Deeply saddened doesn't even begin to articulate the way that I am feeling today. I have been overwhelmed with a feeling of emptiness the second I heard the news of the 3 cops being acquitted for the Sean Bell Murder.
There are some that stand here and say that we will never know what really happened or ask us to consider seeing things in the officers’ perspective before being outraged.
I have done this, and still feel the way that I feel.
No one can sit here and convince me that these officers did what they HAD TO DO given the circumstance. They didn’t HAVE to shoot at those young men 50 times; that was a choice, one that appears to be prevalent in the police force. These officers are TRAINED gunman. So with that said, does it really take 50 SHOTS to restrain a man? NO ONE can justify that, NO ONE! They are trained to shoot to restrain an individual and shoot to kill and they chose the latter. As a result a 23 year old, unarmed, innocent man is dead. As a result, a fiancé/father/son is gone. And how does this joke of a justice system handle the matter?...by setting these murderers free.
How do we make sense of people serving time for killing dogs and yet get a pat on the hand for killing a human being? I will never understand this world that we live in. It’s a complete mockery.
This morning I was going back and forth with my besties about this situation and one of them said something so profound that I had to share.
This deserves protest but in a different way. If you’re involved in the system then it can't take advantage of you in the same way. White people by and large serve on juries, vote with consistency, contact their elected representatives and pool together ALWAYS. People of color are victims of disenfranchisement and the divisive tactics of institutional oppression and discrimination. We're overwhelmed with capitalism and the idea of self and individuality - being so disconnected from each other and the shared human experience.
Community does not mean what it used t. We don't come together and stay together; we come together for something overwhelmingly wrong and then quickly disperse. There's no staying power and there's no focus. The most effective protest anyone could participate in is not the one Al Sharpton will lead. It’s in educating and empowering ourselves - Being proactive, being in the community and participating in its development. Getting involved, welcoming the opportunity to be that black face on the jury to ensure the person standing accused has a group of people who truly reflect all aspects of the American experience. It’s about lobbying and pooling your resources. It’s sad but what happened today is no different from what has happened dozens of times in this city within our own lifetimes. Until there is an effective and sweeping change amongst the people this is just a tragic cycle that will continue. One month from now how many people who are outraged today will even care about this? 3 months from now who will remember? It is sad. –S.Henderson
Let’s keep the momentum alive and not allow this to be swept under the rug like the umpteenth cases similar to this. A change is OVERDUE!
My prayers go out to Sean Bell's family and friends. I pray they find comfort in knowing that despite this decision, justice will be served.
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