And Justice For All

By Leland C. Abraham, Esq.

Not many people are aware of this, but a Manhattan judge convicted Rev. Al Sharpton and seven others of disorderly conduct stemming from protests over the police shooting death of Sean Bell, an unarmed black man.

The officers accused of the shooting were acquitted of no wrong doing. In response to what many consider to be a miscarriage of justice, Rev. Al Sharpton led a demonstration in which he and others blocked intersections, bridges and tunnels in New York City. Criminal Court judge Larry Stephen issued the verdict in early October, 2008 in which he sentenced the participants to time already served. In Sharpton’s case, this was 5 and ½ hours and each was ordered to pay a $95.00 surcharge. In a statement after the sentencing, Judge Stephen said, “If you decide to take a bullet for the team, you should not complain about the consequences that flow from that.” This statement reeks of irony as they were protesting in response to the “not-guilty” verdicts of the officers involved in the shooting death of an unarmed black male. Whatever your views about Sharpton, it is very telling of a justice system that will hand down a conviction to a group of people protesting the exoneration of officers involved in firing 50 bullets in the death of Sean Bell. Those who take the bullets for the team should account for the consequences, but who is exactly taking the bullets?

Certainly the statistics support the assertion that black males are the recipients of the vast majority of acts by police officers that result in lethal force. It has been evident within the black community that there is a difference in how the authorities value the lives of whites and blacks. This was at the very heart of what Sharpton was trying to show during his protest. He stated to Judge Stephen, “I would hope the city thinks about how the pedestrians who couldn’t walk and the drivers who couldn’t drive were no different than the young men who sat in the car that night and were shot at.” Do protests like these really change the plight of the black male and female in the justice system, or is the problem more systemic, meaning that racism is ingrained in the process of justice that attorneys, judges and juries automatically consider race, although it is not an element of the crime considered?

Over 250 protesters were arrested last May when the verdict of the officers was announced. While most cases involving the protesters had been dismissed, Sharpton and seven others insisted on a trial. In my opinion, it is very telling when an injustice can occur in America and the main response is disgust that Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson are involved in reporting the injustice. It would appear that the very presence of these two individuals at the epicenter of an injustice takes away from the value of the injustice and the media and political pundits focus on Sharpton and Jackson’s past indiscretions. I hope that Sean Bell’s case does not get mired by the presence of Al Sharpton.

Sharpton said that his civil rights organization, National Action Network, would pay the court costs for all defendants. He also said that he would pay $50 bills to symbolize the 50 shots that were fired at Bell and two of his friends.

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