Peace & Justice in NYC...

Everyone is familiar with the Sean Bell / NYPD Detectives case by now.  For a refresher, about reaction to the outcome, click here.  For a review of the case itself, try clicking here.  CNN having an entire web page devoted to this story says something about the media's fixation on human tragedy, but more on that in a minute.  Finally, for Al Sharpton's response to this tragic event, try this link.

There are a myriad of tragedies flowing from this event.  A brother, future husband and son is dead.  A family has been torn apart.  Three police officers' lives (and in some ways, the entire  NYPD) are also ruined by the acrimony that has been created by this very public airing of all that is wrong in race relations in New York and the country.  Let's face it: if everyone involved in this situation was Caucasian and Harvard-educated, everyone's perceptions would be a lot different.  

Mayor Michael Bloomberg reminded New Yorkers after the verdict that there were no winners in this situation.  He is completely right.  

And yet, I can't help but think that there are many positive consequences that this could have.  First of all, there is an opportunity for community leaders to launch a constructive dialogue to find out how something like this could ever have happened.  Secondly, this can lead to a comprehensive review of NYPD procedures in a situation just like this.  And thirdly, maybe we can actually have a discussion about race in this country.  Not through the skewed prism of a presidential election that is getting more ridiculous each moment, by the way, but rather a discussion that reflects true problems: an inordinate (and unjust) amount of minorities are in jail and an inordinate amount of violent crimes are committed by minorities.  And quite frankly, if we're not willing to have painful, public discussions, then it's just a matter of time before the next Sean Bell.