Al Sharpton has denied a plea deal which would have dropped all charges against him for his role in orchestrating the protest for the murder of Sean Bell. At approximately 3:00 pm EST on May 7 a group of over 200, which included Bell‘s widowed fiancée Nicole Paultre Bell, Sharpton and Bell‘s, parents took part in an act of civil disobedience to block the streets and entrances to the Triborough, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges. All participants were arrested for disorderly conduct and released a few hours later.
“I think this kind of singling out and seeking to make an example of us does not speak well of the city,” Sharpton tells the New York Post. Sharpton will have to return to court on Sept. 19 to face charges for his disorderly conduct arrest. Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, the other victims in the Sean Bell shooting, were given the option to return to court in six months to have their disorderly conduct charges dropped.
