I Wasn’t There So, I Don’t Know…..
I wasn’t there so, I don’t know if Officers Oliver, Isnora and Cooper identified themselves as Police Officers before they fired on Sean Bell and his friends.
I wasn’t there so, I don’t know if Sean Bell and his friends were talking about having a gun and acting suspiciously.
I wasn’t there so, I don’t know what the real circumstances were that caused Officer Oliver to empty his gun and then reload and continue firing into the car, ultimately firing 31 rounds.
All I have heard and read are the stories from the Officers and from the friends of Sean Bell. And, frankly, I don’t believe all of what either group had to say.
I wasn’t there so, I don’t know what I believe about the verdict the Judge handed down today, clearing all three Officers of any wrong-doing. I didn’t hear all the testimony. I didn’t hear the corroboration, if any, that the Officers called for back-up before they ever approached Bell’s car. I didn’t hear the testimony of the expert witness about how quickly a revolver can be emptied and reloaded. I didn’t hear any of the prosecution’s witnesses.
So, clearly, I don’t know a whole helluva lot about this case. But I do have some firm beliefs about the events that took a young man’s life.
I believe that when a policeman identifies himself to you, you had damned well better do what he tells you to do. If you don’t, you have no one to blame for the consequences arising from your actions.
I believe that threatening to get a gun or use a gun or anything to do with a gun is a damned stupid thing to do and, as this incident has shown, is very likely to get you killed, even if you really don’t have a gun.
I believe that, in direct contrast to the safe, insulated lives many of us lead, we are living in a society that is filled with violence and that our police officers are in danger every minute that they are on duty and maybe even when they are not on duty.
I also believe that our police officers are seriously affected by the violence they encounter each day and that they can become as big a danger to society as the people they are paid to protect us from. I believe that our police officers do not get the mental and emotional support they need to maintain their social equilibrium and I believe that too many of our police officers develop a belief that they can do whatever they want – a belief that should be false but in many cases is not.
Do I believe that this death could have been prevented? Even though I wasn’t there, even though I didn’t see or hear what transpired, I still believe it could have been prevented. And I believe that the death of Sean Bell was the responsibility of both the victims, Sean Bell and his friends, and the police officers.
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Well put PW. You know I
Well put PW. You know I would hate to be a cop in America, especially since every American could be carrying a gun. How is the cop supposed to know who has and who hasn't.
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Thanks, Sire.
I agree, I wouldn't want to be a cop in the US. Hell, cops are killed during routine traffic stops. They are in the most danger when trying to assist during a domestic violence call and are often in as much danger from the people they are trying to protect as from the "bad guys" during those domestic violence calls.
And that's why I feel they need greater mental and emotional support (the professional kind), to keep from turning into the bad guys, themselves.
Sorry PW but I strongly disagree
A few years ago my daughter was ten years old. At six in the morning a police woman came knocking on our door. She wanted to know who owned the wrecked van that hit an electric pole in front of our house. My daughter, as all kids do, woke up and stood by my side as I told the officer we were asleep and knew nothing. She drew her gun and pointed it at my daughter and said "Who was driving? Your Mom or Dad?" I complained but the authorities said it was standard operating proceedure when questioning a minor.
A few years before that a school alarm went off in Dallas Texas. The responding officers found two 12 year old boys riding bikes three or four blocks from the school. They took one of the boys and handcuffed him, put him in the back of the police car and started to question him by putting one bullet in his gun and pulling the trigger. Well the gun "accidently" went off and blew the little boy's brain all over the back seat of the police car. The cop got his just deserts. He was made police chief of a small town close to Dallas.
If this were your child, would you still feel the same?
Pancho when stuff like this happens
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why is it that it's not heard of? This is exactly the kind of stuff CNN lives for. I have a very hard time believing that a police woman would hold a gun on any young girl, unless that kid was standing there with an uzzie in her hands....I know that there are definitely some rotten cops out there no doubt...next time your family is in direct threat from any cops, I suggest you call CNN, ABC, NBC, CNBC etc. When the media gets involved despite the usual slant, the world does pay attention. We had two cops indicted here in Ga. just last week, for lying and falsifying evidence to cover up the murder of an innocent old lady that was 97 years old!!
You know, PV, I'm gonna have to say,
1. I do not believe that any police department in the US would officially tell you that it is standard operating procedure to point a gun at a unarmed 10 year old child when questioning them.
2. Having said that, you seem to be saying that this was quite a few years ago. Being a long-time resident of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, I know that law enforcement in this area has always been guilty of serious breaches of the law and I do know that they constantly squirm out of wrong-doing by citing "out-dated operating procedures that should have been updated." So, while some idiot at the police department might have told you that, I'll bet it wasn't an official stance.
3. You are very outspoken on this blog about what you believe is wrong about our justice system. Realizing that we all change as the years go by, I'm still wondering why you weren't walking the walk and raising hell about having a gun pointed at your child all those years ago.
4. I haven't heard about the incident with the kid being shot but I'll reserve comment until I actually do check it out. If that happened, it was murder. But I've heard more than one outlandish story like this that turned out to be a total exaggeration of the facts.
Sorry but this is too
Sorry but this is too unbelievable. If the cops were to do that here they would be in serious shit.
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Bad Cop
if you think it's unbelievable check it out. My daughter and I appeared at a city councle meeting to complain. Its in the minutes of the City councle meeting here in fort worth. The second one can be checked out by writing to Tracy Rouwlett (sic)anckorman at channel 11 KTVT fort worth texas.
Not being there PW does not always mean
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that the cops were doing the right thing...yes in todays climate the police are overwhelmed with crime spiking etc. due to our equally corrupt government and our economy tanking. Kids do stupid things like carry guns etc. But the cops knowing this should figure out another way to deal with them. I tend to side with the victim simply because the victim is a child. I am so sick of kids dying either at the hands of guns or cops or drugs. I do understand the pressure cops are under, but as the old saying goes...if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen... don't blow up the kitchen:)
And that is why, Sassys, I place blame on both the cops
and the victims. But I think it's foolish and naive of you to say that cops should figure out another way to deal with kids who carry guns. It doesn't matter who is waving that gun around - the bullets that come out of it are still lethal. Do you somehow think that, just because a child fires it, the gun won't actually kill someone? Or do you think that, just because they are cops, their lives should be more easily lain down?
And these were not children. These were young adults. Old enough to go bar-hopping, old enough to get married, etc., etc. So, that point is completely off-base.
Well excuuuuuse me missy:)
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Ok you are right as far as the cops having to defend themselves goes...but there has to be some accountability somewhere. Parents need to be held accountable for their miserable offspring having guns etc. and the cops need to be less trigger happy.
Yeah, I was up on my high-horse. And so totally out of
character for me, too. LOL!!!
You are right - parents are not taking their share of the responsibility in all this. And the cops, damn, there's a whole long list of things I think we need to be doing about the cops. But those things require money - money to screen out the control freaks, money to pay the good ones enough to make it worth their while to be a cop, money to keep good mental health professionals on every city's payroll so they can keep the good cops good. Hell, it always comes down to money.
Both money and education PW!
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Most cops are in it for all the right reasons...but it's got to be hard as hell giving a shit, when all they see on a daily is kids and guns:(
I understand the burn out, and I am actually somewhat surprised that it's not more often that this kind of tragedy happens.
Wisdom of the Very Old
My Granddad was a very wise man. He once told me that it was ok to chase someone breaking into your house. Just make sure you don's catch him. It could be more than you can handle.
He also taught me that fear kills. It is more important to fear a coward than a brave man. A brave man will confront you. BUT a coward will strike from ambush out of fear.
Not all Policemen are brave. Some are cowards and tend to strike first and ask questions later.
As my Granddad said, "Do what you are gonna do, you can always say your sorry later".
Now with this I do agree Pancho
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Your grandfather was wise indeed...the scariest person is two things 1) Uneducated and 2) Fearful. Generally speaking the two go hand in hand.
Absolutely true, PV. Some cops are not brave and don't
have the slightest interest in protecting the public. They become cops because of a sick desire to control and wield power. In addition to the professional mental and emotional support that we need to give our working cops, I think we need a better way to screen out the cowards and the control freaks before they ever get on the force.