I fully agree. But he's a well known grandstanding idiot that has media contacts.
That's the whole point of his protest, leading up to his and 200 others' arrests. They want to make a point, and create a buzz around a situation.
The simple fact that we are discussing this in an MA forum proves that his cause has attained one of its goals of reaching as many people as possible. It's gained notoriety in the media, but hasn't really "shut NYC down," according to
NPR. There's no "blackmailing the city."
It wasn't a perfect shooting.
But I don't think it justified one officer firing 31 times into Bell's Nissan Altima. I think that's a reload or two with the officers' 9mm semiautomatics weps (holding 16 rounds). That's a pretty itchy trigger finger for one cop. It makes investigators suspicious as to the situation revolving around the case. Why would a cop unload his gun not once, but at least twice into a car when they're not firing back? That's not even counting his backup, who also fired into the vehicle.
There's a controversy involving a
fourth man in Bell's car, who fled the scene and fired his weapon, according to the officer who
fired the first round and a janitor who worked in a nearby building. Both claimed that this individual had a gun, and the janitor claimed that he allegedly fired a gun, but according to ballistics, the only slugs and shell casings at the scene were from the police officers.
Justified? I don't know. This was a case of a drunk guy acting tough, panicking and almost hitting an undercover cop in his blind spot. Then some police unload their weapons on him and his friends based on
speculation that Bell and his friends have a weapon. That's like a cop arresting/shooting an old man because he said he would "bop someone on the head" with his cane. Sure, what the old man said was wrong, but it doesn't warrant an overabundance/excessive use of deadly force.
The cops were acquitted, which frustrates Bell's family, as well as a number of other families who feel victimized by the police in NYC. Personally, I think they had a good lawyer, as well as good information on Bell's previous crack-cocaine dealings, and weapons charge. They could have used that in court and a jury could buy that.
I know with LEOs there's a lot of "Us vs. Them" mentality. Cops stick together. They have to in order to survive. It's a brotherhood and I understand why people will support their brother through hell and back. But this situation was wrong, and one in a long list of
NYC police brutality. This kind of stuff happens with 8 million+ people and gets attention because there are so many people in that city, and when someone like Al Sharpton is involved and makes an idiot of himself by getting arrested.
Either way, he got what he wanted: attention.
I certainly don't think a discussion would be interesting if everyone agreed. 
