FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Summary:
NBLSA calls for law students and young lawyers to express their opposition to the acquittal of NYPD officers Olivier, Isnora and Cooper by demanding change in the response to police violence by the police department, city and state of New York.National Black Law Students Association encourages students, legal community to demand change in New York's jurisprudential response to police violenceOrganization expresses support the FBI's plans for an independent investigation

(4/28/2008) Washington, DC - Since the November 25, 2006 slaying of Sean Bell, the membership of the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) has watched the disclosure of a great injustice. "The unloading of a hail of fifty bullets upon Mr. Bell and two other unarmed men was an unacceptable and excessive abuse of police force. The acquittal of the men responsible for this abuse perpetuates the saddening failure of the courts in their provision of justice for the people of New York and America. This history of violence undermines the safety of the residents of New York and compromises their faith and reliance upon the justice system intended to protect them," said NBLSA Chair-Elect Wintta Woldemariam.In response to this injustice, the membership of NBLSA is calling upon law students and the nation to join the association in a call for change in the traditional response to undue police violence and its disproportionate effect upon minority residents of New York City and beyond. NBLSA urges members of the community to express their frustration with Judge Arthur Cooperman's bench acquittal by contacting New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and asking them to take steps to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again.

Police Commissioner Kelly can be reached at the following address:
New York City Police Department
One Police Plaza
New York, NY 10038

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg can be reached at the following address:

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
City Hall New York, NY 10007.

Additionally, NBLSA applauds the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York Field Division for pledging to conduct an independent investigation of the facts and circumstances of the 2006 shooting. Such an investigation is viewed by the organization as a step in the direction of necessary change.Mr. Bell was killed after fifty bullets were shot at him and two other men, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield. Officers reported that their shots were in response to one of the victims' expression of an intent to retrieve a gun. Officer Michael Olivier fired thirty-one shots, Officer Gescard Isnora fired eleven shots and Officer Marc Cooper fired four. The officers fatally shot Mr. Bell and shot Mr. Guzman nineteen times. Mr. Benefield was shot three times. Defense attorney James Culleton implied that these young men's criminal histories were valid grounds for the excessive shooting. However, despite this and the claims of the officers, no weapon was found anywhere near any of the victims.

The National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA), founded in 1968, is a national organization formed to articulate and promote the needs and goals of black law students and effectuate change in the legal community. As the largest student run organization in the United States with over 6,000 members, NBLSA is also comprised of chapters or affiliates in six different countries including The Bahamas, Nigeria, and South Africa.###

Contact:National Black Law Students AssociationWinttana Woldemariam, National Chair-Elect(202) 210-2556chair@nblsa.org