Sean Bell was due to be married on Nov. 25, 2006 but instead
he got killed after his bachelor party in a hail of 50 bullets fired by a group of NYPD officers. Two of Sean's friends were also injured in the shooting. Sean, a 23-year-old African American man from New York, was unarmed. On April 25, 2008, after a seven-week trial without a jury, three of the police officers were cleared of all charges.
Police officers should resort to force only when strictly unavoidable to protect human life. We are outraged to see we have a
legal system that would allow anyone in law enforcement to fire 50 shots at an unarmed man and get away with it. But sadly, this is not an isolated incident. It is part of a vicious pattern of
police brutality and racial profiling that can only lead to further violence and injustice.
It's time to speak out for victims of police brutality like Sean Bell, and to demand change and rights for all. The Department of Justice is currently investigating the case of Sean Bell for violations of federal criminal civil rights statutes. Please take a minute to sign this petition urging Attorney General Mukasey to take immediate steps to ensure that abuses by police officers will not be tolerated, that officers will be held accountable for their actions, and that there will be justice for Sean Bell and his family.
We are outraged to see we have a legal system that would allow anyone in law enforcement to fire 50 shots at an unarmed man and get away with it.
Sean Bell was supposed to get married in November 2006 but instead he got killed in a hail of 50 bullets fired by a group of NYPD police officers. By April 2008, after a seven-week trial without a jury, three of the police officers were found "not guilty."
Sadly, Sean's death is not an isolated incident. It is part of a vicious pattern of police brutality and racial profiling that can only lead to further violence and injustice.
Every individual has the fundamental right to equal protection under the law regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion. As you investigate the case of Sean Bell for violations of federal criminal civil rights statutes, we urge you to take immediate steps to ensure that abuses by police officers will not be tolerated anymore, that officers will be held accountable for their actions, and that there will be justice for Sean Bell and his family.
