Sean Bell Court Decision

This past Friday the decision of the Sean Bell case was given around 9am. Before the verdict was given I was on my way to work thinking of what the judges decision would be. On one hand, if the judge decided that the officers were guilty I know most people who were affected by the death of Sean Bell and avid readers, and listeners would feel that justice would have been served. The officers would be serving some jail time, and it would serve as a bit of relief for some; not much, but "eghh". On the other hand, if the judge felt the officers were not guilty it would not be a surprise to anyone. The case involves a young African-American who was to be wed the next day, and was at a strip club with his homeboys. Whether or not he was intoxicated is not known to me, but he probably was. Now they got into an argument or some kind of verbal disagreement inside, which led outside. There were officers that were not in uniform, and never informed Sean Bell and his boys. It was stated that Sean Bell's car bumped the unidentified officers' car. The officers felt they were in danger and open fired 51 times or more (read the paper if you haven't).

Now the judge found the officers not guilty. No surprise at all to me, but waaaaaooooow! I feel for Sean Bell's fiancee, family and friends. I know they are hurt. To them justice was not served at all, and that was shown through the decision of the judge. I know there is some further allegiances that the judge has, but that is mere speculation which you can never count out. The officers felt that they were in danger and had the right to protect themselves!? That's crazy! I just read an email where a brother of mine mentioned what if 'I feel in danger when I'm around an officer! Would I have the right to pop off some shots to protect myself!?' Most likely not...lol...That's the truth though. I know one thing though. Al Sharpton's old self need to stop getting in the front of everything. Give it a rest. Sometimes I feel he may hinder certain causes when he gets involved. He is not the contemporary civil right's activist representing all African-Americans. He's donned the classical conk forever and it's time for younger individuals to get involved and take the reins of today's civil rights stage. It is a shame that we jump on the band wagon when things like this happen, and not when there's in gang violence or black-on-black, latino-on-latino, black-on-latino, etc etc etc. A lot of people having been voicing this concern. I've been reading emails after emails, blog after blog. It's a shame though. I don't know Sean Bell and his boys, but what most concerns me is that officers have the right to protect themselves when they feel they are in danger. And it's a fact that most officers feel in danger whenever they are around a group of African-Americans or Latinos. I want to know that if I'm with my fellow brothers, whether they be African-American, Latino, White, or whoever...that there's not a possibility of me getting shot! I'm never scared though. We all live and have to die some day. I'd be tight though...lol...I try to put humor in everything. You can't be too serious all the time. I'm not a comedian, though, but I do love to laugh, and laughter to me is therapy. There's ways in which we all don't want to die, and that's one of them. I'd rather duke it out. Why use guns?? Either way my life and yours is in the hands of God, but as good citizen we can prevent the cops from doing what they did to Sean Bell, by just being cooperative. If a man pulls a gun on me though. My hands go directly in the air and my mouth is shut...lol...and I'm praying to God they just want my money, which I will not have because why carry cash when you could have it all in your checking account :-\ I'm going all of topic (sigh). This was on my mind all weekend and hope that people will never give up hope. Times are changing and you just need to continue to fight. Al Sharpton give it a rest and let it all fall into place. We're really good without you. Just my thoughts.

Vote Against MLK, Jr. Holiday?

My day was going so well. First of all, it's Friday. Second, I'm hitting happy hour up with my brother from another mother. Finally, I came across a NY-Times article that literally shocked me. I usually read the paper in the morning with a cup of coffee or tea, but throughout the day I check for updates and browse through their blogs. On the website was the headline, "John McCain regrets voting against MLK holiday!" Wow! How can you vote against that. For everything he stood for, why vote against it? I really see McCain in a different light now. I really hope whoever is the Democratic candidate whips his "tail" (yea i'm trying not curse anymore...Orbit gums cleans a dirty mouth...see the pun? lol). I read the article and couldn't close my mouth (PAUSE...it's a NY thing...gotta protect myself for fraudulent comments...lol...you'll only understand if you're a guy or if your from the city). What was he thinking when they voted for that. Some of the thoughts going through my mind right now are: (1) man, I lost all respect for this guy, (2) I expected more from him (maybe my expectations shouldn't have been so high), (3) is he a racist (probably behind closed doors, but not to the public, since he regretted more like apologized for not voting for the holiday), and (4) how does he REALLY feel about civil rights? It's been 40 years since the assasination of Bro. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This doesn't just my feelings because MLK is a member of the illustrious fraternity of which I am apart of, but rather because of everything he stood for, and to have a man who's running to become our next president (right behind G.W. Bush) and not want to accept MLK, Jr. as a national holiday!!!!! In my NYC, sometimes needed slang, "He's WHILING!!" He should lose any, if not all, the African-American vote, and the Latino-Americans should join as well. For a man who stood and fought for so much change to come to this world (US for starters, but he had the entire humankind in mind) how could you not give him his just deserves of a national holiday, so that no one can forget what happened but just 35+ years ago. That's a shame (shakes head in disgust). I really don't care if he regrets his decision. He has to live with it, and him regretting that now, shows that he is less of a man not holding to his decision that he made. He's kissing a lot of gluteus-maximus right now...lol...I wonder if this lit a light bulb in anyone else's mind?