BREAKING NEWS (not shocking): Sean Bell Murder Officers Acquitted by Judge
Just as I expected (and I’m sure many other African Americans did too), the 3 officers charged with murdering Sean Bell were acquitted of all charges. A link to the Associated Press story is listed at the end of this post.
For this Friday, I’ll leave you with these thoughts:
--It’s not the first and it won’t be the last time that an unarmed Black man will die at the hands of law enforcement (law enforcement used to be part of the lynch mobs that went after unarmed Black men or covered up the crimes surrounding their deaths);
--It’s not the first or last time that a dead Black man will be turned into the assailant—after his own murder (cops even went through Amadou Diallo’s house looking for drugs and weapons after murdering him in his doorway); and
-- This is just another example of why so many Blacks are jaded, not only with the judicial system as it relates to criminal law, but also with the “system” in general. For instance, many of us have a lack of faith that there will be real enforcement of Federal statutes that prohibit workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
It’s truly unfortunately when a large segment of society comes to expect mistreatment, abuse, and even death to be ignored, marginalized and/or justified. This expectation of being unable to receive justice or equity is why so many Blacks feel they don’t have many options for vindicating their rights as far as crime and punishment, workplace abuses, housing discrimination, etc.
I’ll say this. Although it’s a struggle of epic proportions, it is a struggle worth carrying on. We won’t always get justice, but we don’t have to go silently into the night either.
WHILE YOU HAVE BREATH IN YOUR LUNGS, SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER!
DON’T LET YOURSELF BE MARGINALIZED AND ABUSED!
STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR YOUR/OUR RIGHTS.
BE SMART AND AVOID THE TRAPS AND PITFALLS THAT PEOPLE LAY OUT FOR YOU.
STAY STRONG! AND MOST IMPORTANTLY…
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE!
Sean Bell, rest in peace! My prayers go out to all of his family and friends.
Here’s a link to the Associated Press story on the verdict:
http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewFreeUse.act?fuid=OTU1NTY4
For this Friday, I’ll leave you with these thoughts:
--It’s not the first and it won’t be the last time that an unarmed Black man will die at the hands of law enforcement (law enforcement used to be part of the lynch mobs that went after unarmed Black men or covered up the crimes surrounding their deaths);
--It’s not the first or last time that a dead Black man will be turned into the assailant—after his own murder (cops even went through Amadou Diallo’s house looking for drugs and weapons after murdering him in his doorway); and
-- This is just another example of why so many Blacks are jaded, not only with the judicial system as it relates to criminal law, but also with the “system” in general. For instance, many of us have a lack of faith that there will be real enforcement of Federal statutes that prohibit workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
It’s truly unfortunately when a large segment of society comes to expect mistreatment, abuse, and even death to be ignored, marginalized and/or justified. This expectation of being unable to receive justice or equity is why so many Blacks feel they don’t have many options for vindicating their rights as far as crime and punishment, workplace abuses, housing discrimination, etc.
I’ll say this. Although it’s a struggle of epic proportions, it is a struggle worth carrying on. We won’t always get justice, but we don’t have to go silently into the night either.
WHILE YOU HAVE BREATH IN YOUR LUNGS, SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER!
DON’T LET YOURSELF BE MARGINALIZED AND ABUSED!
STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR YOUR/OUR RIGHTS.
BE SMART AND AVOID THE TRAPS AND PITFALLS THAT PEOPLE LAY OUT FOR YOU.
STAY STRONG! AND MOST IMPORTANTLY…
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE!
Sean Bell, rest in peace! My prayers go out to all of his family and friends.
Here’s a link to the Associated Press story on the verdict:
http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewFreeUse.act?fuid=OTU1NTY4
Labels: in the news
posted by S. Mary Wills at 8:57 AM
3 Comments:
We been covering Sean Bell’s case over at Highbrid Nation from the start and when I read today that the police officers were acquitted I was in serious disbelief. An unarmed man was shot 50 times and the people who did it are not responsible at all!? That’s crazy.
Just like you say-- the verdict didn't surprise me, it's just as painful to hear. I have some sympathy for cops in general, they have a tough job with tough calls, but this was just inexcusable. I have white, Latino and Asian friends backing us up on this, so this is hardly an unusual conclusion. This was, without any doubt, a horrendous act against a human being, and a decent one at that, taking care of his family. While accounts vary, Sean Bell seems to have been reasonably afraid that he was being carjacked-- the undercover officer did not identify himself, and when Bell and Guzman took off like that, they were doing so in the fear that they were being attacked, not running away from an arrest. Besides, why shoot 50 times against someone who's obviously fleeing? It's so frustrating that this was given short shrift.
Despite the anger we all justifiably have due to the injustice of the Sean Bell case, we need to harness this anger toward productive uses.
If things are ever going to improve for African-Americans, we have to redouble our efforts to gain social, political and economic power here.
Remember, time and demographics are both on our side. Whites now have a birth rate well below replacement in the USA, while the African-American population grows steadily both by natural growth and immigration from Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean. Even some Blacks immigrating to the USA from France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain. (BTW if any of you can speak Spanish and/or Portuguese, please encourage our Black brethren in Latin America, especially from Brazil, to emigrate to the USA. There’s strength in numbers.)
I know Blacks and Latinos have often been at loggerheads, but we’re natural allies-- both fighting against White oppression, with Latinos having been invaded in multiple wars by the Anglos in Florida, the Mexican-American War and Spanish-American War. Latinos lost half of Mexico when Anglos invaded in 1848, and were ethnically cleansed by Anglos so that they could start slavery in the conquered territories. Blacks and Latinos today are natural partners in the fight for social justice, both fighting for affirmative action and against discrimination. Spanish is an easy language to learn, and the more that we reach out to each other, speak some Spanish ourselves, and support our Latino brothers and sisters, the more our alliance is cemented.
I’d say if anything, the key for us is to gain political power, and to do that, it’s best to concentrate ourselves geographically a bit more in a few states, where we will soon be the majority. On the one hand, we need Blacks throughout the country to demand our rights, but on the other, a better geographical focus is the key to political power, as it is throughout the world’s democratic countries.
IOW, we need to have our own “North American Nubia” where we have a demographic majority and political power. Some Deep South States are obvious candidates-- Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana for example, all of which will soon be Black-majority within perhaps a decade. This would be a core of our nation.
But we can have a second North American Nubia (or North American Africana, whichever name you prefer) in the Upper Midwest-- Michigan is one of the Blackest states in the Union, and much of Illinois is also strongly African-American in demographics, culture and social importance.
Some of my homies from college have even urged conversion to Islam for African-Americans. It’s not something I’ve considered myself, though I’ll acknowledge that at least for many urban African-Americans, they’ve done quite well after the conversion. Many having been in jail or kept out of jail, they become more focused and disciplined, as fathers they take care of their Black children and care better for Black women, stay away from drugs and violence and so forth. (interesting link a friend sent to me-- The Nubian Manifesto )
IMHO there are many different personal routes we can take for empowerment, but as a group, we must stay strong and focused and, again, have enough of a geographic concentration that we can gain political power. Just as we should ally with Latinos as they become the majority in their own homelands in Southwestern states and Florida, so should Blacks ally with Muslims in Michigan (who will soon be the majority in that state).
It’s obvious from our people’s history here, that we’ll survive only by standing up for ourselves. Political and economic empowerment are the central aspects of this.
You know, not all of the cops that shot Sean Bell are white. At least one of the shooters is black. Why are you trying to make it look like it's all "whitey's" fault? THAT'S what I call real racism!
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