An earnest and respectful request that the US Attorney General commence a federal probe of the shooting death of Sean Bell, and the subsequent astonishing and distresssing acquittal of the NYPD officers responsible for Sean Bell's untimely and violent death.
An earnest and respectful request that the US Attorney General commence a federal probe of the shooting death of Sean Bell, and the subsequent astonishing and distresssing acquittal of the NYPD officers responsible for Sean Bell's untimely and violent death.
We, the undersigned do, hereby, affirm our astonishment and distress regarding the acquittal of the several NYPD officers whom we believe to be solely, and totally responsible for precipitating and initiating the events, and the violence that resulted in the untimely and violent death of Sean Bell.
In this case, the judicial system of the State of New York has once again failed not only the 3.5 million blacks residing in New York State, but has also failed the 40.2 million blacks residing in the United States.
The specious, disparate and adverse dispensation of justice so widely, and consistently experienced by blacks and latinos in New York State, and the United States, remains a serious public and social issue along with specious and disparate health care, and specious and disparate allocation of funding for the public schools, especially in urban school districts.
Young black men and women, have a right to live, and should not have their lives abruptly and violently ended by police officers, all too many of whom routinely look upon and treat Black and Latino communities collectively as Public Enemy Number One.
Sean Bell, age 23, on the day that he expected to establish a new family was not given the opportunity to realize that goal. He had broken no laws, had not violently resisted arrest, had not attempted to injure anyone identifying himself as a police officer, but was shot to death by representatives of the very institution that we entrust and expect to protect and defend us with professionalism, courtesy and respect.
It remains our view that the use of such deadly force in this particular situation was excessive even though, somehow, permissible by NPYD standards.
The acquitting of the police officers who were charged in the shooting death of Sean Bell, by Judge Cooperman sends a message that is loud and clear: the lives of young black men and women are simply not valued.
We earnestly and respectfully request that a federal probe of these events by the US Attorney be commenced.
We request also that our community leaders, state representatives, congressmen and congresswomen lead the charge in demanding justice regarding the Sean Bell case.
The community and the civilian authorities in government must hold accountable all persons in law enforcement who commit unwarranted and unreasonable acts of aggression and the use of deadly force on innocent black and latino men and women in New York State and the United States of America.
We know that police service is a dangerous job, but we must remember that those who enter that service volunteer to accept the risk. The assumption of that risk, however, does not confer upon any of them the right to disregard their legitimate professional training, their best judgment and common sense.
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3:40 pm PDT, May 12,
Victoria M Stong / Civil Rights Activist, New York
I went to Sean Bell's Funeral and was in the Media holding a sign and supporting the Bell Family. The Bell Family's cousin or uncle(I can't remember at the moment)& the friends at the late hours had later disrespected me & taped only me as they made accusations when I was holding vigil talking to them in front of the 103 Precinct so I stopped attending the events to support them though I support their cause of course. I don't appreciate, with all due respect, that I go out of my way to support people and all they can do is try and force me to follow their religions way of believing & thinking and use that to put me down. I don't have to follow ANYONE'S belief system and/or religion to deserve respect. I showed and continue to show their family respect. Respect is NOT a favor! So if I have to be excluded from respect in their minds for unjustified, unwarranted and unfounded reasons, then so be it. Anyway, I am a caucasian Civil Rights Activist and many times people don't want to accept me for face value despite my years of Civil Rights & Community work to better the Communities and fight for people's justice whom I've never met! Regardless though; I EMPLORE EVERYONE OF ALL RACES, RELIGIONS, NATIONS, AGES ETC. TO PRAY FOR, SHOW THEIR KINDNESS & SUPPORT FOR THE BELL FAMILY, JOSEPH GUZMAN AND TRENT BENEFIELD AND PRACTICE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE BY CALLING THE NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO BE ARRESTED AS OBVIOUSLY OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM IS GROSSLY CORRUPTED AND NEEDS OUR HELP IMMEDIATELY!! TOO MANY TIMES BLACK/LATINO MEN ARE VICTIMIZED SOLELY BASED ON RACISM WHETHER IT BE BY THE POLICE OR CITIZENS. THE N.Y.P.D. SEEMS TO THINK THAT TARGETTING NON-WHITE MEN IS AN ACCEPTABLE AND NORMAL PRACTICE THAT MUST BE CONTINUED. WE MUST SHOW THEM THROUGH CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE THAT THEY ARE OUTRAGEOUSLY WRONG, CORRUPTED AND THAT THEY CAN N O T CONTINUE WITH THIS MENTALITY IN PRACTICE ON THE JOB. OBVIOUSLY THE POLICE ARE BEING ALLOWED BY THE CORRUPTED/NEGLECTFUL PARTS OF OUR U.S. LAWS, ABUSE OF THEIR POWERS AND THEIR TWISTED THINKING THAT VIOLATING THE RIGHTS OF NON-WHITE PEOPLE IS NO BIG DEAL AND "LEGAL". IT'S NOT!!! WE ALL NEED TO RISE UP AND CHANGE OUR LAWS FOR THE BETTER TO RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF A L L GOD'S CHILDREN. WE MUST SHOW THE U.S. & ALL COUNTRIES CORRUPTED MEMBERS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT WE WILL NOT SIT IDLE AS INNOCENT AFRICAN-AMERICANS, LATINO'S OR ANY OTHER PEOPLE'S RIGHTS ARE ALLOWED OR ACCEPTABLE TO BE VIOLATED. ALL HUMANS IN THIS WORLD NEED TO FEEL SAFE WHEREVER THEY ARE AT WHATEVER TIME OR PLACE THEY'RE AT OR IN! EVERYONE LOOKS TO THE UNITED STATES AS A ROLE MODEL, SO LET'S STEP IT UP AND RISE UP FOR JUSTICE IN A LEGAL, PEACEFUL AND RESPECTFUL WAY RELENTLESSLY & CONSISTANTLY UNTIL WE D O GET JUSTICE! Police brutality is rampant and must end! I recently witnessed 4/27/08 @ 4am. after breaking up a crowd and a fight on Roosevelt Ave. in Jackson Heights; a cop viciously brutalizing a latino(I think Columbian)man. I had gotten everyone to get out of the way(I didn't realize they were trying to stop the cop beating the man) except the victim lying flat on the street with a latino man trying to pull him away from the cop. I yelled at the (of course I didn't know he was a cop at the time as he was in plain clothes)cop to get off and when he ignored me I pushed his shoulders back & he yelled back at me "It's okay; I'm a cop, I'm a cop" at which time I immediately backed up and he proceeded to pull his closed fist back & punch the man 4 times with all his might. I was so shocked and hurt but was afraid to stop him as I was trained as a Former Auxiliary Police Officer, just having 4 Police personnel in my family & life experience that people should never interfere with an Officer. I had to think quickly and I had to make the decision that I thought was best, though I felt so powerless and helpless to protect the defenseless man(he seemed drunk & unable to defend himself). My heart broke as I watched this cop punch him four times as his friend/a man tried to pull him away from the cop unsuccessfully. I watched the blood pouring out of his mouth as the cop punched him over and over all over his face. I was traumatized and very hurt over this. I cried. Then I watched as there was approximately 40 Police Officers there and yet they just let the brutalizing cop just walk away in front of me! It's like it was just another day and it was just no big deal; like hey, we do this all the time. This really shocked and hurt me. I am so frustrated I couldn't do anything as I am very professional when breaking up fights and must do what I believe I must do as a citizen responsibly and lawfully. I also was afraid to stop this Police Officer(actually I believe he is an undercover Detective from either the 115th Pct. or the 110th Pct.)because the Police could easily turn it around somehow on me and charge me. I say this because of Police Service Area 9/114th Precinct's ongoing attempts to falsely arrest, stalk/follow me and antagonize me in retaliation for numerous(very justified) Internal Affairs Bureau complaints I've made against them and other Queens Precincts. Of course most Police stick together and use each other to hurt me as they are very complacent and/or abusive to me and I then make the I.A.B. complaints against them. I have been a battered woman for 1 year and 9 months years ago as a result of their neglect to arrest my X Boyfriend. I remember having to move 4 times to try and escape him. He was constantly stalking me & attacking me. Police never, ever arrested him regardless of my wounds and bruises when I showed the 110th Precinct P.O.'s. It seems men stick together regardless, with all due respect. The 114th Precinct when making their false arrest of me on 3/22/06(one month after my Grandmother died)and attempt to falsely arrest me the day before my Grandmother's Wake when I was attacked by a very streety woman who I never met and who first pushed me from behind 2 times as I reached into the Associated Supermarket(on 41 Ave. between 10 & 12th Street in L.I.C., N.Y.)freezer. The cop, Anthony, who owns it even held me back from defending myself as she hit me! The 114th Precinct(I have no proof though)directs him to have his employees harass me and follow me around his store which I once reported for having rats to the Dept. of Agriculture, in retaliation for the complaint & conveniently when the 114th Pct. is angry with me for the I.A.B. complaints. The Police need to stop abusing their authority, take responsibility and be responsible with their powers and stop abusing and neglecting the rights of all citizens. I am so disgusted especially with the horrible treatment non-white people are getting on an ongoing basis due to the inbred racism and prejudice. We are all God's children and DO all deserve equal treatment most white people enjoy too. I do NOT enjoy this good treatment as I am a Civil Rights Activist and they don't like caucasian women living in African-American & Latino neighborhoods as I am told in various ways, shapes and forms through the years. I almost have never lived in a white neighborhood though I am white/caucasian in all 30 years I'm lived in N.Y.C.. It's a shame that most Police are not accepting of Activists as we are truly very patriotic mostly and don't get paid like them to better the Community for ALL people; not just white people. God knows the lies and abuse and neglect in the Police Departments across the U.S.A. and especially in the South needs to stop NOW!!~*~*~*~*~Racism is an insult to God~*~*~*~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~P.S. Despite N.Y.C. Police's attempts to CONSTANTLY criminalize me and directing N.Y.C.'s Criminal Courts to keep me going to Court month after month collectively for years; I HAVE NO RECORD AND ALL MY CASES ARE SEALED AND DISMISSED BECAUSE I A M A LAW-ABIDING, UPSTANDING AND PATRIOTIC CITIZEN! I am in my forties and if I was a "guilty" person, despite Legal Aid Attorney's that want us all to say "Guilty" and sometimes convincing us to say guilty when we aren't, I WOULD have gotten a record by now! Legal Aid Attorney's want to get rid of the case so they tell you to say guilty to make things easier for THEM. I fell for that trick once, but NEVER AGAIN. I thought of all Lawyers as so ethical and everything. I though very well of them until they victimized me and realized that when the Network A.B.C. did a story on this very issue years ago. I then realized my mistake and was shocked about how rampant it was and is. So If you know your innocent.....FIGHT LEGALLY LIKE HELL AND NEVER, EVER SAY "GUILTY" TO ALL THOSE FALSE CHARGES, IF THEY INDEED ARE! There are a lot of good cops out there, but if they really cared about their Department and citizens; they'd speak up about brutality!~~~~~~~Respectfully and Sincerely, Ms. Victoria Mary Stong / Humanitarian, Peacemaker, 9/11 Family Member of John Charles Jenkins, Former 1st Responder & Ground Zero Volunteer Worker @ mostly Building # 7 from 9/11-11/10/01, F.D.N.Y. "Flag Lady" & Civil Rights & Community Activist in Long Island City, N.Y.-Well Seasoned! / **This is a picture of my extended family member Aunt Barbara Roberts on the left and I Victoria Mary Stong on the right. |
