Waiting for Justice in the Sean Bell Case: Verdict to be Rendered April 25

 

The waiting game begins in the Sean Bell case. The post-trial, pre-verdict analysis has begun, and the lines are drawn. Urban soothsayers have their predictions and critics have their opinions. Certain facts remain, no matter who tells it: 23-year-old Sean Bell is dead.The father of two young girls was shot dead in a hail of 50 police bullets in an unprovoked attack on his wedding day. But, seemingly lost was this fact during the vitriolic summation of defense attorneys on Monday.Representing two Black cops and a white cop, respectively, the two Black attorneys, Anthony Ricco and Paul Martin, and James Culleton determined that sad and tragic was the death of the unarmed Queens man, but the New York City cops were just doing their jobs. The prosecutors contend that the November 25 killing and maiming that inspired the 50,000-plus march down 5th Avenue during Christmas 2006 was at least manslaughter and beyond reckless. An enraged and police-brutality-case-weary community called it “murder.”[MORE]