NY Times man Alan Feuer has an account of the NY cops’ acquittal in the killing of the unarmed bride groom, Sean Bell, that tells of conflicting testimony by 50 witnesses, some of it supporting the defense, and reports the politics that might be involved:
It is never comfortable for a district attorney’s office, which relies upon the police to investigate crimes, to prosecute officers. Some lawyers, like Mr. Tacopina, said it was an open question that Mr. [Richard A.]Brown [the D.A.] might have sought an indictment in the case to quell the political winds and racial tensions that were rising soon after the shooting.
Mr. [Marvyn M.] Kornberg, the defense lawyer, went one step further, suggesting that by taking the case to trial Mr. Brown had forced Justice [Arthur J.] Cooperman to assume the burden of decision.
“It took the political pressure off Brown, didn’t it?” Mr. Kornberg said. “He could say, ‘Now the court has spoken. I did what I had to do. I presented everything to the judge, and he found against me.’ ”
Rev. Al Sharpton, of Tawana Brawley fame, pressured Brown before the indictment and is currently threatening to shut New York down in protest.
Blithe Spirit 