Sean Bell verdict protest - And another case of a police shooting . . . .
May 7, 2008 – Protests And Arrests After Bell Verdict – Election ’08 Primaries
May 7, 2008 – CBS Radio News/WCBS Special Reports – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
May 7, 2008 – a busy Wednesday, this May 7th in 2008. Beginning with reports of mass protests over the city of New York over the verdict in the Sean Bell shooting case.
A quick recap for you who don’t remember:
Sean Bell was shot in the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States, on November 25, 2006. Three men were shot a total of 50 times by a team of both plainclothes and undercover NYPD officers. Sean Bell was killed on the morning before his wedding, and two of his friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, were severely wounded. The incident sparked fierce criticism of the police from members of the public and drew comparisons to the 1999 killing of Amadou Diallo. Three of the five detectives involved in the shooting went to trial on charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter, first- and second-degree assault, and second-degree reckless endangerment; they were found not guilty. On May 7, 2008, Al Sharpton led a series of protests in New York City. Hundreds took to the streets in Manhattan and Brooklyn as part of the citywide “slowdown” effort led by Sharpton and his National Action Network. The crowd made its way to the streets, stopping the flow of traffic in many vital areas of the city. This led to police action and the arrest of over 200 people, including Sharpton himself. Sharpton was arrested without incident at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. Bell’s parents, his former fiancée, Nicole Paultre Bell, and the two shooting victims who survived, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, were also arrested.
In other news: With the convention still a ways off, the primaries in the 2008 Presidential election were pointing to Illinois Senator Barack Obama as the likely candidate in the fall election. But there were still more primaries to go before the final determination was made. Former Secretary Hilary Clinton was not giving up, saying there were more races to go and delegates to pick up and was far from a done-deal. The Campaigns roared ahead.
And that’s a small dose of what happened, this May 7, 2008 as reported by CBS Radio News and WCBS Special reports.
