» SOUND OFF: Is $7 Million Justice for Sean Bell’s Murder Death? | Highbrid Nation

SOUND OFF: Is $7 Million Justice for Sean Bell’s ~~Murder~~ Death?

Posted by Juan

This week the City awarded the Bell estate a large payout ending the 4 year battle but questions will always remain

#seanbell #50shots
And so it ends…Tuesday, The City of New York agreed to pay more than $7 million in damages to the fiancée of the late Sean Bell. The unarmed would-be groom’s life was extinguished by the now infamous 50 shots fired by NYPD cops on his wedding day.

In 2008 a judge found Detectives Michael Oliver, Marc Cooper and Gescard Isnora all not guilty of any responsibilities in Bell’s death. The acquittal ignited a Nationwide firestorm divided along racial lines revitalizing long-standing tensions between the black community and the police force pledged to protect it.

To this day, The NYPD still has yet to take any disciplinary action against the parties involved in the shooting. So this week’s award is the first win for Bell’s estate. Under the terms of the settlement approved by a Brooklyn federal magistrate, the city will pay $3.25 million to Paultre Bell. Bell’s friends Joseph Guzman, 35, who was shot 11 times in the incident, will receive $3 million and Trent Benefield, 27, who was shot three times, will be granted $900,000.

“I believe the settlement is fair,” said Paultre Bell, the mother of Bell’s two daughters, Jada, 7, and Jordyn, 4. “No amount of money can provide closure for losing Sean. I don’t think there will ever be closure.”

While the settlement won’t bring her closure it does however admit the City of New York and NYPD is in some way culpable for her fiancée’s death. Paultre Bell hopes the announcement will help her quest to lobby lawmakers to reform the Civilian Complaint Review Board and require drug testing when cops fire their guns and ban arrest quotas.

The Sean Bell case is an important one for the Highbrid Nation. Not only was it the subject of much intense and heated debate on the comment boards but over the past four years that the case moved from the fateful day in Jamaica, Queens through the Courtrooms it has paralleled the evolution of the Highbrid Nation, our fight, our voice and our growth. So it begs one last resounding question: is $7 Million Justice…retribution for the life of man lost at the hand of 50 shots fired by the Police Department pledged to protect and serve. SOUND OFF!

Detectives Michael Oliver, Marc Cooper and Gescard Isnora were all acquitted in a 2008 trial of manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges stemming from the Bell shooting. The cops say they fired on Bell’s lurching car after mistakenly believing someone inside had a gun and fearing that Bell was trying to run them down.

The U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn declined to prosecute the cops for civil rights violations. The NYPD still has yet to decide whether to discipline a total of five officers involved in the shooting.

6 Comments »

Comment by Left-eye

2010-07-29 09:29:27

Nope. If he was white, the family would get at least $14 million + a little over to cover taxes so that they had the whole amount of $14M + suspensions, public apologies and a reach around.

The world is tough without Cochran.

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Comment by Mr. Bad Guy

2010-07-29 09:37:53

I have my own unique thoughts about the Sean Bell case that strays away from the debate on police/ civilian interaction and delves more into realm of what our people, and people who dwell in particular cultures, look upon as fun, cool, or hip. But that may be filler for another post.
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To the question of is 7 million dollars, or 3.25 mil, retribution for the loss of life of Sean Bell. HELL NO!!! What’s a couple million to the city of New York? A couple of days worth of overtime paid to city employees? The cost to fix one city street? The cost of street lamp light bulbs perhaps. To the wealthy city, 7 million dollars is nothing, but it IS enough to shut up the Bell family and wash their hands of the Sean Bell shooting. Its the city’s way of not taking any ownership, but silencing the situation.
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I never really understood the purpose of monetary compensation of the negligent death of another person. The money isn’t going to bring them back. I can see if the person is a breadwinner in a family, possibly. What’s the equation used to determine what is owned? Who the hell has the right to determine how much someones life is worth?
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With that said, what would be “justice” in this particular case? Someone thrown in prison, meaning more lives ruined? A heart felt apology? More money? What is proper retribution?
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I think that people want a solid solution to this tradegy. Stone Cold answers. And the more answers that are given, better yet thrown towards us, the more questions arise.

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Comment by 2NA$$TEE

2010-07-30 11:19:01

1st of all if he were white he would have never got’n shot at period. Have u ever saw The show KKKops? They beg the KKKRacka 2 get n the car at least 10 times b4 using force , then while in the KKKar the KKKracka talks hella shit 2 the KKKops(in white dude voice)”Do u know who I am fucker…my dad is the Head custodial engineer at Richard Nixon Jr.High you are so fucked right no !!!Give me your badge number u @!f_ck @sshole piece of shit fucker”!!!If he did happen 2 accidently get hit by a stray bullet the police dept. would have a formal apology on paper . He would recieve at least 25 milly 4 his pain and suffering, his kids if he had any would have their college paid for and grandkids, kids, kids, paid for. If u check it stats wise only Blackmen get touched by KKKops 50 bullets really? Name 1 KKKracka that would get shot 1 time 4 the same shit…uation .Oh yea FUCKKK some police….NOT ALL.

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Comment by 4pl

2010-07-30 16:54:58

They should have least gotten a mill for every bullet

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Comment by skinnygirluver

2010-07-30 18:02:20

Money is the only compensation. The shame that will follow these cops is priceless and immeasurable(and it should follow them). 4pl says a mil a bullet, I say a half a mil per bullet, either way it’s still more then 7mil. I think it’s actually important to base the compensation on the bullet numbers because all three of them were shot a ridiculous amount of times. How many shots actually got fired because you know they didn’t hit will ever shot. They probably fired their weapons a combined 80 times.

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Comment by TheBolB

2010-08-02 11:03:59

Rodney King got more than that didn’t he?

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