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Hundreds protest NYPD shooting

By Justin Rocket Silverman and Michael Clancy | amNewYork Staff

December 7, 2006

Hundreds of protesters rallied near police headquarters Wednesday in an impassioned but peaceful demonstration of outrage over the shooting death of Sean Bell, the groom killed in a hail of police bullets on his wedding day.

"I feel like we are living in a society where a black man has a natural fear of the police," said Horace Nero, 45, a protester from Queens. "The bottom line is that we have to feel respected and we don't feel respected."

Protesters carried signs such as "2 Drink Minimum, 50 Shot Maximum" that referred to the undercover operation on Nov. 29 at Kalua cabaret, a Jamaica strip club, that left Bell dead, and two members of his bachelor party severely wounded.

Many questions remain about what happened before cops fired 50 shots after Bell's car struck an officer and hit an unmarked car.

The detectives contend that they thought one of Bell's companions was pulling a gun. According to some police accounts, a fourth friend of Bell's fled the scene. The Queens district attorney has convened a grand jury to probe the incident.

"Heads have to roll," said Councilman Charles Barron, a demonstration organizer. "The first head that should roll is that of Commissioner Kelly."

There were a few tense moments when about 60 marchers refused to step away from a barricade. The protesters screamed for about 20 minutes as police stood ground in silence.

The crowd, estimated to be anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people, gathered at 4:30 p.m. to protest in front of One Police Plaza, the NYPD headquarters that sits behind One Centre Street, the municipal building in Manhattan at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. The protesters were not allowed on the police property and soon settled at Foley Square in front of the state Supreme Court house.

"Even as a young female I feel like something like that could happen to me at any time," said Ayawa Hinton, 27, of Brooklyn. "Ray Kelly has not shown any sensitivity or an ounce of good faith, that's why we are calling on him to step down."