Governor Commends Disobedience Methods

Governor Paterson yesterday praised the hundreds of protesters who were arrested on Wednesday for the manner in which they inconvenienced thousands of commuters by shutting down major city bridges and tunnels during rush hour.

"I must commend the advocates, the many of them, over 200 arrested for participating in civil disobedience in a way that made their point without any excess activity," Mr. Paterson said moments after concluding a private meeting with the family of Sean Bell and the Reverend Al Sharpton. "The process of civil disobedience, by its definition, by its nature, inconveniences fellow residents ... that is the art of civil disobedience."

The governor's praise came as Rev. Sharpton and other members of his National Action Network yesterday promised more protests in the coming weeks.

While Mr. Paterson lauded the 200 protesters for the "completely professional" way they were arrested, he said that as governor he is not in a position to excuse their actions.

"No civil servant can condone civil disobedience because we represent all the people and we do not like to see any members of our society inconvenienced," Mr. Paterson said. "Therefore, we would rather that this group have not gone to the extent that they did to demonstrate their issues."

Mr. Paterson said the point of the protests was made clear to him by Bell's family and by Rev. Sharpton, whom he said explained that the acts were a last-ditch effort after all other avenues of redress had failed to lobby the federal government to prosecute the detectives who fatally shot Bell.

Federal prosecutors and the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers, have promised thorough investigations into the case.

Following the meeting with Rev. Sharpton, the governor promised to both examine potential legislation that would require alcohol testing for officers who discharge their weapons in certain situations and investigate undercover law enforcement procedures.

A Quinnipiac poll released yesterday shows that 67% of the voters believe police brutality is a "very serious" or "somewhat serious" problem. The poll also shows that there is a racial divide between whites and blacks on whether the three detectives should have been acquitted.