Protesters block traffic over Bell NYPD case

Protesters shut down a busy Mount Eden intersection Wednesday in response to last Friday's not guilty verdict for the officers in the Sean Bell case. The group gathered at East 170th Street and Jerome

News 12 Staff

Apr 30, 2008, 11:40 PM

Updated 6,000 days ago

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Protesters shut down a busy Mount Eden intersection Wednesday in response to last Friday's not guilty verdict for the officers in the Sean Bell case.
The group gathered at East 170th Street and Jerome Avenue armed with loudspeakers, signs and T-shirts reading "I am Sean Bell."
They blocked traffic at the intersection for five minutes starting at 5:01 p.m. in honor of the 50 bullets that officers shot at Bell and his two companions, who survived with wounds.
Michael Oliver, Gescard Isnora and Marc Cooper were cleared in the 2006 slaying. The undercover cops shot Bell outside a Queens strip club hours before his wedding. The officers said they believed the men had a gun and feared for their lives. Investigators were unable to find that weapon at the scene belonging to the men.
"We don't want people being shot in our communities," said a protester. "I don't think that's outlandish. We want to work with the commanders in the precincts to have a good relationship."
Officers stood by during the protest.
The Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice and the Latino Pastoral Action Center said they planned to organize more protests.