A Death In Vain

This morning, three NYPD detectives were acquitted of all charges in the death of Sean Bell, an unarmed man, killed by police after an altercation at a Queens borough nightclub. The officers fired 50 rounds -- one officer even pausing to reload -- at Bell, and his two companions, striking Bell 4 times, killing him. The case became one highlighting police training, undercover practice, and use-of-force issues. For the time being, I'll leave aside the issue of training and, but let's look at perception and practice.

Now, race may not be the overriding issue, since two of the three officers are black, the last of Lebanese descent. But racial perception is a major issue. There is an overriding sense that the actions of black me are always suspect, and the end result is usually that punishment is unfairly meted out. And one who is objective cannot deny that police culture tends to cast more suspicion on the actions of persons of color and as such there is an expectation, conscious or otherwise, that any action taken in the heat of the moment is one of threat, and not of submission.

Why do I make that point?

Well in this case, after the altercation in front of the Kalua night club, Bell and his companions went to his car, and were approached by one of the officers -- their status as police unknown to Bell and his friends. Bell, according to his friends, attempted to drive off, while being approached by a man with a gun. (There was debate as to whether the officers announced themselves as such, and whether their NYPD detective shields were on display.) Bell's attempt to pull off, striking one of the officers lightly with his car, and the fact that one of Bell's friends, "moved in a way that suggested he had a weapon," according to one of the officers, lead to the first barrage of bullets.

Here, two actions, one, reasonable -- the attempt to flee an unknown dangerous situation -- and the second, a movement interpreted as a threat to the officers, were all the situation needed to get caustic.

So, if you're a police officer, steeped in a culture that criminalizes color by perception, it's easy to interpret either of the foregoing actions as a deadly threat. And, while the officers may not have been racist, they perceived race in a way that caused them to vastly overreact.

Add in the fact that the officers, by virtue of alcohol intake during their undercover duties, might have been judgment-impaired, and you have an even more volatile situation.

Whether the officers were white, black or in between, is immaterial. But what is at issue is the criminalization of color. That was the proximate cause of the tragedy and until we deal with that issue, there will not be equality at the hands of law enforcement. And until we deal with race and the perceptions that it engenders, Sean Bell's death will be in vain.