Sharpton Refuses To Take Plea Deal in Bell Protests

The Reverend Al Sharpton will appear again in court on July 28 after refusing a plea deal yesterday on disorderly conduct charges stemming from his arrest at citywide protests over the Sean Bell shooting verdict.

A judge in Lower Manhattan ruled that charges against Bell's fiancée, Nicole Paultré Bell, who was among those arrested at the protests in May and appeared in court yesterday with Rev. Sharpton, would be dismissed in six months if Ms. Bell were not arrested again in that period.

Afterward, Ms. Bell told reporters that she would not let the decision prevent her from engaging in further acts of civil disobedience. Her mother and cousin, also arrested in May, will have the charges dropped against them if they stay out of trouble for six months.

Speaking after his court appearance, Rev. Sharpton told reporters that he was scrapping plans to hold a protest at baseball's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium on July 15. He said he would continue to lead a civil disobedience campaign if a package of bills on police misconduct was not passed by the state Legislature and signed into law by Governor Paterson.

Three city police officers were acquitted in May in the fatal shooting of Bell in November 2006.