Three Officers Acquitted in Mr. Bell's Death

A Travesty. Need I say more?
Here's more on the travesty
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NYPD officers cleared in killing; rights leaders want probe
By TOM HAYS
NEW YORK - Civil rights leaders demanded a federal investigation and vowed to march through the streets in protest after three police officers were cleared of all charges Friday in the killing of an unarmed man cut down in a hail of 50 bullets on his wedding day.

The verdict by Justice Arthur Cooperman elicited gasps as well as tears of joy and sorrow. Detective Michael Oliver, who fired 31 of the shots, wept at the defense table, while the mother of victim Sean Bell cried in the packed courtroom. Shouts of "Murderers! Murderers!" and "KKK!" rang out on the courthouse steps.
Bell, a 23-year-old black man, was killed outside a seedy strip club in Queens in 2006 as he was leaving his bachelor party with two friends. The officers — undercover detectives who were investigating reports of prostitution at the club — said they thought one of the men had a gun.
The slaying heightened tensions in the city and stoked long-standing allegations of racism and excessive use of force on the part of New York City's police, even though two of the officers charged are black.
In announcing his verdict in the non-jury trial, the judge said that the inconsistent testimony, courtroom demeanor and rap sheets of the prosecution witnesses — mainly Bell's friends — "had the effect of eviscerating" their credibility.
"At times, the testimony just didn't make sense," the judge said.
Police had assigned extra officers to the courthouse and had helicopters in the air to help deal with any unrest. But within an hour, the angry, weeping crowd of about 200 people outside the courthouse had scattered, and despite a few scuffles, no arrests were made.
Oliver and Gescard Isnora were acquitted of charges that included manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment. The third officer, Marc Cooper, faced lesser charges.
The verdict does not entirely resolve issues surrounding the case.
After the verdict, the U.S. attorney's office said it will look into the case and "take appropriate action if the evidence indicates a prosecutable violation of federal criminal civil rights statutes."
In addition, relatives of the victims have sued the city, and those cases could either go to trial or be settled out of court with the potential for multimillion-dollar payouts.
Also, the officers, who had been on paid leave, still face possible departmental charges that could result in their firing. While the judge found that the officers' behavior was not criminal, he added, "Questions of carelessness and incompetence must be left to other forums."
The officers appeared somber later at a news conference. Each called the verdict fair. One apologized.
"I'd like to say sorry to the Bell family for the tragedy," Cooper said.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who represents Bell's family, demanded a federal investigation.
"This verdict is one round down, but the fight is far from over," the civil rights leader said on his radio show. He said he is organizing "economic withdrawal" and "civil disobedience" that could involve going to jail and marching on Wall Street, at the judge's house and at police headquarters.
"We are going to close the city down in a nonviolent, effective way," Sharpton said. "We're going to hit the pocketbooks. We're going to let you know that we are not going to be in any way diverted from exercising our civil rights."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: "We don't expect any violence, nor is there any place for it."
The officers had complained that pretrial publicity had unfairly painted them as cold-blooded killers. They opted to have the judge instead of a jury decide the case, a strategy that appeared to pay off.
District Attorney Richard Brown said that despite losing the case, prosecutors had "revealed significant deficiencies" in police tactics that need "prompt and serious attention."
The case brought back painful memories of other New York police shootings, such as the 1999 killing of Amadou Diallo, an African immigrant who was gunned down in a barrage of 41 bullets by police officers who mistook his wallet for a gun. The acquittal of the officers in that case led to days of protests, with hundreds arrested.
"An ugly pattern is emerging in New York," the Rev. Jesse Jackson said in Chicago after Friday's verdict. "This was a massacre. This was not a shootout. And the U.S. attorney general must give America the assurance that we all have equal protection under the law,"
The nearly two-month trial was marked by deeply divergent accounts of the night.
The defense painted the victims as drunken thugs who the officers believed were armed and dangerous. Prosecutors sought to convince the judge that the victims had been minding their own business, and that the officers were inept, trigger-happy cowboys.
Bell's companions — Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman — were both wounded; Guzman still has four bullets lodged in his body. Both testified. Guzman, a burly ex-convict, grew combative during cross-examination, and said of Isnora: "This dude is shooting like he's crazy, like he's out of his mind."
None of the officers took the stand. Instead, the judge heard transcripts of the officers telling a grand jury that they believed they had good reason to use deadly force.
The officers said that as the club closed around 4 a.m., they heard Guzman say, "Yo, go get my gun" — something Bell's friends denied.
Isnora claimed that after he warned the men to halt, Bell pulled away in his car, bumped him and rammed an unmarked police van that converged on the scene. The detective also said Guzman made a sudden move as if he were reaching for a gun.
Benefield and Guzman testified that there were no orders from the police.
With tires screeching, glass breaking and bullets flying, the officers said they believed they were the ones under fire. Oliver responded by emptying his semiautomatic pistol, reloading, and emptying it again. Isnora fired 11 rounds, and Cooper four. Two other officers who fired weren't charged.
When the smoke had cleared, there was no weapon inside Bell's blood-splattered car.

Rush Limbaugh Sings: "I'm Dreaming Of Riots In Denver" - Media on The Huffington Post

Rush Limbaugh Sings: "I'm Dreaming Of Riots In Denver" - Media on The Huffington Post: "DENVER (AP) - Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh downplayed his 'dreaming of riots in Denver' statement, saying that he wasn't calling for riots and was referring to warnings of trouble if super delegates decide the nomination at the Democratic National Convention.

Limbaugh's comments on his syndicated show Wednesday prompted Mayor John Hickenlooper to say: 'Anyone who would call for riots in an American city has clearly lost their bearings.'"

3 Detectives Acquitted in Bell Shooting - New York Times

3 Detectives Acquitted in Bell Shooting - New York Times: "Three detectives were found not guilty Friday on all charges in the shooting death of Sean Bell, who died in a hail of 50 police bullets outside a club in Jamaica, Queens, in November 2006. The verdict prompted calls for calm from the mayor, angry promises of protests by those speaking for the Bell family and expressions of relief by the detectives. Detective Michael Oliver, who fired 31 bullets the night of the shooting and faced manslaughter charges, said Justice Arthur J. Cooperman had made a “fair and just decision.”

Justice Cooperman delivered the verdict in State Supreme Court at 9 a.m. Describing the evidence, he said it was reasonable for the detectives to fear that someone in the crowd that night carried a gun. He added that many of the prosecution’s witnesses, including Mr. Bell’s friends and the two wounded victims, were simply not believable. “At times, the testimony of those witnesses just didn’t make sense,” the judge said."

NYPD Memo on shooting black people

NYPD Memo on shooting blacksby George Cook http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/ ( written in anger after the Sean Bell Verdict )

NYPD Internal Memo

MEMO

From NYPD Police Commissioner Raymond W Kelly

Title: Shooting blacks and getting away with it.

Now shooting blacks, oops I mean African Americans is not only fun but part of your duties as a member of the NYPD.That being said there are a few rules that must be followed:

* Keep number of shots under 50. NY judges and juries seem to think that's the cutoff for shooting one man so do yourself a favor and don't try shooting someone 51 times. That might raise a few eyebrows.

* Make sure you kill the innocent victim. That makes it much easier to get off since it's your word against his. No one misses a dead nigger, except maybe his nigger family.

* Don't worry about showing your badge or identifying yourself. I mean if you let them know you are a cop they might follow your instructions and then who would you get to shoot?

* Immediately find out if the victim has a criminal past. If he does it does not matter if he was saving babies from a burning building when you shot him white juries and judges will always give you the benefit of the doubt.

* Last but not least keep your damned mouth shut and use the allotted time given you before you have to explain what happened. This time is used for your PBA lawyers to tell you what happened and how you will tell the investigators your story. DO AS TOLD.

* If you follow these rules you may loose your job but you wont go to jail. After you get fired you can join the New York Fire Department. The best part about that is that there are no blacks there.That's it girls and boys.

Now go shoot us a nigger. Thank you.

Aquitted detective apologizes to Sean Bell family

Overseer Marc Cooper, oops I meant Officer Marc Cooper took the time to apologize to the family of Sean Bell today. Click the link below to watch the video and see for yourself whether the apology is sincere or not:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

CIARA JOBES - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

If there was ever a child who should be an icon for Stop Child Abuse, then Ciara should be it. Watch her tragic story, and then go hug your loved ones. I had ony 4 photos of Ciara to work with, but I think you will get the message. The background music is "Strange Way" by Firefall. Her tragedy should never be repeated, - KWH

The Columbus Dispatch : Owning up to history

The Columbus Dispatch : Owning up to history: "At the same time that Ohio State University is preparing to send the remains of American Indians back to West Virginia, the school is returning tissue and blood samples from Yanomamo tribes, at the request of the Brazilian government.

In northeastern Ohio, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has received a letter from Odawa Indians requesting the return of two wooden ceremonial bowls. The Cleveland Museum of Art is talking with Italian authorities who want several antiquities returned."

Threatened by Mail

Threatened by mail
Friday, April 18, 2008
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Below is a look at local athletes and others the FBI says have received hate mail from Pepper Pike resident David Tuason, who was charged earlier this month. Prosecutors said he threatened to kill or maim them. Nearly all were black men who dated white women or were children of interracial couples. Ollie Thomas, who is black, believes he was targeted because he ran for class president at Mentor High.
*
OLLIE THOMAS
Mentor High School track athlete
Received: Around May 30, 2003.
Thomas ran track at Mentor but was in the news more in May 2003 because of the school's controversial senior class president election, an election filled with accusations of ballot-stuffing and racial discrimination. It resulted in co-presidency at the predominantly white school between Thomas and Bob Kinner.
*
CLARENCE THOMAS
Supreme Court Justice
Received: Around July 25, 2003.
Thomas is married to a white woman.
*
KRISTIN PEOPLES
Former Kent State women's
basketball player
Received: Around April 14, 2007.
Photo of Peoples with her parents, an interracial couple, appeared in The Plain Dealer on Dec. 12, 2006, accompanying a story about the basketball player transferring to Kent State.
*
CASEY NANCE
Revere High School girls
basketball player
Received: Around Oct. 10, 2007.
Nance is the daughter of former Cavaliers player Larry Nance, who is black, and Jaynee Nance, who is white. A story and picture of Nance about her decision to play for the University of Dayton appeared in The Plain Dealer on Sept. 28, 2007.
*
AL JARREAU
Musician
Received: Around Feb. 4, 2008.
Jarreau married a white woman.
*
SEAL
Singer
Received: Around Feb. 6, 2008.
Seal is married to model Heidi Klum, who is white.
*
D.J. WOODS
Strongsville High School football player
Received: Around March 3, 2008.
Woods, who is biracial, is often in the news for his athletic achievements. The Cincinnati recruit was pictured with stories on the cover of The Plain Dealer's Sports section and Locker Room section in February.
Tuason is also suspected of sending letters to the following people:
*
ST. IGNATIUS SOCCER TEAM
Barry Rice and Justin Morrow
Received: Nov. 30, 2004.
Both Rice and Morrow, who are black, were pictured with their Homecoming dates, who were white, in The Plain Dealer's Locker Room section on Nov. 18, 2004.
*
ST. EDWARD HIGH SCHOOL
Unspecified athletes or students
Received: Dec. 2, 2004.
*
JASON TAYLOR
Miami Dolphins defensive lineman and former Akron player
Received: Unknown.
Taylor married a white woman.
*
DEREK JETER
New York Yankees shortstop
Received: Unknown.
Jeter is biracial.
*
TAYE DIGGS
Actor
Received: Unknown.
Diggs married a white woman.
SOURCES: FBI, indictment,
Plain Dealer research.

Alicia Keys: The Difference Between Paranoid and Suspicious

Indianz.Com > News > Column: Nevada Natives oppose nuclear waste

Indianz.Com > News > Column: Nevada Natives oppose nuclear waste: "'A small group of Native Americans, professors and government officials met last week in Nevada to exchange information on nuclear waste issues as they relate to Native Americans.

The discussion was disturbing. Chicagoans and Native Americans alike should be alarmed. One of the big issues discussed week was the transportation of radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain, if the site receives the approval being sought by the DOE from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission."

'Dangerously close to having no law' | argusleader.com | Argus Leader

'Dangerously close to having no law' | argusleader.com | Argus Leader: "McLAUGHLIN - This town has the look of a busted up bum, broken and ragged.

A board covering a shattered window in the Boys and Girls Club on Main Street, the charred shell of a nearby house, its roof and second story mostly burned away suggest a waning sense of pride in the place.

McLaughlin, on the Standing Rock reservation in north-central South Dakota, is becoming less like home and more like the midway at a criminals' carnival.


South Dakota's reservations have seen an explosion of juvenile and drug-related crime in recent years, the result of a system where offenders see no officers to arrest them, no means to get them to court and no place to put them if convicted.

Efforts to deal with the problem are stymied by a lack of money, complicated jurisdiction laws and sovereignty issues.

Everybody, it seems, has a story about crime."

Presentation to Support ‘the Heart of the World’ : Intercontinental Cry

Presentation to Support ‘the Heart of the World’ : Intercontinental Cry: "On March 18, 2008, three Indigenous Elders and Spiritual Leaders from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta took part in a presentation at the Poder forum in Miami, Florida, to discuss their land reclamation and restoration efforts.

Home to some 50,000 indigenous people from four different ethnic groups – the Kogi, Wiwa, Arhuaco and Kakuamo, all descendants of the Tayronas - the Sierra Nevada is the the world’s tallest coastal mountain range and one of the world’s most unique ecosystems."