I personally have my own issue with this Sean Bell mess. But Al Sharprton, along with New Yorkers across the city, including the two men who survived the police massacre that killed Sean Bell were sitting the streets and stopping traffic. Ultimately leading to the arrest of Sharpton, the survivors, Bell's finance Nicole and around 200 other protesters. This was in lieu of the 'Not Guilty' verdict three police officers who shot at Bell and his friends following his bachelor party and hours before his wedding 50 times. They are trying to force a Civil Rights Trial by getting the attention of the U.S. Attourney's Office. Below is the full story.
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The Associated Press:
"Sharpton, two survivors of the shooting and the slain man’s fiancee were among about a dozen people arrested on disorderly conduct charges near the base of the bridge. Police led away demonstrators at several other bridges and tunnels in the city.
The protests were part of a coordinated campaign to urge federal authorities to investigate the November 2006 shooting of Sean Bell. Three officers were acquitted of state charges last month.
Sharpton, shooting survivors Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, and Bell’s fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell, lined up and peacefully put their hands behind their backs as police put plastic handcuffs on them. Sharpton and Bell were placed in a police vehicle.
The civil rights leader is seeking a federal civil rights probe into Bell’s shooting outside a Queens nightclub. The case raised questions about police use of deadly force in minority neighborhoods."
What?
First of all, their protest wasn't 'in lieu' of the verdict, it was 'in opposition' to the verdict. Simpleton.
Anyway, the inconvenience caused by a protest isn't a bug, its a feature -- why is it so hard for folks to understand that the reason a sit-in is potentially effective is not only due to the moral rectitude of the cause being championed, but also to the degree to which the disruption brings said cause to the notice of the populace? Stick with tabloid nonce, leave civic (read: important) issues to others.