Al Sharpton pleaded not guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct yesterday. He was arrested, along with about 30 others, during a May protest of the Sean Bell verdict, prior to which he had threatened to "shut down New York City." Sharpton and his National Action Network also threatened to protest at the MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, but decided against it because he is "reasonably confident" appropriate legislation will be passed. "We are not jail freaks. We don't love handcuffs," Sharpton said after his hearing. "We are trying to move toward some kind of permanent change." [EUR]