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August 19, 2009
E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
An Injustice Anywhere
Tears of sorrow express the grief of supporters for 23-year-old slain victim Sean Bell.
In the Sean Bell case, three New York City police officers opened fire and shot the 23-year-old after leaving a New York City night club, hours before his wedding day.
Sean Bell had no weapons on him, and was shot 50 times. The three officers who shot Bell were under intense scrutiny for their role in this shooting, and the case concerning Bell's shooters struck a huge emotional cord with members of the African American community.
When the verdict was reached recently, the three New York City police officers were found to be not guilty on all counts. Many hearts were broken and devastated when news of the verdict was released.
To share some perspective with you, I was seven years old, March 31, 1991, when I first heard of the Rodney King incident. I was abhorred then to find the men who were caught on videotape found not guilty of any wrongdoing in that case. In February of 1999, I was 15 when Amadou Diallo was gunned down for pulling out his wallet, and I learned that his shooters were found innocent of wrongdoing then. Fast forward to now and, at the age of 25, I can still see the same level of perceived injustice in this country with Sean Bell's case.
This case had racial undertones all over it and reminded many African Americans of the seemingly unfair treatment of African American victims in the justice system. I was upset personally when I heard the verdict. I felt as though this must have been another case of racially motivated verdicts, followed by a “good ol boy's” mentality of protecting their own, and looking the other way.
Why is it that we as Black Americans in this country continually seem to get the short end of every stick that exists in America? Why is it that we in the Black community can clearly see levels of impropriety and misuse in our criminal justice system, and other segments of America seem to ignore, or somehow not understand, what we're talking about?
My belief is that we need more accountability from the men and women who work in law enforcement and even more scrutiny over what is considered tolerable when it comes to police officers' use of deadly force. Yes, this is another opportunity for discussion, but it's one that needs critical action to follow it and not just more talk.
Was the judge's verdict fair in this case?