Sean Bell has made the list
I chose to write about this because I have been hearing the statement this past weekend over and over “For the first time, I distrust the justice system.”
Although it is becoming more and more common, I have always felt this way. My own life experiences have created this personal mentality. However…
Like the hundreds of concerned people in New York State standing outside of the Jamaica, Queens courthouse (and the thousands more sitting in their offices or at home) awaiting the verdict of the Sean Bell case, I hoped that justice would be served. I do not believe it was served.
Last Friday, April 25, Judge Arthur Cooperman rendered a "not guilty" verdict for the Sean Bell case. The 23-year-old young man, soon-to-be newlywed who was struck down after being sprayed with 50 police bullets outside a club in Queens. He was celebrating and preparing to be married later that day.
"The testimony of those witnesses just didn't make sense," Judge Cooperman told a courtroom that included Bell 's fiancée, Nicole Paultre (who decided to take his last name regardless of the fact they did not get legally married). In doing so, Cooperman discounted many of the prosecution's witnesses, including Bell 's friends and two other men severely wounded in the shooting. The verdict comes 1 year and 5 months to the day of the shooting.
Detectives Gescard F. Isnora (a Black man), and Michael Oliver (a White man), together faced more than 50 years of prison time on first- and second-degree manslaughter charges. While Detective Marc Cooper (who is also Black) faced two counts of reckless endangerment. On the surface, Judge Cooperman's verdict of "not guilty" looks like another example of "it's the system and it has always been this way." After a closer look, it becomes clear the circumstance and gravity of the prison pandemic facing Minority Men in America.
Constantly in the media we hear the stats that more than 1 in every 15 Black men in the United States is incarcerated. We are bombarded with images of Black men as the perpetrators, the bad guy, the thief, the murderers in handcuffs.
However, why aren’t we reminded of the stories of Black men who have been victims of law enforcement. Very rarely are we reminded of the stories of Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant who in 1997 was brutally assaulted and suffered rectal wounds after an officer assaulted and tortured him in the bathroom of the 70th Precinct Police Station with a broomstick. Or, the story of Amadou Diallo (an unarmed West African immigrant) who in 1999 was killed after police officers opened fire on him. Amadou was sprayed with 41 bullets right in front of his apartment building. More recently, the case of Ousmane Zongo (an African Art Restorer) who in 2003 was shot and killed by police officers during a warehouse raid. The police believed it was the base of a counterfeit-CD Ring. In each of these cases, some police officers directly involved received probation or had their charges dismissed and their defenses were that each felt his life was in danger.
For Judge Cooperman in Queens that was more than enough. Sean Bell's name is added to that growing list of Black men struck down in a hail of police gunfire. Now, with all this said, I am not saying that our men (or our manly youth), sometimes tend to find themselves in all types of idiotic situations. However, nothing justifies the end result.
The powers that be also know our response to this type of incident. People will get upset for a moment, Reverend Al will protest with a march for a day or two, and then it will be forgotten until the next time. Believe me, everyone is aware of the playbook.
My thought to making social, political, and economic change has always been to take a page out of history from Dr. MLK, Jr.; stop spending. The quickest and most effective way to get the attention of those who make and create policy is to stop fattening pockets. Minorities spend more money collectively and do the least bit of voting than any other social group. So basically, stop buying and spending, and get involved in the political process. Get to know the people who are judges, lawyers, police, businessmen, people who make policy. Again, like I always allude to, we must educate ourselves to motivate this type of thinking.
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Learn to Learn, Learn to Live, Learn to Love, Learn to Respect...RAHMAN S.
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