Bishop Lester Williams and Sean Bell’s parents. “This [incident] is a symbol to people, this is not an isolated case,” he said. “This had been the straw that had broken the camel’s back.” Councilman Sanders is the city representative of both the late Sean Bell and Joseph Guzman. He said he thought the entire Southeast Queens community was likely to be on edge. As the crowd of demonstrators on the courthouse steps began to grow, the rhetoric did the same, punctuated by a speech from representatives of the People’s Justice Coalition, and Councilman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn). “We will be on the streets until we get justice,” said Rosa Clemente, of the People’s Justice Coalition. “Manslaughter is not justice.” Councilman Barron seconded the sentiment, with a portent of impending unrest. “We are going to keep the heat on the street, and if need be, we are going to become ungovernable,” he warned. “DA Brown has committed a travesty of justice. They are setting [the trial] up for them to get a slap on the wrist or walk.” “If you think I’m bad,” he added, “keep this up and see what comes out of this community.” Civil Ceremony As Queensites took in the events of the day, the three officers were arraigned at the Queens County Courthouse Monday afternoon. According to published reports, Guzman and Benefield sat in the courtroom with Bell’s parents when the charges were unsealed. Bishop Lester Williams, pastor to the Bell family, and the man who was scheduled to marry Sean and Nicole Paultre Bell, was also with Bell’s parents in the courtroom. Bishop Williams described the family pallor as “very somber, very staid.” He also said that the family had been visibly shaken to hear the charges. “It was very emotional to hear those charges read,” Williams said. “I don’t think you ever get over this.” All three of the accused officers entered pleas of not guilty, and were freed on bond. “I would’ve liked to have seen murder charges,” Williams added, echoing the sentiments of many community members who felt the indictments did not go far enough. “We’ll take what we can get at this point.” Williams said he was concerned about “rampant retaliation” within the community, and added that “you can sense the tension” in the Southeast Queens areas impacted by decisions in the case. The situation was not helped, he said, by a story that appeared in Sunday’s New York Post, depicting Detective Mike Oliver at the center of a $4,200 dinner on the Upper East Side. “That type of reveling appears to be a gloat,” Williams said. SEQ Stands By DA The Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center on Linden Boulevard in Southeast Queens played host to a community meeting and speak-out after the charges had been unsealed, the first official opportunity for community members to debate the charges that had been filed. Clergy, community residents and members of the City Council were all given equal opportunity to voice an opinion. U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans) hosted the event, which was attended by Borough President Helen Marshall and Councilmen Tom White, Leroy Comrie and James Sanders, among others. Starting from the moment the exact charges were revealed, there had been speculation about a possible change of venue for the trial, as was the case in the trial of the officers charged in the slaying of Amadou Diallo. Michael Palladino, of the Detectives Endowment Association, has already made a case for a change of venue, saying that there is no viable way that an impartial jury could be found in a county so saturated with media coverage. Southeast Queens residents and leaders felt differently, however, as did DA Brown, who said he would strongly oppose any motion to move the trial to a new venue. “We look forward to a fair and impartial trial to take place right here in Queens County,” said Meeks. “Yes, you can have a fair trial in Queens,” Councilman Sanders said, citing the diversity of the county. “If you can’t have a fair trial in Queens, there is nowhere to have a fair trial.”

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