In the early morning hours of November 25, 2006, New York police officers shot and killed Sean Bell in Queens. After the jump, photos of the ordeal that followed.

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We all know violent sexpot New York has no respect for herself – really, how could she? – but had you any idea how little she cares for the feelings of others?

In the newest episode of televised pockmark New York Goes to Hollywood, Pollard attempts to research Japanese culture for an upcoming commercial role. Of course, she goes about this not by heading to the library for The Book of Five Rings or scouring Wikipedia, but by asking every Asian person she sees if they can explain Japan. (To a Korean dry cleaner: "Is that the same as being Japanese, or, like, not at all?")

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Mamma mia! Angry black man Spike Lee is getting a taste of his own opportunistic outrage.

After spending the past couple weeks hectoring fellow director Clint Eastwood with charges of prejudiced casting, Lee is now under fire from the Italic Institute of America, which is as bitter as Campari about Lee's portrayal of Italians.

According to Bill Dal Cerro, president of the Italic Institute of America, Lee may have his own anti-Italian racist tendencies to worry about.

"Spike Lee is very talented, but I sometimes wish he'd practice what he preaches," Dal Cerro said. "His points about African-Americans are well taken, but, ironically, he does the same thing to Italians in his films."

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All Slick Rick needed was a black governor in Albany! Slick Rick, a citizen of the UK, was facing deportation based on a statute that requires resident aliens to be deported after being convicted of an aggravated felony or weapon offense. In 1991, Slick Rick was convicted and served time for two counts of attempted murder and weapons offenses. Today, New York Governor David Paterson pardoned him, meaning he can stay in the U.S. of A.

"Mr. Walters has fully served the sentence imposed upon him for his convictions, had an exemplary disciplinary record while in prison and on parole, and has been living without incident in the community for more than 10 years," said Governor Paterson. "In that time, he has volunteered at youth outreach programs to counsel youth against violence, and has become a symbol of rehabilitation for many young people. Given these demonstrated rehabilitative efforts, I urge federal immigration officials to once again grant Mr. Walters relief from deportation, so that he is not separated from his many family members who are United States citizens, including his two teenage children."

Since we all know he likes to party, Slick Rick will surely be celebrating tonight. [AHH]

Presumably because employees of the American government have become so damn laughable to people around the globe, the city of Washington, DC is installing in its metro stations friendly reminders for its citizens to value their own lives. Drawn in by new, "fun" games like hopscotch (at left) and I Spy, depressed commuters in our nation's capital will then be tricked into reading this cheerful slogan: "Life is fun. Keep on living. Use caution around the tracks." Ironically, one way to exercise caution around the tracks is to not play hopscotch on the fucking slippery platforms.

Lucky us, we don't need fancy safety warnings in the subways here in New York, where the human feces and urine soaking the tracks are more than enough of a reminder that we don't wanna go in there.

Monday night a friend and I were asked to leave a bar on Manhattan's West Side for talking too loudly about race. Ludicrous, no? I mean, it was midnight, we weren't yelling, I had just paid nine dollars for a whiskey and everyone in there was at least 21. Oh, and THIS IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!!!

"A bunch of young people ran up behind me quickly, Mr. Ricco recalled. They wore pins for the New Black Panther Party. "One said, 'I want to ask you a question.' They’re asking me about the case. 'How could you?'"

Anthony L Ricco, the lawyer for the detective accused of firing the opening salvo in the hail of gunfire that killed Sean Bell in 2006, is black, and he's taking a whole lot of heat over his latest case. As Ricco tells The New York Times in their recent profile of him and the trial, it's irrelevant to the outraged masses that his client, Gescard F Isnora, is also African American; that he could literally defend yet another seemingly senseless killing of a black man by the NYPD has people — even Ricco's friends and colleagues — baffled. Perhaps counterintuitively, Ricco told the Times that bigotry is actually what propelled him to accept the case.

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In a move that is so awesome, the arguable birthplace of hip hop – an apartment building at 1520 Sedgwick in the west Bronx – has been given a stay of gentrification by New York housing authorities.

The city rejected a $9 million bid on the property by the Mitchell-Lama real estate development group, calling that price "inconsistent with the use of property as a Mitchell-Lama affordable housing development."

DJ Kool Herc, a godfather of hip hop music and onetime performer in 1520's community room, was on hand for the celebration following the decision. "It’s not just about 1520, it’s about all affordable housing," said Herc. "Every family needs a piece of the American dream."

The residents of the historic building are hoping this rejection will spark discussion about a tenant-led purchase of the property.

Are you sitting down? I don't want to startle you with the news that New York (the woman, not the city) acted nasty and diva-ish at a NYC club this weekend. I know, we all expect better of her than that.

The staffer, who is white, continued: "I went to her table and told her I think she's so cute and funny. Then I went to shake her hand and she looked me up and down, laughed at me and said she had a cold. But immediately after, she shook the hand of another waitress, who is black."

Next, New York caused a scene when she demanded to see new drink glasses coming from the bar directly to her. "She told me someone drugs her drinks when she's not looking," the waitress said. When the staff told her it was impossible, New York began sending her bodyguard over to fetch her cocktails, while bottles of vodka sat on her table. "She acted like a rude, nasty pig all night, " the waitress concluded.

Call me harsh, but I think that's what the server gets for lying in New York's face. Cute and funny? Please.

[NYP]