Why was this case allowed to be decided by a judge rather than a jury? It seems all these guys had to do was to convince a fellow member of the establishment that they didn't do anything wrong. Why weren't 12 people allowed to decide if anything was done wrong?
Hoa binh

According to the NYT, the defense requested a non-jury trial.

Apparently, the police have licence to brutalize the citizen as they wish.

"the sense that the odds are rigged against them" - that ought to be pretty clear by now.

I sometimes watch a tv progam called "Cops" and am always shocked at how brutish, ill-trained (and out of shape) the police are. They too often turn to weaponry or physical violence as a first option. They are incredibly unskilled at defusing emotional situations and cooling them down, almost deliberately confrontational, as though they craved the excitement of shooting at somebody with some high-powered weapon. A lot of them are just licenced bullies.

Then I remember on whose behalf they do their work, and it isn't ours, the Common Man's. Serve and protect? Yes, the ruling class.

Now, police work is difficult and dangerous, and some policemen and women are brilliant at it, but most of the ones I've seen on tv are hired thugs...and certainly this lot is.

Perhaps New York will name an avenue after Sean Bell - after they finish putting out all the fires...

While some citizens are busy trying to end the formal judicial death penalty in America, another pair of groups are advancing a far faster and cheaper method.

These would be 1) those wishing police to have more leeway on when to shoot, and 2) those millions of folks gunning up under concealed-carry laws to defend themselves with lethal force on the spot (some of them speaking about it almost as though they relish the idea of an opportunity).

I have never known of a police officer who has been convicted of manslaughter, no matter how egregious and unjustified the conduct. I remember in Philadelphia when a black man was beaten by white cops in an unprovoked attack. A bunch of white, wealthy Main Line Philadelphians witnessed the attack on this man, which happened on their street, and they testified at the trial that he never resisted, never raised a hand against the cops, and the attack was totally unprovoked. The cops' defense attorney argued that the witnesses were mistaken in what they saw and that they were disoriented by the red and blue lights flashing on the police cars. The cops were acquitted. They always are. So I already knew what the outcome of this trial would be. Hell, even if it's videotaped, it makes no difference. Remember Rodney King?

La Mariee etait en Noir. This isn't over.

Cops wear a lot of hats.

And for some, donning the summary executioner's mask is the best part of the job.

I don't see how big-city police departments can keep track of all of their officers, with so many assigned the same badge number: 007 (license to kill)
___________________________________

I posted the above elsewhere earlier today. Being from Philadelphia, I also expected the cops to be acquitted-- it's a given. It still upset me, though.

A few years ago, Philly cops surrounded a car stopped in the middle of a neighborhood street in the middle of the night. The driver was just sitting there in an apparent daze; he might well have been drunk or wasted on drugs. He wasn't harming anyone, and could possibly have been "resisting"-- but more likely he was disoriented. But finally he made a suspicious move, and rat-tat-tat, he was executed. Who knows, maybe his balls started itching from all that sitting, and he reached down for a fatal scratch.

No cop was punished, and they'll do the same thing again tonight under the same circumstances.

I think its arguable that a cop could walk up to someone on the street and just put one between his or her eyes, claiming afterwards that the person refused to cooperate and "reached for his or her waistband". Case closed!

And then there are the summary executions of mentally disturbed persons who are acting out violently. This is surely a difficult situation; only a fool would argue otherwise. A violent deranged person is a threat to both the cops and public order, and the cops can't just walk away. Agreed.

But it's become generally accepted that once the bad actor "refuses to cooperate"-- even when it's some poor slob who went off his meds, surrounded by hysterical relatives who called the police for help in the first place-- not dropping the kitchen knife or broken bottle means seven in the noggin. Case closed.

Is there anything wrong with this picture? Not according to the troglodytic readership of the proletarian rag known as the Philadelphia Daily News. After these kinds of incidents, the letters page is replete with the scrawls of outraged readers attacking any suggestion that Our Brave Persons in Blue acted improperly. It's the usual trite, hackneyed reactionary self-righteousness, from the Retired Cop to the vitriolic Solid Citizen who blusters at the ingratitude and unwarranted outrage expressed by lily-livered liberal types. What's your answer? they often grunt, as if that alone justifies and excuses routine homicide.

It boils down to a kill or be killed mentality: "better them than me". Case closed.

namaste--thanks for the link. I'll make sure to watch it. I also wanted to add that it led me to a link of my former Governor, Jesse Ventura, speaking some truth on CNN. I appreciate that.

This is what happens when you live in a police state!

Little Brother, it upset me too, very much. I feel for Bell's family, fiance and friends, whose hearts are broken not only because of their terrible loss -- on the day he was to be married! -- but also because they know that there is no justice. Like his fiance said, he was just murdered all over again.

I was in Florida on vacation with my wife at that time and kids. Got pulled over late one night because we got lost and missed a turn off. All of a sudden we had 4 cop cars and 8 cops around the car. They asked for the usual that I start to reach for my wallet. Then one cop says what is he doing? I said getting my wallet and I was not doing anthing but breathing. My Hands were on top to the wheel in sight all the time after giving the info he ask for. I told my wife don't move at all and she kept one arm resting on the open window sill and the other under her chin in sight. I hear that click sound of a gun being cocked right behind my ear. My sons are in the back seat and see the whole thing. I just looked at the other cop stone cold sober and said we just missed the turn off and are on our way back to our hotel room so we can go the Disney Land tomorrow.
I have never been back the USA on a vacation since and spend my money in CUBA 2 times a year where I can walk down the street at midnight after a few rums and the Cuba people ask what hotel and make sure I get home OK.

"We have not heard Mayor Bloomberg, Commissioner Raymond Kelly or anyone else lay out a clear, convincing, detailed plan for ensuring there will be no more situations in which undercover officers rush up on unarmed, innocent people and unleash deadly force as if they're in a war zone."

Well Bloomberg is just a fascist, what do you think fascists do?

Just stop visiting these states where fascism seems to have taken on more of a hold. Start with Florida and NY. Send a message, and let an airline or hotel, or Disney, know why you are staying away.

The fascist training of the police, especially in large cities, is directly channeled from neoCONnut federal financing - that all cities are desperately in need to obtain (with so little other funding available).

The NCLB mandates to destroy our schools, are much the same as those that tear into nominal community relations, between police and the public. The local authorities are vastly more propagandized than the people, and received very detailed "insight" on how every moment -- that they are about to be murdered -- by insane terrorists infiltrating "their" communities.

The only solution is an all-out-war of PREEMPTIVE violence, and blasting INTIMIDATION into every fiber of the public -- they are meant to be even more terrified than the public -- and it is working out just PEACHY for them.

Essentially, the local police and sherif's departments, are branch offices of the UNITARD executive.

Namaste

Remember folks the police did not storm into the library and start shooting innocent black folks. I believe when some black people stop acting like assholes the police will treat them differently.

How many police cars have that inane slogan "To serve and protect" printed on their doors?

We must remember that the police 'protect and serve' the wealthy elite first. the rest of the population is second.

And I don't know how many times I have heard police refer to the public as 'civilians' in the tone used by military personnel to describe anyone not in their deadly clique. And the majority of police will refer to a suspect, criminal or not, as a 'scumbag'.

Now that I've calmed down a little bit, I regret omitting an important point from my previous screed, and implying that these atrocities are committed by police officers who enjoy the chance to commit homicide with impunity.

I mean, I am appalled by the hair-trigger mentality at work, and I do believe that the shooters bear responsibility.

But I was wrong to omit the more important truth that this approach is, after all, apparently permitted by the rules of engagement (or whatever they're called) established by the administrative police authorities. And by savaging the shooters as mere homicidal rogues, I unintentionally bought in to a variation of the "few bad apples" rationalization.

Over the years, I have seen more than a few TV interviews with police or military shooters who have been "exonerated" by courts or military authorities in which the shooter came across as offensively self-satisfied or self-righteous.

For example, Mario Lozano, the soldier who shot the Italian intelligence officer escorting freed captive journalist Giuliana Sgrena, blustered after his exculpation dat he dint do nuttin wrong, it was all Sgrena's fault for bein' where she dint belong. A contemptible, clueless, dimwitted thug.

But, just as in military operations, the quick-draw practice doesn't occur in a vacuum; it is supported and encouraged by official policies and procedures-- a culture of therapeutic homicide. It will take top-down change to improve this dismal status quo, which requires enlightened police administrators, politicians, and prosecutors. (They can be found just next door to the Hen's Teeth Depository.)

Consider this a belated addendum to my previous post.

– a culture of therapeutic homicide. Has CANUCKCHUCK invaded your body and mind LITTEL BRO?

I'm sadly LOL, at the twisted TRUTH.

AN excellent comeback, or throw-forward, anything but a retching gut twisting triple edged non-closing WOUND penetrating WHAMMO of what really goes on, behind the "RED dripping CURTAIN" of fascism incrusted.

Scotty, would you _ P L E A S E _ beam me up now ?
The natives are rampaging morality, _ a g a i n _

Let's get to the real cause here, (besides the desire to control us all).

It's THE DRUG WAR. The American people have got to see the connections between crime and the drug war, instead of crime and drugs. This is a teaching moment.

I am horrified. AGAIN. It's not like this is the first time thast this has happened, and it happens everywhere, at least everywhere that I have lived.

Thanks to Namaste for the youtube link which led me directly to the realization that Rev. Sharpton and followers in New York had best exercize care in any "acts of civil disobedience" in order to shut down "this city" (NYC).

I can see the nazi-con reaction in my mind right now

Wait till the police state gets here boys, what was that date Galan said "Oct" surprise?

The police in this country are way out of line and I hope you lefties start supporting the second amendment. Shooting back is the only real protection.