How is it that the Cops who shot Sean Bell were found not Guilty?

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Apparently, the judge found that all of the elements of manslaughter and reckless endangerment were not all found beyond a reasonable doubt. "If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit!"...Show more

Here's a lesson I have lived by and it has kept me out of trouble with the police.

I am black, so I know I am not judged by the same law in the U.S. as a white guy. I will not get the 2nd chances or the leinancy a white guy may get... that;s just the way it is. I don't ***** about it, I may not like it, I may even complain to the proper authorities at a later time about it, but I understand that's just the way it is. So if I ever get stopped by the cops. I always do exactly as they tell me. I say hello officer and yes sir and no sir. Mostly they do the same to me they say sir can you please do this or that etc etc. Almost 100% of the time if I have been speeding or whatever else, they let me go with a warning because I treated them so nicely and trust me, I am no angel.
I understand that even though there are laws in this country, when you are black and you get pulled over by the cops, how you handle yourself may determine a simple warning, a simple ticket, or a good ole fashion Rodney King azz whoopin or a plunger up your azz or 50 bullets in your car....Show more

The cops were found not guilty because Sean Bell was black. If he was white, those cops would have immediately been stripped of their badges and have the book thrown at them. Even Mayor Bloomberg stated that the amount of shots rendered were excessive.

The fact that two of the cops were minorities, does not change the fact that black men are treated like moving targets to be shot at at will. Besides they know for a fact that nothing is going to happen to them....Show more

Because Bell was hanging out with a bunch of druggies, looking for a hooker at a known drug location, and when the cops tried to question him he tried to murder one of them with his car.

You drive your car at a cop at high speed, you're going to get shot, and your color has nothing to do with it.

Now, the police stakeout was badly run, and it's quite possible - even probable - that Bell, especially since he was pretty drunk, didn't realise that the guy he tried to run down was a cop. But, when someone is being tried for a crime, the events are looked at from HIS viewpoint, not the viewpoint of hindsight.

Richard...Show more

I don't know enough about the details of the trial to comment on some of this. But, my guess is that it is attributable to "technicalities."

Did their behavior warrant "Manslaughter?" (Perhaps they should have been charged for something else).

Did they have a judge or a jury trial?

It definitely sounds like excessive force and reckless use of fire arms (which would be public endangerment). But still, they weren't being tried for these charges. It was Manslaughter.

I disagree with the findings- it sounds like they should have some kind of penalty for their actions- but I'd need to know more about the case to decide WHAT the charges should be and what penalty applied. It sounds like they deserve a suspension from Law Enforcement, for starters.

EDIT: Based on Lillian's information, it sounds like the shootings were justified....Show more