Jackson Free Press

In recent weeks, the national eye has been turned to Sen. Barack Obama's reverend, Jeremiah Wright, and his abrasive statements about the United States. Calling the United States "AmeriKKKa" and proclaiming that 9-11 was just America's "chickens coming to roost" has led to negative publicity for Obama and the reverend. Obama has come under fire for associating himself with people who have such "unpatriotic" sentiments. I've heard the argument countless times that there is no need for someone like Wright to maintain these archaic beliefs from a time long gone when African Americans were subjugated in this country. It's not the '60s anymore, right?

I sincerely wish I could just as easily dismiss Wright's comments. I just might have if not for the tragic events happening in New York. In November 2006, 23-year-old Sean Bell exited a Queens strip club where his bachelor party was being held the night before his wedding. The officers, who were attending the club allegedly to investigate reports of prostitution, were in plain clothes.

There are conflicting reports on exactly what happened that evening. Both the officers and Bell's friends stated that the police never identified themselves as officers when they approached Bell's car. The police testified that they told Bell to raise his hands, while Bell's friends say that the officers approached the car with guns drawn. This prompted Bell to accelerate his car into a police van, supposedly attempting to flee the scene in fear that he was being carjacked. In response, the five police officers let out a barrage of 50 gunshots at Bell and two of his friends. One officer, Michael Oliver, emptied two magazines, taking the time to reload his gun. Bell was hit four times in the neck and torso and died the next morning—the morning of his wedding.

Just two weeks ago, these officers were acquitted of all charges.

Incidents like this only justify all of the fears and insecurities I, as a black man, feel concerning my place as a citizen in this country. Days after the verdict was revealed, I was at a loss. I am still at a loss. I do not understand how taking an African American man's life does not merit any punishment. Quite frankly, it's scary enough walking the streets. And now, apparently, shooting at someone 50 times does not merit any jail time. This is the mindset I have to live with.

There are some who believe that the shooting was just a misunderstanding and any connection to race is merely sensationalizing an accident in order to vilify the police. People defend this stance, arguing that one officer was African American, so the incident cannot possibly be race-related.

The problem with this statement is that once a person puts on a badge and uniform, he or she no longer only represents their race. For many, the police are a group of the bravest individuals in the country—a group that risks their lives daily for the betterment of all of us.

Conversely, law enforcement in this country also represents an organization that has aided and abetted in the systemic victimizing and terrorizing of African Americans for centuries. This stigma is unfortunate, especially for the vast number of police officers who truly uphold the law with the utmost passion and pride. This aura, though, is inevitable considering America's troubled distant and not-so-distant past. Once those three officers fired those shots, they became a part of the same group that shot and killed 22-year-old Amadou Diallo—firing at him 41 times—in 1999 after falsely identifying him as a serial rapist and mistaking his wallet for a gun. These officers became part of the same organization that viciously beat Rodney King after pulling him over in 1991. Neither incident resulted in any sort of punishment in subsequent court cases.

While many are chastising Rev. Wright for his angry statements regarding the country, maybe we should also take time and consider what would make someone feel such deep emotions. Since I heard the officers were acquitted, I've run the gamut of emotions. At times I have felt Wright's disdain for this country, especially when reflecting on the unpunished killing of Sean Bell. Yes, we are on the verge of possibly placing an African American man in the White House, but a young African American male was shot at 50 times with seemingly no provocation.

My only fear about the upcoming election is that Barack Obama will be used as a benchmark moment, signaling the end of racism in America. However, in light of Sean Bell's killing and the subsequent acquittal of the officers responsible for his death, we must be reminded that, yes, we have come so far as a country, but we have much farther to go.