On April 25, activists from the Party for Socialism and Liberation joined hundreds of others in Jamaica, Queens, for a rally to denounce the outrageous acquittal of Sean Bell’s killers. Among the speakers at the rally were family members of other young Black and Latino men who have been gunned down by police.
The march proceeded from the Queens Courthouse to Liverpool Street, where Bell had resided.
As the march moved from block to block, people on the sidewalks joined in to share their outrage and demand people’s justice. The march stopped traffic and received enormous support on Queens Boulevard, swelling to 1,500, according to the People’s Justice Coalition, which organized the march.
By far the chants that resonated the most were “No Justice, No Peace” and “We are all Sean Bell NYPD go to hell!” The PSL carried signs that read “Jail Racist Killer Cops” and “NYPD: Guilty!”
Bell, 22, was killed and two others were wounded in an unprovoked 50-shot assault against the unarmed men. Bell was to be married later that day to his longtime girlfriend and mother of their two young daughters.
