As Jordyn Flows

[This is a response to my Enlgish teacher’s Blog, Mr. Franek, regarding the death of Sean Bell due to a police shooting on November 26. This episode occured the following morning after Bell’s bachelor party outside the Kalua Cabaret in NYC. The intentions of the soon to be groom and the NYC Police Force still remain to be uknown. What is known is that the police were skeptical that Bell had a weapon or was involved in criminal activity.]

Immediately after learning about the death of Sean Bell, I thought that the police’s actions were ludicrous and irrational. There is no way to justify five undercover cops firing fifty bullets at an unarmed car. I am equally disturbed as Mayor Bloomberg. There is a dispute about what occurred outside the club at 4 a.m. regarding the suggestion of a weapon or a fourth man involved. Regardless, there is not enough valid proof to support fifty bullets. I wonder what these cops were thinking as they pulled the trigger to their guns? More importantly, what in the world caused the experienced commissioner, Kelly, to fire thirty bullets alone? Though these five police officers are all professionals, their excessive fire is unexplainable. It is also unclear if their actions or perhaps assumptions were racially motivated. If so, then I am disappointed and outraged.
On the contary, before jumping to conclusions, Matt brought to my attention that there is a glitch in assuming that these men were racially motivated since the police were three different races: two were Black, two were White, and one was Hispanic. But in my opinion, the officer’s suspicions of three Black men are still categorized as being racially motivated. This makes me reflect on a broader scale—racial relations in the United States. As a nation have we really progressed in terms of discrimination and prejudice? In my opinion, racial undertones still exist since I learn about situations (such as this event) that provoke me to feel this way. In Diversity Club we watched a video of Michael Richards (aka Kramer) screaming racist remarks. From a joke to a bullet, racism in the United States has been and continues to be a prominent issue.