As a mother, I grieve for Mrs. Valerie Bell. Her son, Sean Bell, was gunned down the night before his wedding by police who were later acquitted by a judge. Police say they feared for their lives---which gave them the right to “shoot to kill” and they kept shooting until 50 bullets riddled her son’s body.
As a grandmother, I spend everyday thinking about my own grandson. Despite the fact that he is an innocent toddler right now, he will soon grow up and be viewed in the same manner as the Sean Bell’s of the world. What do I mean? He is black and male and the odds will always be against him no matter how smart he is or how far he tries to succeed in life.
I believe Writer Tim Wise put it best when he said, “White people's lives, it seems, are always worth the benefit of the doubt. Black folks lives, especially those of black men, rarely are. Any false or sudden move, or any attempt to flee the scene because you have men pointing guns at you (who you can't even be sure are cops, seeing as how they're undercover and haven't announced their employment status), becomes a rationale, in the eyes of the law, to kill.
Wise ought to know. He’s white.
