I guess a Black man's life is worth less than a dog's

I haven't blogged in some time, not because I didn't have a lot to say, I do. I just have been lazy...I take that back not lazy, but just busy, and not really up to it. However, that is going to change. I have a lot to say. Let me start, with something that made me angry.

Yesterday, three police officers were found not guilty in the the killing of Sean Bell. They were charged with manslaughter and reckless endangerment. For you who do not know. Sean Bell was shot over 50 times after leaving his bachelor party, on the morning of his wedding day. One police officer alone shot him 31 of the 50 times, of course pausing to reload. Reportedly the officers in plain clothes, approached Sean at his car, while leaving the strip club after an incident with one of his friends and a girl at the club. When he didn't raise his hands, to the officers, who hadn't identified themselves as so, with drawn weapons, he tried to flee. They then thought it was hunting season, and shot, and continued to shoot, until Sean and his two friends had 50 bullets in them. The officers claimed they thought he had a gun, because they claimed they overheard one of Sean's friends say, in the strip club,I'm going to get my gun.

Now I wasn't there like the rest of us. We will never be sure about what truly happened. There are several different version and testimonies to what happened that night. However, I think some justice should have been taken place. Even if what the police officers said was true. Their response to the situation, had to be...No, was out of protocol. I've heard Dave Chapelle and other comedians, make jokes about police and what they call warning shots, but when you hear about it, in real life it isn't quite so funny. Where was the warning shot. If he had a gun, then you shoot them in the arm, where you think he has a gun in. Didn't the judge think that 50 warning shots, was unnecessary. Especially when Detective Micheal Oliver, had time to reload his gun, to shoot some more. Even if the judge didn't get them on manslaughter, which this definitely was, you would think he would get them on reckless endangerment. I guess the judge didn't think so. They opted for a bench trial verses a jury trial, because they couldn't get the trial moved out of Queens, NY. I guess they thought 12 of their peers, in Queens, would think differently, than the white judge, and I guess they were correct. I wonder if Sean was white, what the verdict, would have been.

After hearing t his verdict, I could help but think of one person, and that is Micheal Vick. I know it might sound strange, but that is exactly what came across my mind. Now being from the same state as Michael, I think we got even more coverage of this case than, the over mediated network coverage. I kept think here we have an unarmed man shot to death by the hands of police officers, and it not getting as nearly as much coverage as the Micheal Vick dog fighting case. I guess because Sean Bell, wasn't a celebrity, than it wasn't really big news worthy. Then after hearing the verdict, you can't help, but see the true crime here. Micheal Vick was sentence to two years in prison, for his involvement, in the dog fighting, and still faces state charges. PETA was all over this, talking about the animals rights and whatnot. Well Fuck PETA! What about human rights. We have a man dead, and three men get off, with not one charge against them. We have a BLACK guy who made a dumb decision involving dogs, and he is looking at 2 years in prison, maybe 5 after the state charges go to trial. If he was white, I wonder if he would be getting as much attention. I see some true injustice.

My parents, and my aunts and uncle, come from the baby boom time. They are in their 50's and early 60's, and are from that civil rights time. I heard most of my life about the differences between whites and blacks. That there is a different justice to them, and that I should always know that. Over the years I have tried to argue, about different things not being about race, but push comes to shove, I think they are right. Even 40 years after the civil rights movement. I think we still have huge issues in justice for blacks. On the Micheal Baisden radio show, they were describing the scene outside the courthouse. Witnesses, said that the younger blacks, were outraged and angry, yet the older blacks, were calm and emotionless. To them it was, just another case of blacks getting the short end of the stick, once again.