The Sean Bell Tragedy

I am sick to my stomach and I really do not know what to say right this second. My cell and office phones have been blowing up all day, and people have been emailing me nonstop, to let me know that Detectives Michael Oliver, Gescard Isnora, and Marc Cooper, the three New York City police officers accused of shooting 50 times and murdering Sean Bell, were found not guilty on all counts: Oliver, who fired 31 times and reloaded once, and Isnora, who fired 11 times, had been charged with manslaughter, felony assault and reckless endangerment. They faced up to 25 years in prison if convicted on all charges. Cooper, who fired four times, faced up to a year in jail if convicted of reckless endangerment.

And that's it: Sean Bell, a mere 23 years of age, out partying the morning before the wedding to the mother of his two small children, dead, gone, forever. Sean Bell and his two friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, all unarmed, ambushed by New York's finest. His last day, November 25, 2006, is marked as another tragic one in New York City history. How many more? I once heard in a protest song. How many more?

But I knew this verdict was coming. I have lived in New York City for nearly two decades and, before that, worked as a news reporter for several publications throughout the city's five boroughs, and I cannot begin to tell you how many cases of police brutality and police misconduct I covered or witnessed, more often than not a person of color on the receiving end: Eleanor Bumpurs. Michael Stewart...Amadou Diallo...Sean Bell.

This is not to suggest that all police officers are trigger-happy and inhumane, because I do not believe that. They have a difficult and important job, and many of them do that job well, and maintain outstanding relationships with our communities. I know officers like that. But what I am saying is that New York, America, this society as a whole, still views the lives of Black people, of Latino people, of people of color, of women, of poor or working-class people, as less than valuable. It does not matter that two of the three officers charged in the Sean Bell case were officers of color and one White. What matters is the mindset of racism that permeates the New York Police Department, and far too many police departments across America. Shooting in self-defense is one thing, but it is never okay to shoot first and ask questions later, not even if a police officer "feels" threatened, not even if the source of that "feeling" is a Black or Latino person.

That is a twisted logic deeply rooted in the America social fabric, dating back to the founding fathers and their crazy calculations about slaves being three-fifths of a human being. And in spite of Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, and other successful Black individuals, by and large the masses of Black people, and Latino people, are perpetually viewed through this lens of not being quite human. William Kristol of the New York Times wrote what I felt was an incredibly ignorant and myopic March 24th column implying, strongly, that we should not have conversations about race in America, that such talk was dated. This piece was in response to Barack Obama's now famous meditation on race. But Kristol, like many in denial, had this to say: "The last thing we need now is a heated national conversation about race... Racial progress has in fact continued in America. A new national conversation about race isn't necessary to end what Obama calls the 'racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years'-- because we're not stuck in such a stalemate... This is all for the best. With respect to having a national conversation on race, my recommendation is: Let's not, and say we did." Well, Mr. Kristol, what, precisely, do you think Black New Yorkers are feeling this very moment as we absorb the Sean Bell verdict? Or do our thoughts, our feelings, our wounds, not matter?

"Black male lives are meaningless in America," a female friend just texted me, and what can I say to that? Who's going to help Nicole Paultre Bell, Sean Bell's grieving fiancé, explain to their two young daughters that the men who killed their daddy are not going to be punished?

I remember that November 2006 day so vividly, when word spread of the Sean Bell killing. And I remember the hastily assembled meetings by New York City's de facto Black leadership--the ministers, the elected officials, the grassroots activists--at Local 1199 in midtown Manhattan where it was stated, with great earnestness and finality, that after all these years, we were going to put together a comprehensive response to police brutality and misconduct. There were to be three levels of response: governmentally (local, state, and federal bills were going to be proposed, and task forces recommended); systemically within the police department (comprehensive proposals were called for to challenge police practices or to enforce ones already in place); and via the United States Justice Department, since any form of police brutality or misconduct is a violation of basic American civil rights. We met for a few months after the Sean Bell murder, divided into committees, then the entire thing died--again. There was a lot of research done, many hearings that were transcribed, much talk of a united front, then nothing, not even an email to say the plan was no longer being planned.

Anyhow, in the interim I spent a great deal of time, more time than I've spent in my entire New York life, in Queens, mainly in Jamaica, Queens, getting to know Sean Bell's family. I was particularly struck by Sean Bell's mother, Valerie Bell, and his father, William Bell. Two very decent and well-intentioned working-class New Yorkers, who had raised their children the best they could, who were now, suddenly, activists thrust into a spotlight they had never sought. The parents are what we the Black community calls "God-fearing, church-going folk." Indeed, what was so incredible was how much Mr. and Mrs. Bell believed in and referenced God. But that is our sojourn in America: when everything else fails us, we still have the Lord. And there they were, holding a 50-day vigil directly across from the 103rd precinct, on 168th Street, right off Jamaica Avenue and 91st Avenuein Jamaica, Queens, in the dead-cold winter air. They and their family members and close friends taking turns monitoring the makeshift altar of candles, cards, and photos. And I remember how we had to shame local leaders a few times into supporting Mr. and Mrs. Bell with donations of money, food, or other material needs. While much of the media and support flocked to Nicole Paultre Bell, Sean Bell's fiancé, and the sexiness of her being represented by the Reverend Al Sharpton and his lawyer pals Sanford Rubenstein and Michael Hardy, the media did not pay much attention to Sean Bell's parents and their kinfolk at all.

What was especially striking was the fact that Mrs. Bell got up every single morning, made her way to the vigil area, then to work in a local hospital all day, then to her church every single evening. She reminded me so much of my own mother, of any Black mother in America who has had to be the backbone of the family, often sacrificing her own health, her own wants and needs, her own hurt and pain, to be there for others in their time of need.

Mrs. Bell always told me that she truly believed justice would be done in this case. She really did. I never had the heart to tell her that it is rare for a police officer to be found guilty of murdering a civilian, no matter how glaring the evidence. Nor did I have the heart to tell Mrs. Bell that the media and the defense would seek to destroy her son's image and reputation, that Sean Bell would be reduced to a thug, as an unsavory character, to somehow justify the police shooting. Nor did I have the heart to tell Mrs. Bell that this pain of losing her son would be with her the remainder of her life. I did not share my suspicion that the parade of Black leaders, Black protests, media hype--all of it--was all part of someone's carefully concocted script, brushed off and brought to the parade every single time a case like this occurred. I have seen it before, and as long as we live in a city, a nation, that does not value all people as human, there will be more Sean Bells.

"I am Sean Bell," many of us chanted in the days and weeks immediately following his death. Yet very few of us showed up to the hearings after, and even fewer had the courage to question the vision, or lack thereof, of our own Black leadership who accomplished, ultimately, little to nothing at all. And very few of us realized that the powers-that-be in New York City have come to anticipate our reactions to matters like the Sean Bell tragedy: we get upset and become very emotional; we scream "No Justice! No Peace!"; we march, rally, and protest; we call the police and mayor all kinds of names and demand their resignations; we vow that this killing will be the last; and we will wait until the next tragedy hits, then this whole horrible cycle begins anew.

Plain and simple, racism creates abusive relationships. It does not matter if the perpetrator is a White sister or brother, or a person of color, because the most vulnerable in our society feel the heat of it. Real talk: this tragedy would have never gone down on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan or in Brooklyn Heights. I am not just speaking about the judge's decision, but the police officer's actions. Those shots would have never been fired at unarmed White people sitting in a car. Until we understand that racism is not just about who pulled the trigger in a police misconduct case, but is also about the geography of racism, and the psychology of racism, we are forever stuck having the same endless dialogue with no solution in sight.

And until America recognizes the civil and human rights of all its citizens, systemic racism and police misconduct, joined at the hip, will never end. That is, until White sisters and brothers realize they, too, are Sean Bell, this will never end. Save for a few committed souls, most White folks sit on the sidelines (as many did when we marched down Fifth Avenue in protest of Sean Bell's murder in December 2006), feel empathy, but fail to grasp that our struggle for justice is their struggle for justice. They, alas, are Sean Bell, and Amadou Diallo, and all those anonymous Black and Brown heads and bodies who've been victimized, whether they want to accept that reality or not. And the reality is that until police officers are forced to live in the communities they police, forced to learn the language, the culture, the mores of the communities they police, forced to change how they handle undercover assignments, this systemic racism, this police misconduct, will never end. And until Black and Latino people, the two communities most likely to suffer at the hands of police brutality and misconduct, refuse to accept the half-baked leadership we've been given for nearly forty years now, and start to question what is really going on behind the scenes with the handshakes, the eyewinks, the head nods, and the backroom deals at the expense of our lives, this systemic racism, this police misconduct, these kinds of miscarriages of justice, will never end.

Our current leadership needs us to believe all we can ever be are victims, doomed to one recurring tragedy or another. It keeps these leaders gainfully employed, and it keeps us feeling completely helpless and powerless. Well, I am not helpless nor powerless, and neither are you. To prevent Sean Bell's memory from fading like dust into the air, the question is put to you, now: What are you going to do to change this picture once and for all? Mayor Bloomberg said this in a statement:

"There are no winners in a trial like this. An innocent man lost his life, a bride lost her groom, two daughters lost their father, and a mother and a father lost their son. No verdict could ever end the grief that those who knew and loved Sean Bell suffer."

No, the grief will never end, not for Sean Bell's parents and family, for his fiancé and children. But Mayor Bloomberg, you, me, we the people, can step up our games, make a commitment to real social justice in our city, in our nation, and, for once, penalize people, including police officers, who just randomly blow away lives. Sean Bell is never coming back, but we are here, and the biggest tragedy will be if we keep going about our lives, as if this never happened in the first place.

And a long as we have leadership, White leadership and Black leadership, mainstream leadership and grassroots leadership, that can do nothing more than exacerbate folks' very natural emotions in a tragedy like this, we will never progress as a human race. Instead a true leader needs to harness those emotions and turn them into action, as Dr. King did, as Gandhi did. In the absence of such action, so many of us, especially us Black and Latino males, will continue to have a very nervous relationship with the police, even the police of color, for fear that any of one of us could be the next Sean Bell.

Kevin Powell is a Brooklyn, New York-based writer, community activist, and author of 8 books. He can be reached at [e-mail].

Comments

[jrockbg]

This blog and many of the comments are some of the dumbest rantings I've ever heard. Anyone who has actually asked a cop knows they do not aim for an arm or a leg. Thats freakin retarded. It ain't the damn movies out there people. Police aim center body mass and continue to fire until the deadly threat is mitigated. And a vehicle in that proximity with those officers counts as deadly force! Whats wrong with you people. I'm not even saying whether they are guilty or not. But if you think a car isn't a deadly weapon, if you think cops shoot to merely wound, then you are an idiot. Quit getting your view of the the world out of the movies and get your head out of your ass.

[cct1984]

The death of Sean Bell is indeed a tragedy, but Sean did not help himself in this situation. His behavior at the time had a lot to do with the reaction of the cops. Before everyone cries racism, may I suggest you look at it from the cops perspective. For those truly interested in seeing the other side of the equation I suggest you participate in a cop ride-along program, preferably the midnight to morning shift. Believe me, you will have a new found appreciation for what cops go through and put up with on a daily basis. Cops have to routinely deal with the worst of our society--murderers, muggers, drunks, drug users, wife-beaters, child molesters, pimps, prostitutes, punks, you name it--it's a thankless job for which many have given their lives. When a cop shows up at a potential crime scene they don't know the good guys from the bad guys, therefore everyone is a potential threat until proven otherwise. That may sound harsh but that is the reality of police work. In the real world, threats come at you fast, there is no time to have a debate about possible courses of action, you have to react fast; a cop that hesitates too long is likely to orphan his kids. From the evidence I've seen, Sean did nothing to show he wasn't a threat, in fact he did just the opposite, hence the cops acted accordingly.

[pwoconnor]

If there was ever a time when the US court system would grant justice to a black man murdered by the police - I was sure it would be when other black men (2 of the officers) could be punished in the process. As with many other similar tragedies the level of injustice is great and the outcome pains me. Until society and the media stop fueling the stereotype that black men are dangerous, officers will continue to make split-second impulsive decisions influenced by both explicit and implicit attitudes about this group. This will not change until society at large changes. Don't hold you breath....

[MoeSart]

None of you people were there, yet you all speak as though you were an eyewitness.

From what I read, the actual eyewitnesses are the people you can be angry at because they couldn't get their stories straight. That should tell you something, right there.

[timinhi]

"MoeSart": You hit the nail on the head. And a lot of the people who are pissing and moaning about the acquittal of these three cops (two of whom were Aftrican-Americans), were dancing in the streets when O.J. got off. I was a longtime prosecuting attorney. Those of us who have actually worked on these cases know that the press never gets everything right about a case, even to the extent of completely misrepresenting what occurred or what was said in court. Even relying on the evidence allowed in court is often misleading, because much is suppressed or simply not brought up. If you read all the police reports and other documents in a casefile, you get a lot closer to the truth, but when you actually talk to the witnesses, cops & civilians, and hear all the stuff, some of which can't be testified to because it has been ruled inadmissible, only THEN can you get close to what really happened. I lost my share of cases where I knew absolutely that the defendants were guilty, but I know I never convicted an innocent person. Once I had a case that went to trial and halfway into it, I realized that what the defendant did, although probably illegal, did not fit the definition of the crimes he was charged with and I immediately moved for a dismissal, to the consternation of the judge, who nonetheless granted the motion.

[timinhi]

(cont.)These cops MAY have been guilty as sin, I don't know for sure--but they got off--just like O.J., so it's time to move on. There may be grounds for a civil case (I assume his family has filed some kind of suit), and maybe like with O.J., that is where justice is to be had. Otherwise, it's pointless to continue trying to put them in jail. Perhaps all the noise will give juries and judges pause in future cases, but that's what we always hope and we still always have dissatisfied people every time a high-publicity case is decided, on one side or the other of an issue.

My experience informs me however, that with our present system, it's for all practical purposes a myth that innocent people are "often" convicted. Vastly more guilty people get off scott-free.

[qdog112]

My heart goes out to the Bell family.but they should not have been surprised. The second the last shot rang out the conclusion was known. To think, Americans are supposed to trust the system? From the onset, the fix was in. First , the case was seriously under charged. The DA should have really gone after these cowboys, but didn't. There is a reason for that. Did anyone hear this guy post verdict? He dripped with incompetence .I don't think his heart was ever in it. He was the absolute worst spokesman at a major trial I have ever heard. Then you had the judge instead of a jury trial. The judge based his decision on credibility and inconsistencies. WHAT? Under siege, what the hell did he need from the victims - they were trying to stay alive. I believe like most that the outcome was predetermined. I don't blame the system because that's what they do. I blame black Americans because it happens daily and we brush it off. We have the attitude that "as long as it's not me". Marching and singing we shall overcome does not work. We must demand from our local elected officials that these issues are addressed - every time they come before us hold them accountable for their silence on issues. Write them, call them, email them. Make them take a public stand. Don't wait for it to be your son or daughter because one day it will.

[Nommo]

If Black people just stopped buying newspapers!!! The only response that they will understand is the revenue argument. I hope the family and all associated get at least an 8 figure settlement, you'd figure that the taxpaying base would bitch about all the money NYC has paid out over the last 20 years to settle these matters. At any rate, those 50 shots should cost mad money.

[ruscle]

Clearly the solution is more guns. If these young men had been armed, they might have been able to shoot back.

So the message from the courts is clear: To be safe, carry a gun, if you feel threatened by an approaching police officer (or black man or man or person) you are free to shoot at will with no consequences.

[LoveTruth]

Ruscle,

Oh man! That is the message that has been given for years.

What gets me about this incident is that it further divides the black community and the police who are put in place to protect the given community. These tensions run deep and they have a long history behind them. Police Brutality goes back decades.

I am from New York. I see the anger and frustration because it is not the first. Who remembers Amado Diallo?

I cannot tell you how many young people were walking around with "Fuck the Police" T-Shirts on. There is a whole culture behind "No/Stop Snitching". Many are reluctant in some communties to aid the police in investigations of crimes. This only creates more of a divide and it is dangerous.

Many do carry around guns because they do not see the police as "protectors". They see them as enemies as they would with any stranger. Now if they get caught with a weapon then they get gun charges and end up in the criminal 'just-us' system where they are excited about filling up all the new jails they are building . It s a cycle and a dangerous one.

[NoMoreHawks]

Cops unload 50 bullets into unarmed people and the court system finds them innocent. I don't care if the witnesses have records as criminals or not. It starts with cops like this in their first few years writing traffic tickets and getting away with lying in court about them. The system convicts EVERYBODY, nobody is innocent except the COPS.

It's time for all of us to realize we can't trust the cops or the system.

[twostrangers]

There were 40+ shootings last weekend in Barack Obama's Chicago, none of them by police. Where is the outrage about that?

[FortuneTeller]

They only think they got away with it, not guilty isn't innocent. The court of public opinion has already found them guilty of "OVERKILL" if nothing else. They actually destroyed their own lives and those who are closest to them along with Sean. They know what they did and will carry the heavy burden of guilt to their own graves.
We need to continue to shine the brightest lights into these hidden corners. It will become so uncomfortable to be around these disgraceful human beings? and those who protect them until they learn to be accountable and ask forgiveness for this horrible tragedy.

[qdog112]

They belong in jail. They can feel guilty in there.

[FCBarca]

What this serves as a reminder is this very simple and sad truth, justice in this country is afforded to you if you are part of the establishment, white and male...Anyone else, fugghetaboutit

[djk20042]

This story is tragic---we should all pray for Sean Bell and his family (and the police too).

But before many of you cry 'racism':

1) We were not there to witness what happened.
2) Bell ran from the cops, and was perceived to be a threat.
3) If many of you were cops, you probably would have fired at Sean Bell too, in defense of your life and the lives of your fellow officers.
4) If you don't believe #3, you're lying to yourself.

[FortuneTeller]

50 bullets?

[Conservativeslayer]

So Bell was running away from the cops, but perceived to be a threat? How exactly does that work? If someone is running away from me, I don't think they are threatening me. Now if he was running towards the cops, you might have something there but you don't. But it goes to show that no matter how unjustifiable the behavior of out of control police officers are, there will be authoritians that will excuse it. I'm sure you'd justify the actions of the Nazis during the holocaust too. Those jews must of done something to deserve being rounded up and sent to the death camps, right?

[jrockbg]

The fact that he was in a vehicle is what made him a threat and comes at least close to justifying 50 bullets. A vehicle used in the manner that Sean Bell did can easily be considered a deadly weapon. Keep in mind one officer heard one of the occupants of the car say "I'm going to get my gun"" before he got in the car. 50 bullets vs a car isn't all that uneven a fight.

[djk20042]

Again, neither one of us was there. How was Bell running away with the vehicle? Was it a clear getaway, or was he using the vehicle to plow through/over something/someone to get away?

Law enforcement is very unpredictable work. These officers should not be forced to second guess their instincts every time a suspect defies orders.

"I'm sure you'd justify the actions of the Nazis during the holocaust too. Those jews must of done something to deserve being rounded up and sent to the death camps, right?"

What a stretch! You make it sound like Bell was this poor innocent person! The only thing that Bell did wrong that night was resist arrest. No one would have been killed had he followed the officers orders AND if he was really innocent, he would have been freed.

[qdog112]

Absurd. As soon as you can list times when white people have been killed by police in a barrage of bullets, race is an issue. Not since Clyde Barrow has any Caucasian faced what has become commonplace for blacks. History simply does not support you on this. It defies logic and insults the intelligence of us all. Sadly. it will continue until someone is convicted and goes to jail. Equal protection under the law? Is the 14th Amendment working? It just proves that the Bernie Goetz defense will always work if you are white. Just prove that you were afraid and it''s OK. Funny, fear never works for people of color, even though based on the facts we are the ones who get killed if we try to flee. The writer wants to put this on NY. It's not a NY thing, it's a cop thing.

[djk20042]

"Absurd. As soon as you can list times when white people have been killed by police in a barrage of bullets, race is an issue. Not since Clyde Barrow has any Caucasian faced what has become commonplace for blacks. History simply does not support you on this."

Who has that list? We can at least agree that when it happens to blacks, that it is more heavily publicized---especially the tragic details of this particular case.

"It just proves that the Bernie Goetz defense will always work if you are white. Just prove that you were afraid and it''s OK. Funny, fear never works for people of color, even though based on the facts we are the ones who get killed if we try to flee. "

Umm...the first cop to fire was black. In fact, there was like 5 cops, 2 were black, at least one was part black/hispanic. I think only one or two could be classified as fully white.

Again, if you were a cop, you probably would have shot at him too----in defense of your life and the lives of your fellow officers. It's not a cop thing, they did their jobs correctly.

[LoveTruth]

Racism...djk20042...every black man in america is a threat regardless. There is no benefit of the doubt. The police force teaches all of its people to racially profile and many of them incite incidents. How are you running but still a threat?

I am from NYC and the NYPD is infamous.
My sister's boyfriend cannot leave his house without being stopped numerous times. That is harassment. So one night, he got pulled over He told the officer to hold on while he looked for his wallet. The officer demands him to get out of the car and slams him against the car. He was an innocent 19 year old. It was two police officers on him and they were being rough with him for no reason. They had him in an uncomfortable position and he tried to get up. The police claimed that he was then a threat because he was trying to attack them. Of course he is taken down to the precinct because they claimed that he was "endangering a police officer" and then they claimed that he was "resisting arrest", they claimed that he was driving with no license or ID (they later found it in under the carseat because it had dropped). That happens a lot in NYC which makes a great deal of people hostile to the police, a group of people who should be protecting them.

They are trained people 50 shots is excessive force..its brutality and in this case, murder.

[SharedHumanity]

Well then, it was just a reality check for Mrs. Bell who should have known better than to think that a black man could get justice in this country.

[CatfishJohn]

...the ghosts of hattie carroll, emmitt till and amadou dialou knowingly weep......its still "Guiliani- time" in NYC police precincts... Simply imagine a suburban long island kid named schwartz, o'brien or parisi out for a a night of guy-fun at a strip club in NYC being the executed victim of the run -amok 50 bullet of 3 frenzied black NYC cops...different verdict ya think???..for sure...

[desthmoneses]

actually, when whites are killed by police brutality there is often little outcry from the white community and little interest in the media for it, and their have been many instances of it. This isn't to say black aren't completely justified in their outrage and reaction, I'm just pointing out that whites are consistent in their communal indifference, and not expect whites to care even if one of our own became a victim.

[DerekRC]

The real tragedy in this case ultimately is the fact that black youths(on the whole), are ill prepared to contribute to mainstream America. Their families have let them down, their political leaders have convinced them that they are eternal victims, their churches preach hate and divide, and their education system allows them to speak a distorted version of english that ensures they will never get a job.

Slavery was present throughout the world 300 years ago. It is not a race specific issue. Serfdom and indentured servitude were prevalent throughout Europe, and most American immigrants came here to find a better life as indentured servents (slaves). American history is filled with stories of the growth and prosperity of those who worked hard, and overcame.

Every other ethnic group that makes up this great country succeeds because they believe in family, work, and the chance to succeed.

If these young men didn't understand the consequences of their actions. Shame on their families, shame on their politicians, shame on their spiritual leaders, and shame on them.

[pcplz]

It is a sad thing that this happened. But it is a product of the society that has come to be. Sadly, the fear of the police drove the young black man to try to get away and the fear of black crime drove the police to act. FEAR is such a strong emotion. Try to look at it both ways. When in a 'neighbrohood' where problems have happened before the chances of having a gun pulled on police is greater and therefore they are more aware and more likely to come to that assumption. Likewise on the black side. Because of the atmosphere the young man just wanted to get out of there. Fear drove him and fear drove the police. So sad.

Read Cosby's 'C'mon People' it is not against the people it is for the people. Find a way to create the correct atmosphere in the neighborhoods. An atmosphere where people don't anticipate trouble. Now is a good time to go to the community, including the police, and to ask what can be done to change it for the betterment of all.

This story is as sad for one side as it is for the other. A huge step backwards has happened. It is up to all the people involved to change it. Or go back and into war. Please go forward for the sake of your children and for theirs. I speak to the black community and to the police force here.

[LoveTruth]

I hear you but what you do not understand is that it is historical. There is a historical pattern of police brutality dating back decades. There is a deeply rooted distrust.

This has only heightened the distrust. Very little talking can go on when emotions are so high. I see youth walking around with "F -the Police" shirts. Here we go. It is like when a person abuses their power and expects someone to trust them after that, that is the issue.

As for Cosby, thanks but no thanks. The problem there is that he is not the person to get the message out to the youth and some of his assumptions are naive and easier said than done.

"Find a way to create the correct atmosphere in the neighborhoods. An atmosphere where people don't anticipate trouble. Now is a good time to go to the community, including the police, and to ask what can be done to change it for the betterment of all. "

People have and still are doing this. Its not new but we do not have a loud enough voice to reach everyone. Easier said than done...

[coolmaiden]

Ah, a typical right-wing reaction to something they have absolutely no clue about: blame the victim. A woman is gang-raped, she shouldn't have been drunk and dressed scantily. An American of Arab descent was beaten by Neanderthals pretending to be patriotic, he shouldn't have been coming out of a mosque. A black man is shot 50 times after his bachelor party, he shouldn't have been speaking in Ebonics?
Your poor logic makes me laugh.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think I've found Bill O'Reilly infiltrating this site!

[MoralMirror]

"If these young men didn't understand the consequences of their actions. Shame on their families, shame on their politicians, shame on their spiritual leaders, and shame on them."

The police were undercover, with guns, drawn. What should their "actions" have been in that instance? Should they have surrendered to plain clothed men with guns, who they testified they never heard id themselves as cops?

Don't use this as a platform for your Bell Curve philosophy. The difference between African Americans and European immigrants is pesky little thing call skin tone which is all you have left to be distinguished by (at a glance), after you've "pulled yourself up the bootstraps". Whites of any origin can and have assimilated. And have no problem being accepted. As long as you are "the same" in appearance and socio-economic worth-what is there to fear?

[Sepiastar]

You really believe this "bs" you wrote. Black youth and adults have always and will continue to contribute to America (since their arrival in this country). No, their families and community leaders have NOT let them down, the system of equality in this country is what has "let them down". Your statements insinuate that blacks act as victims. I don't know many blacks who would prefer to be "victims". Newsflash - please document how many UNARMED young white males/females have been gunned down in the US by the police in the last 10 years? Young white youth commit crimes but I never hear the blatant categorization of them by anyone. Most African Americans I know just want EQUAL opportunity. Also, how many predominantly white communities were infiltrated with drugs by the government (research the CIA). Also, it's ironic you state every other "ethnic group" succeeds because they believe in family, work and the chance to succeed. Are you saying that blacks don't work and don't want to succeed? That's odd since many African Americans DO WORK, pay taxes, are enrolled and have completed college, and have ALWAYS believed in family. You can state your misinformation all you want but the facts are clear - racism still rears its ugly head. Stop spewing rhetoric you learned from television because obviously you have no idea about the "Black Experience" in America. The shame you so graciously attribute to others should be placed on you because your blatant stereotypes reflect your true ignorance.

[Ikassandra]

White or black makes no difference. The ;problem is police misbehavior compounded by prosecutorial misbehavior. Police all over the U.S. are abusing their authority, killing the innocent, bullying the meek, and breaking laws. Seldom do the heads of police departments enforce discipline.
What is needed is strict civilian oversight of police. With such oversight we might have both justice and respect for police.

[FortuneTeller]

My dad was a cop in Bridgeport, CT. Even during the riots of the 60's he never pulled his gun. The guy who stabbed him got a good knot on his head from the nightstick but survived to serve time. When dad retired he told me that most of the new guys coming on the job never served in the military, didn't learn how to follow orders and didn't feel bound by any authority but their own.

[Mschmal]

People seem think that Sean Bell and company where boy scouts.

Sean Bell was arrested twice for selling crack cocaine to an undercover police officer. He was arrested one other time for firearms possession.

Joseph Guzeman was arrested nine times, including once for firearms possession.

Benefield had three arrests on his record including one for firearms possession. Since the Bell shooting, Benefield was arrested 2 more times and pled guilty to charges araising out of hitting the mother of his baby.

These three men are exactly the kind of men that I want the police to protect me and my family from. We want to go back and second guess what these officers did. We are asking them to be perfect when they are only human. In my mind, the officers are heros for trying to protect the vast law abiding citizenry from people who want to live outside of societies rules. These police officers acted to protect us and maybe they didn't do things 100% the we why would have liked but they did their best in the circumstances.

Maybe its time we thought about the kind of society we would have if the drug dealers had free run of our communities. Maybe its time that we as communities stand up and say that we will not allow lawlessness to exist in our communities, instead of turning a blind eye and expecting the police and government to deal with the problem.

[Eileen1]

Thank you ...You put it all in prospective................

[Eileen1]

MSCHMAL............YOU SAID IT ALL............... THANKS

[MariaHopeful]

So when the police decided to unload 50 shots at this unarmed man they knew that he was no boy scout. They KNEW that he ought to be killed because of youthful indiscretion? Do you know that young white men are more likely to get a slap on the wrist and sent home than young black men? It is not that young white men are more upright than young black men, it is that society and the law enforcement agencies apply a different set of rules.

[NoMoreHawks]

So you're saying that because these guys all had criminal records they deserved to get shot???

So, if one of your family members has a record they deserve to get shot???

What exactly do you mean by what you're saying???

[NoMoreHawks]

Decriminalize drugs and stop the war against the black community!