In yet another racist police atrocity in New York City, three young, Black men were brutally attacked and shot 50 times by undercover cops on Nov. 25.
Sean Bell, only 23-years-old, was gunned down and killed by the barrage of bullets while exiting his bachelor party in Jamaica, Queens. Two other young men also attending the bachelor party, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield,
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Bell was to be married later that day to his longtime girlfriend and mother of their two young daughters. Now, instead of celebrating his wedding, Bell’s family is attending his funeral.
Actions have begun to mobilize the largely African American community in Jamaica and their supporters. The day after the shooting, hundreds of people participated in a vigil in front of Mary Immaculate Hospital where Benefield and Guzman are being treated. Bell’s fiancé, along with many family members of all three victims attended the vigil. It was officiated by Rev. Al Sharpton, along with other local religious and civic leaders.
Grief stricken and angry, the crowd called for New York City police commissioner Ray Kelly to be removed from his position. They also counted loudly from 1 to 50, highlighting how long it took to kill Sean Bell and injure his friends.
Chanting “No justice, no peace,” the people then marched around the hospital and into the nearby neighborhood where others joined as the marchers passed through. The victims’ friends and relatives marched with the crowd, some crying and others clearly filled with fury at the police.
Many demonstrators decided to continue the march beyond its scheduled route. Ignoring police requests not to take the street, the marchers took Jamaica Avenue chanting “whose streets, our streets!” The police did not dare to challenge the marchers to stop. The march ended shortly after arriving at the precinct. But people vowed to return.
Family members have been joined by civil rights leaders, activists and some elected officials, including Rev. Al Sharpton and city councilman Charles Barron, in demanding justice for the three men. It was reported that the Black police officer organization, “100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care,” has issued a vote of no confidence in Kelly.
Racist police violence
Undercover cops had been staking out the club where Bell’s bachelor party was taking place for other supposed criminal activity. As the three men exited the club and got into their car to leave, they were met with police fire. It is still unclear exactly what occurred. But it is clear that the victims were unarmed.
Reminiscent of the 1999 shooting of Amadou Diallo, who was shot at 41 times by cops, the three young men in
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The shooting was so unrestrained and out of control that bullets were found in nearby homes and even in a train station. It is fortunate that other passersby were not injured or killed.
Like the Diallo case, no gun was found on the three victims. Now police commissioner Kelly and mayor Bloomberg are scrambling to explain why 50 bullets were shot at three unarmed young men.
Both Benefield and Guzman are seriously injured and in the hospital. While they were not charged with any crime, their families found them shackled to their beds with police-issued cuffs. Guzman, who has a bullet wound to his foot, was cuffed to the bed post by the injured foot. The cuffs were removed only after their families demanded that they be unshackled or charged with a crime.
The police department claims to be “investigating” the shooting, but the families of the victims and the community at large are not depending on any investigation to shed real light on police brutality.
People have not forgotten the killings of Diallo, Anthony Baez, Malcolm Ferguson, Alberta Spruill, Patrick Dorismond and Ousmane Zongo—just a few of the many innocent people who have suffered and died at the hands of New York’s “finest” over the last few years.
There will be a mass demonstration on Dec. 6 in front of the police headquarters in Manhattan to continue the fight for justice for Sean Bell and to demand an end to racist police brutality in New York City.
