In My Opinion: A Price On Our Heads

We are the closest we will probably ever come to having a Black President…one of the richest women in the world is a Black Woman…although he may not totally claim it, the best golfer in the world is a Black Man…arguably the most dominant tennis players are two Black Women, raised in Compton. Yet for all the accomplishments that we as Black people can claim, there is still a price on our heads. We still are deemed unworthy by some, even when we are just trying to make it.

Sean Bell was no saint. He had a checkered past, had been arrested a few times for various reasons. But there is such a thing as maturity and change. Who are we to determine if he was giving into that seedy life, or if he was trying to move past it and begin something new? Who are we to label this man a delinquent when we don’t know the full history of his life, his story, his struggles? Everyone deserves a chance to live their life, and no one deserves to have it snatched away from them in such a way as Sean did.

You all know the story. You all know what happened that November back in 2006. You’ve read the articles and seen the news stories and I’m sure you have your own opinions. Today is what matters. Today summarizes how Sean’s life, how his children’s lives, how his wife-to-be’s life will forever be impacted by those events. The judge in the case today decided that the police officers who pumped over 50 shots into the car that held Sean Bell, Joseph Guzman, and Trent Benefield acted reasonably. Acted reasonably? Shooting until you empty your clip, then reloading to shoot some more…that’s reasonable? Shooting at someone/something and unloading 31 bullets is reasonable?

There are things that we will never know, will never understand…we can suspect, we can ruminate, we can contribute to the conspiracy theories all we want…but until someone is willing to say enough is enough, we will never get past the strong arm of the law when they take things too far, as they have here. I have the utmost respect for the men and women who give their lives to protect us as police officers; at least for those who honor their jobs and stand up with integrity and pride. But for those who display chips on their shoulders, those who use their positions as a way to intimidate and demean, they are the ones that ruin it for everyone else. People say if you don’t do anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about. Well, that is not entirely true. I have watched boyfriends snatched down to the ground for absolutely no reason other than their skin was dark and chocolate. I have watched my brother being tailed in a department store simply because his pants hung low. I have watched cousins and uncles being pulled over because they drive Cadillacs and Benzs and just happen to live in the ‘burbs. Yes, that is the absolute truth. It happens. Why? I would like to know the answer to that myself.

Ask yourself this question: if Sean Bell were a white man coming out of a strip club in Manhattan, under the exact same circumstances, do you think the verdict would have been different?

My prayers go out to Nicole Paultre-Bell and her two children, and the rest of Sean’s family and friends…may God bless you with the strength to continue to fight…

Peace and Blessings…