The murder of Sean Bell wasn’t just a simple situation. There is a reason why this was a civil rights issue, and why the acquittal of the detectives was so disturbing. There were many factors that went into the scenario that made it so disturbing. First off, over 50 shots were fired. That is a tremendous amount of bullets ripping through human bodies. Humans with thoughts, dreams, desires, wants, needs, parents…
If the police had fired 3 shots or so, and still managed to kill someone, it would be slightly different.
The second factor is that the police were the only ones firing shots. It wasn’t a gun battle, it was a slaughter. If the police had been shot at, or at least, had seen a gun, the situation would be different. Image you had been standing at the Jamaica station waiting for a train, you would have come close to being killed yourself… from a police handgun. These detectives were reckless and unprofessional.
If we are to live in a better society, we need to rid ourselves of the gang mentality the police have. In New York, we have thugs on both sides of the line. I’ve seen police be extremely rude, arrest someone under false pretenses, be insensitive to innocent people, be short and unprofessional with dealing with victims, and I’ve seen them use excessive force. I haven’t personally witnessed the opposite from the NYPD, but I have seen it from policies officers in other counties. I know the NYPD does good work and I know there are good cops out there. I am thrilled that the streets are safer and that thugs are being put behind bars. I’ve witnessed gun violence in my neighborhood, and I felt safer knowing that the perpetrators were behind bars for at least three years.
The bottom line is that these people are human beings being given a gun and the right to kill undesirables without consequences. In a perfect world, the police would be robots, incapable of being affected by human emotions or moods. But, we’re far from that scenario, so we need to make sure that these people who are supposed to protect us aren’t actually hurting us. You cannot deify the police. If I had killed an unarmed man on the streets I would be charged with manslaughter or at least reckless endangerment and I would be convicted of that crime. The police MUST be subject to the laws they are supposed to uphold.
If this was indeed an accident or a mistake, those responsible need to pay for that mistake, just like any civilian in this country.
Enjoy.
whereIstand Tags
Sounds like this case is far from over. The police officers are still in trouble. It looks like they better hire some good lawyers.