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Bell response signals new era

Ellis Henican

April 27, 2008

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The verdict is in. The players have spoken. The victim is still in the ground.

But why such an awkward interlude after the Sean Bell case?

No immediate uproar. And no end in sight.

Just a sigh that the state trial is over -- and a widespread assumption that something more will come.

Ellis Henican Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

These high-media police abuse cases used to follow a pattern. The pattern was perfectly predictable.

Police fire their weapons. A sympathetic civilian gets hurt. Tone-deaf officials react defensively. The community erupts in outrage.

Then, all sides promise to learn important lessons and learn absolutely nothing at all. Repeat -- and repeat again.

That's how it was for a good, long time in cases like this.

But when the Sean Bell verdict came in on Friday, it had been so many years -- nine since Amadou Diallo, five since Ousmane Zongo, God knows how many since Eleanor Bumpers -- that the police-verdict ritual seemed rusty somehow.

Were the acquittals a surprise? Not really.

Was the racial angle clear? Not at all.

Would a jury trial have turned out differently? Probably so.

And here we are.

When District Attorney Richard Brown faced the cameras to explain his big defeat, he focused more on the process than on the result. "Judge Cooperman discharged his responsibilities fairly and conscientiously under the law," Brown said blandly.

And when detective union president Michael Palladino gave his reaction to the verdict, he just sounded glad to be done. "Let me tell you how I spell relief," he said. "I spell it N-O-T G-U-I-L-T-Y."

Even the Rev. Al Sharpton, whose presence bridges all these cases, seemed to sense a new era had arrived. He wasn't ignoring what he termed "this abortion of justice." But he made clear as the weekend arrived that the old patterns are gone.

"They expect us to react in traditional ways," he said a little cryptically. "They will not get that."

And instead?

"We are going to react in a methodical and serious way," Sharpton said. "Whether it is on Wall Street, the judge's house or One Police Plaza ... New Yorkers will not take this ... laying down."

That last line sounded like something from Diallo, Zongo or Bumpers. But now the year is 2008.

SORRY 'BOUT THAT: In all the Sean Bell coverage, don't let this one go ignored: Queens DA Richard Brown drops all charges against alleged subway-gang thug John Bentancourt, who'd been confidently fingered in a lineup and charged with a nasty J-line assault. Attorney Chris Renfro and private eye Artie Grix proved with photos, cell-phone records and a security sign-up sheet that the alleged assaulter was nowhere near the crime scene. In fact, he was in the DA's own building at 80-02 Kew Gardens Rd. Bentancourt's free now after 71 days on Rikers.

OFF COURSE: It can't be a good thing for Stony Brook University president Shirley Strum Kenny when 93 professors from the College of Arts and Sciences sign a no-confidence petition against her. But here's the question that remains unanswered: Are the profs really upset over Kenny's "egregious mismanagement" -- or her plan, since scuttled, to cut 388 courses (and with them a boatload of professor pay)?

ASKED AND UNANSWERED: Hello? Hello? Is anyone home at Islip Town Hall? Clearly, no one's been guarding the cell phones ... Florida may soon offer vanity plates for Christians. Wait -- isn't vanity a sin? ... Are you ready for far-flung Elvis-style sightings of Sammy the Freeport seal? You know they're coming, right? ... Instead of (allegedly) busting open the poor box at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hempstead, what if Jayson Bianco had just asked Msgr. James Lisante for a little help? Any chance the monsignor would have said "no"? ... Hearing about Alia Sabur, do you suddenly feel like a slacker? The 18-year-old Northport prodigy just broke the Guinness world record for youngest college professor ever. Send congrats to Ali c/o Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea ... Is Dr. Phil feeling jealous of Dr. Oz? Not as much fun, is it, being Oprah's SECOND-favorite doctor? ... After hawking the baby pictures to People and announcing a reality show on TLC ("Max and Emme at home in Brookville"), will Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony still have the nerve to complain about intrusive paparazzi? ... What's the real Ortiz curse? Could it be whatever convinced some eBay idiot to pay $175,000 for a dirty Red Sox jersey that David Ortiz never even played in? At least the money's going to the cancer-fighting Jimmy Fund ... Have "Harold and Kumar" just created a whole new argument FOR harsh prisoner treatment at Guantanamo? Shut up, you two! ... Are small, indoor dogs welcome at the Pit Bull Predicament Conference next Saturday at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood? Would they dare attend? ... Three years in prison? Does that mean the judge wasn't impressed with the Form 1040 BS that Wesley Snipes filed? ... Why does the price of baseball collectibles keep rising while the rest of the economy continues to sag? When will the inevitable crash arrive? ... Flattered by all the interest. Of course. But won't Sam miss us?

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