Disconcerting.
Travesty.
Death by association.
Legal murder.
Deja Vu.
Business as usual.
Please choose one of the above.
Does it strike anyone else as odd that the judge, the cops, and the prosecutors all get their paychecks from the same place? Is this not the very definition of 'conflict of interest'?
In his decision, the judge declared that the "courtroom demeanor" and "rap sheets" (prior police records) of the prosecution witnesses were detrimental to the prosecution's case. Maybe if they had been trained witnesses (like cops) instead of real human beings, the judge may have been swayed...a bit. But what of these prior police records?
A legal axiom comes to mind; "Why is it that, because a woman is a prostitute, it follows that she must have bad eyesight?" We can paraphrase that by stating "due to the fact that the witness is young, black, and does not act white, his or her credibility is suspect."
I have no doubt the judge has a fine record on the bench. I have no doubt that the accused feared for their safety. I have no doubt that I was not on the scene.
But I also have no doubt that Sean Bell is dead, or that he was killed by police who fired a total of 54 times in 15-20 seconds. I also have no doubt that his family wants Sean back...or at least some sort of reckoning for those that killed him.
This has been a tragedy of the most extreme sort. If any of us were to suffer similarly...I cannot imagine what we might do in response.
In the past, I have used this forum to sound a clarion call for we the people to hold the police instantly accountable for their actions. (If you see it, stop it.) I will not back down in this instance. I know the judge pronounced them not guilty. The cops who beat Rodney King were also acquitted. So was OJ Simpson.
Japanese bushido philosophy dictates that if a dishonorable act is committed against an innocent, the transgressor is bound by 'giri' (duty) to offer his own life as payment for the offense. We are not in Japan, nor is bushido embraced by most active-duty police officers. But the least these cops can do is resign from the force.
And if they are truly men of honor, they will eat their guns...while they are still permitted some choice in the matter
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