23 inch rims

23 inch rims

Three New York detectives have been acquitted of all charges in the tragic death of Sean Bell. Bell, 23, was shot to death on the morning of November 25, 2006. It was a case that attracted national attention and community outcries of racial inequalities and excessive force by police. Relatives of Bell and community leaders, including Reverend Al Sharpton demanded that the case be fully investigated.

Bell was scheduled to be married the same day that he died. He was following his rite of passage, the same as millions of other men-- at a bachelor party. Bell, and two friends, Joseph Guzman, and Trent Benefield celebrated the night at Club Kalua, a strip club in Jamaica, Queens. According to police, the strip club was under surveillance for illegal prostitution and drugs.

According to a New York Times article, prosecutors recall that Bell was guilty of exchanging words with someone else at the club. Also,it was apparent that Bell had been drunk . Still, there had been no violence exchanged between the two men. The violence happened when Bell and his friends left the bachelor party. A police officer said that Bell had nearly ran over one undercover police officer.

Police also recount the events of Bell trying to escape from the scene. This is when pure chaos erupted. Between two of the undercover detectives, 50 bullets were fired. Those bullets tore through the gray Nissan Altima, driven by Bell and friends. Bell's friends were critically wounded. Bell was shot in the neck , shoulder, and right arm. He was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

Because of the simple fact that these men were in Queens, I bet that they were seen as criminals as soon as they stepped out of the club. Most likely, the undercover officers didn't like how they looked, how they spoke, or how they carried themselves. Obviously, there was some form of racial profiling. There always is. For example, a black man driving a nice vehicle with .26 inch rims, hip-hop blaring from the speakers, and wearing urban style clothes will always attract attention. I guess that a couple of black guys, drunk and stumbling out of a strip club at 4 a.m. screams: THUG!!!

However, I don't think that Bell and his friends were "marked" simply because they were black. Two of the detectives, Gescard F. Isnora and Marc Cooper are black. The other detective, Michael Oliver is Latino. Yet, the truth is, the detectives may have been working undercover, but they are not "on the streets". Honestly, I believe that this began as unconscious macho-type fight between the men and the detectives. If you've been around two different groups of guys, there is always the fight to see who is the alpha male!

Like it or not, we are inferior when it comes to the Law. Yes, I believe that police officers are there to protect and serve. Yes, I know that they are there to do the job to the best of their abilities. And, I am sure that the job can't be easy. Unfortunately, by the time an officer goes home at night, he/she hasn't necessarily made everyone happy. But that doesn't mean that certain situations, like the Bell tragedy, is warranted. People do and say stupid things when they are drunk, as I am sure Bell might have. Does that make it right to shoot, shoot, shoot? It takes but one bullet to wound a man.

I don't think that there is anything that police officers can do to avoid situations like this. I am not a police officer, but I can't imagine the snap judgment that they are required to make. In their line of work, undoubtedly, they can't trust everybody. They want to go home to their families as well. And maybe Bell and his friends were threatening? Still, those bullets could have hit anyone in the surrounding area. Detective Cooper, the officer charged with reckless endangerment, struck an Air Train terminal. What if someone completely innocent had been hit by those bullets?

I believe that "accidents" like these will continue to happen. This wasn't the first time, and it sure won't be the last time. It happened in 1999, with the death of an African peddler named Amadou Diallo. Diallo was struck by 41 bullets. And, like Bell, he was also unarmed. The four police officers in this case were also acquitted of criminal charges.

Both Bell and Diallo were black. Both men were also unarmed. Maybe if/when this happens again, justice will be served for the victims and their families.

Sean Bell's family continues to rally for his justice. On their website is the following:

Latest Update:
Justice denied--all 3 police officer acquitted of all charges. 50 shots fired at 3 unarmed, peaceful men--and Sean killed on his wedding day--and not even a reckless endangerment charge for one cop. Justice is not colorblind in Queens. To be Continued.