Wednesday, May 6 - 8:25 p.m.

By Andrew Siff

Here's what some police officials are saying off camera about Wednesday's city-wide disruptions: You have to hand it to the Rev. Al Sharpton. The NYPD expected smaller protests than the ones that materialized, although the department did have significant manpower ready to make arrests.

But on Tuesday, the impression the police department gave was that these protests would be minimal, and that any traffic blockage would take just a few minutes. That wasn't the case. Whether keeping expectations low was Sharpton's plan by design or more spontaneous is unknown.

But the group of rallies seemed to succeed in getting attention for the Bell case. To that end, the governor is meeting with Bell's family Thursday. Whether any of this leads to a federal case remains to be seen.

Wednesday, May 6 - 7:10 p.m.

By Pei-Sze Cheng

The moment Rev. Al Sharpton and members of the Bell family arrived at the rally, the energy suddenly revved up 10 notches.

Before that, protestors who had been there for over an hour carrying signs and chanting, "No Justice, No Peace," seemed almost robotic. But with the arrival of the principal organizers, everything seemed to change.

Suddenly, the crowd of hundreds pressed themselves around them; reaching out to touch them, they shouted, "We're so sorry, Nicole" and "Long live Sean Bell."

People in the crowd pushed passed reporters and others to get close to the group. Some were protecting Nicole Paultre Bell, the young woman whose fiancé was shot and killed by police in a hail of 50 shots early on the morning of their scheduled wedding.

Then there was a man, I don't know how he knew Sean Bell or Bell's family, but he was anxious to get closer to them and kept hitting my arm with his hand, saying, "Hey, the news has to get out of the way." "Get out of the way, news lady!" he said, "I need to get arrested."

So many who probably never even knew Sean Bell were willing to get arrested in an act of civil disobedience to show the world what they think of the verdict.

In front of the Brooklyn Bridge, where Sharpton was leading a group prayer and waiting to be arrested, I saw Valerie Bell, Sean's mother.

I've spoken to her many times while covering this story and she told me she had left the crowd and moved to the sidewalk because the crowds had become overbearing.

She told me her son was watching from above and would be very proud and appreciative of the show of love and support from protestors throughout the city.

Wednesday, May 6 - 4:20 p.m.

By Andrew Siff

In addition to each of the protest sites being near bridges and tunnels, they are also in big tourist areas.

Harlem's business district near Bloomingdales, SoHo and the Brooklyn Bridge are all supporting players in this unfolding protest.

As a result, many out-of-towners, more than on a usual story, are coming up to us asking "what's going on?"

It's unclear if this is part of the plan -- or an expected consequence of disrupting a big city like New York.

Wednesday, May 6 - 4:12 p.m.

By Ida Siegal

Police have announced the the rally activity is illegal and they will make arrests.

Wednesday, May 6 - 4:08 p.m.

By Ida Siegal

Two dozen members of the NYPD on motorcycles are poised to intervene at the Brooklyn Bridge at any moment, if needed.

They have been in a "staging pose" in front of City Hall.

Wednesday, May 6 - 4:06 p.m.:

By Ida Siegal

Demonstrators are "praying in" at the entrance to the Triboro Bridge blocking traffic.

No arrests have been made so far.

The first vehicle blocked at the bridge is a school bus with no students inside.

Wednesday, May 6 - 3:48 p.m.:

By Greg Cergol

They march in a circle on a West Village sidewalk, chanting "No Justice, no peace" and singing "We Shall Overcome."

Led by NAACP New York president Hazel Dukes, about 200 people have turned out to protest the acquittal of three NYPD officers charged in the shooting of Sean Bell.

They are expected to block traffic heading to the Holland Tunnel in an act oif civil disobedience.

To that end, organizers are taking the names of those who plan to be arrested and are distributing flyers urging protestors to remain calm and not to resist the police.

A large police contingent is looking on, but for now, the protestors merely occupy a sidewalk, with curious onlookers moving past them and an occasional honk of support from a driver on Varick Street.

When asked if this protest will change anything, Yvette Stone, who traveled from Huntington on Long Island to take part, says, "It has to bring change. With young black men dying on our streets every day, we must change the system."

For her part, Dukes is calling for a special prosecutor to oversee investigations of any and all incidents in which police officers are involved in killings on the street.

"We must send a message to NYC," says Dukes. "The NYPD must stop killing innocent people."

Wednesday, May 6 - 3:32 p.m.:

By Melissa Russo

Protesters at the corner of 34th Street and Park Avenue are being instructed how to and how NOT to be arrested.

For example, they are being told not get arrested with drugs in their pocket, nor if there is a warrant for your arrest.

A group of about 80 people are taking instruction right now from Wylie Stecklow, an attorney working with Sharpton's National Action Network.

About 10 volunteers have announced their intention to be arrested so far.

Stecklow is assuring the group that arrestees will be charged with disorderly conduct, a violation, given a desk appearance ticket and then released.

Some of the police at the scene seemed skeptical and were not able to confirm that any such agreement exists between police and protesters. Stay tuned.

Wednesday, May 6 - 3:30 p.m.:

By Pei-Sze Cheng

It is 30 minutes after 3:00. Thirty minutes after the Rev. Al Sharpton and Nicole Paultre-Bell are supposed to arrive.

Meanwhile, about 150 Sean Bell supporters have gathered. They are chanting, we have heard them count to 50, representing the 50 shots that were fired at Bell and his friends.

They are also saying when "Police say get back, we say fight back."

Members of the New Black Panther Party are shouting their variation, "Police say get back, we say shoot back."

I interviewed a woman who was carrying a sign with a picture of her three kids. She said she's marching so that what happened to Bell won't happen to her children.

Wednesday, May 6 - 3:20 p.m.:

By Ida Siegal

The crowd of protestors at 125th Street and 3rd Avenue has swelled to a couple hundred.

We're seeing young and old, men and women. At the moment, they are circling the block chanting, "We are Sean Bell!"

They are also counting the 50 bullets fired at Bell.

Organizers told us at the moment they are trying to stay within the boundries of the law. Though the goal is to ultimately break the law through an act of civil disobedience.

The protestors do not have a permit to march, but police have set up barricades for the sake of safety and organization and clearly have no intention to stop the demonstration -- yet. Sign-up sheets are circulating for people willing to be arrested.

Organizers are yelling through loudspeakers "we encourage you to get arrested."

Wednesday, May 6 - 2:52 p.m.:

Outside 1 Police Headquarters

There's a crowd of about 150 now outside One Police Plaza. People are just standing around. Some are wearing buttons, like "Stop the Brutality." Others have tee-shirts reading "Black Panther Party" and similar slogans. "We're going to start our rally," said an organizer. "We're going to do chants until the Rev and others get here."

Wednesday, May 6 - 2:20 p.m.:

By Andrew Siff

It's 2:20pm, a quick chance for a scene-setter on a day supporters of Sean Bell have vowed to “briefly” shut down parts of the city to send a message: everyone should pause to think about the April 25 verdict, when a Queens judge acquitted the officers who fired most of the 50 shots on what would have been Bell's wedding day.

Right now the northwest side of One Police Plaza has extra barricades, extra officers, and extra photographers camped out front. Early word is that Nicole Paultre Bell, along with shooting victims Trent Benefield and Joe Guzman and the Rev. Al Sharpton, will emerge beneath the archway at 1 Centre Street, approach police headquarters, pray quietly, and then march to another location -- most likely the Manhattan lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Police have said anyone who blocks traffic will be briefly warned to move and then they’ll be arrested.