.
As a criminal defense attorney, I’m presented with this issue frequently. Undercover/plainclothes officers approaching a vehicle with weapons drawn. As a civilian, when armed men approach you with guns, especially in a criminal hot spot, do you stay, or do you flee(even if they say they are police)?
The vehicle takes off near one of the officers. If you were a police officer, with a car coming at you, in a criminal hotspot, do you fire?
Most police officers would say yes, you do fire. Most civilians would say yes, you do flee. And that how tragedy happens. But there’s one more issue.
Why do these type of shootings only happen to blacks? Rarely do you see unarmed whites killed by police. The answer, it is the power of stereotype and perception. We are perceived as more likely to be criminals, and especially so in the “high crime area.” Thus the trigger is pulled a split second faster by three officers, one black, one hispanic, and one white. The perception is absorbed unintentionally by everyone, regardless of color.

This is purely injustice. To allow police officers to use excessive force beyond reasonable doubt. This could have been handled differently. Its a digust to the american people and his family to keep letiing the police kill of innocent victims. How many more situation of Police brutality are we as a people are going to have to go through!!! The Justice system is crap.

Aileen-

Please, tell us the different ways it could have been handled.
Maybe the police should have just waved as the vehicle sped from the parking lot after hitting the police vehicle and attempting to run down the police officers?

Anytime someone complains to me about how the police handled a situation, my first question is always, “If it was you, how would you have handled it?”

You are a police officer in this exact situation. Keeping in mind that you are at a bar that is know for illegal activities, you have reason to believe that one or more of the three men you are confronting has a weapon, and when you try to confront them they take off with your partner at their car window. They hit your vehicle, try to hit you and your partners as they are leaving.
Do you fire at all? Of course, you have a reason to believe they are armed. If you don’t fire and they do have a weapon, return with it and injure or kill someone, what will the public outcry be for those victims?
How many times do you fire? 50 shots, three police officers. About 17 shots each on average. Let’s see….would 5 shots each be right? 10? 20?
Then of course, never forget, when you consider your answer to “What would you do different?”, these decisions need to be made with the idea that not only are you responsible for the safety of honest citizens of your city, but also you very own life may be at risk.
Also, remember to ask, “Are either of you getting married tomorrow?”, before you do anything at all.

Testimony included that the officer had heard Sean Bell say, “Let’s f— him up,” and Bell’s friend, Joseph Guzman, respond, “Yo, get my gun.” That officer was then twice the target of an oncoming vehicle driven by Bell. This isn’t racism. This is poor judgment on the part of the Sean Bell and associates. Tragic yes, but the officers acted appropriately and all have had their day in court. Case closed. Heal, honor the lessons to be learned, move forward and try to do some good in life. Start by exercising your inherent common sense, good judgment and stop shielding the failure to do so with race!”

THIS CASE IS ALL ABOUT THE UNDERCOVER SITUATION. IF BELL AND HIS BUDDY’S KNEW FOR SURE THEY WERE POLICE, THEY WOULDNT HAVE HAD REACTED….THE POLICE NEED TO COME UP WITH A BETTER WAY OF SHOWING THEY ARE THE POLICE, LIKE MAYBE USING A SIREN OR LIGHTS…BELL AND FRIENDS HAD NO IDEA THEY WERE REALLY POLICE…