TROUBL

1. Q.

   y’all don’t even know.. I’ve been messed up for a few days with stuff i’ve been dealing with.. this makes it worse..

   i know Sean’s father, because we did the Real Men Read program together.. i’m hurt man, i won’t even front.. i’m hurt because during our conversations we always held out hope that justice would be served.. now i’m sitting here trying to figure out how i call this dude.. what do i talk to him about? what do i talk to anyone about? this has literally messed up my day and probably my weekend..

   this ends a week when i received a letter from NY telling me that my vote in the primary for Barack didn’t count.. they told me that i voted in the wrong Election District at the wrong Polling Site.. this is after i went online to find my proper site.. but here’s the kicker, i voted directly across the street from my apartment!! ACROSS THE STREET! how am i voting in the wrong district? at the wrong site? what kind of line in the street is this??

   on top of that, why did they wait until this week to send me this letter? and you can’t tell me that i’m the only person that got the letter? i’m kinda a conspiracy theorist, but they are making this ish too easy for me to poke holes in.. shit, if Barack would’ve won NY, we probably wouldn’t still be in this dang primary..

   so fuck a verdict.. shit wasn’t fair nor did they ever intend for it to be fair.. at what point do we stop getting slapped? these dudes are laughing at us.. they can do what they want to us.. shit is fucked up.. i got events and shit going on, and i don’t even want to mess w/ nothing right now.. but i have to smile and keep it moving.. some fucked up shit.. beware of my next AOG post..

   i’m just sayin’..

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2. Q.

   on another note, i would love for TROUBL to follow something that is truly troubling to me.. this week with spring break in NYC, i’ve watched the cops every single night follow kids around after 7:30PM as if walking around was a crime.. they literally had cops on bike 3 feet behind the kids as they walked.. the kids did nothing.. i wished i had a camera on me, and a big part of me wanted to say something, but with 2 paddy wagons and my attitude, it wasn’t going to be a good look.. i talked “loudly” but that wasn’t doing nothing to sway the cops from backing off.. it’s sad..

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3. ndira

   This is sad. When I heard it. I got goose bumps. this was sooooo fixed!!!! They waived their right to a jury trial becasue they knew a jury would convict them…..

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4. Malia

   Q————I just heard!!! Damn!!! My heart breaks for his fiance, his child, his family and his friends. He was so young with everything ahead of him!!!! I’m watching MSNBC and I see the streets flooded, it’s crazy out there! I don’t know what you’re going to say to Sean’s father, but you should reach out and offer your support anyway. I wouldn’t know what to say either, I have faith that you’ll come up with the right words.

   Did you think it was really gonna turn out any other way? If the past is a measuring stick of how tragedies like this turn out, we really shouldn’t be surprised!

   Why did the police follow the men out of the club? What was said that would have led to the verbal dispute? And why, when there was no evidence of weapons, were 50 rounds fired at the car? And, when it was known there were no weapons, why were the two wounded survivors of the shooting handcuffed to their hospital beds?

   I’m just asking…..

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5. Q.

   i’m about to go out to in a few to Harlem, but i’ve been on the phones.. it’s crazy.. my man, Mike, is out there with the family, and he’s keeping me posted.. i doubt i can go out there, as everything within me is wanting to do something bad..

   i was praying that it turned out another way, but nothing surprises me..

   i guess it’s the same way that po-po can follow around 14 year olds who just enjoyed watching a streetball tournament.. it ain’t stopping..

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6. *SB*

   The verdict is some freaking B.S to me…of course, its another case of the police being above the law…the police are law enforcement and sorry to say- the law sticks together…best believe those officers would have sold-out every person they could if they werent let off….that shit about the prosecutors witnesses not being credible was a sorry excuse…the evidence of 50 freakin shots was enough!! not to add to the conspiracy theories but how the hell is shooting someone 50 times ever freakin necessary??!! We’re not idiots- thats the freakin epitome of excessive force…..

   The dude wasnt some supernatural being that needed that type of force..he wasnt superman or the hulk, he was a regular black man- my bad that might be worse to them… he was just a black man probably a lil excited because it was his wedding day…damn! a black man cant even get a lil belligerent on his wedding day without being gun-downed like there is no tomorrow *shaking my head*…i truly believe that if that man was of any other race/ethnicity it would not have happened that way…especially not 50 shots! I cant help but feel like this blatant bullshit occurs because they can get away with it.

   I hope theres still a chance for an appeal…because its just not right!

   I also hate when people turn over and are like- “oh thats the way the law works”- I freakin hate apathy…we know the system is flawed but we cant accept that or it will devour us…

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7. LoverOfPeace

   My heart hurts because this just gives the pigs the okay to kill more young people of color and its ok

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8. mrschocolatestuff

   it means this isn’t over.

   It means someone’s smokin the serious ooo wee

   It means we really need to look at what’s going on in terms of ‘us’ vs ‘them’.

   They all should have gotten something, esp the one who fired the most shots.. this will not die and Bell’s death will not be in vain.. just because this NY judge gave this verdict doesnt mean it’s the be all, end all. I can see this hitting Supreme big time.

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9. Malia

   Q please don’t do anything to fuel the fire that’s raging right now….

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10. Felicia

    I’m hoping that this case goes in front of the federal jury and that they are prosecuted there. especially the the one who fired the most shots. from there i hope they sue for damages. my spidey senses are tingling from this verdict. i honestly think there was some back room deal that got these officers off

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11. TROUBLMan

    Q,

    I don’t know the Bell family personally but I feel your pain…

    Racism is a strange animal. America lives with this internalized notion that blacks lives are disposable. It’s shows its effects in various ways. Black people kill more black people than whites kill black people; we eat crap and disrespect our health we sell ourselves short in our music, etc…

    What I’m saying is that the racism the cops internalized made them devalue a black life where they put 50 shots in a brotha. Once it got to court it made it easy for the institutional racism that’s engrained in our legal system to play itself out.

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12. mrschocolatestuff

    I dont think I’d ever feel her pain… but I do wonder, will it ever fade- even if this goes to the highest courts and they are prosecuted?

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13. Malia

    Good question! The pain of loss will never go away but I’m sure the justice would make it easier for her to look at their child and say, “Daddy din’t die for nothing!”

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14. Michele

    How do they expect people to not shoot first if this continues to be the outcome?

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15. ChiCity Star

    It’s a no win situation

    *Your finger could look like a gun and you’ll catch it. i dont know what happened to shooting in the kneecaps but iIguess that’s so 70’s!

    *You are going into your pocket to get some ID, you catch it!

    *You dont freeze or stop running when they say so, doesnt matter, you just may catch it anyway for making them run!

    *You dont move, you catch it!

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16. Malia

    Marc Cooper took the time to apologize to the family, do you think he was sincere?

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17. mrschocolatestuff

    I believe he was sincere. I believe all of them didnt mean to do what they did but it just doesnt take away the lack of thought involved. there was no tactics on how to handle the situation in any kind of way.

    I believe this one was ready to face the max, felt he deserved the max and braced himself for it. once seeing Mrs. Bell’s face in and outside of court, I think he really didnt realize how his actions have affected himself, his family, the Bell family and all of the tri state..

    He can convince himself that he did his job, did the right thing but sometimes the ‘right’ thing is really not.

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18. TROUBLMan

    LOVEROFPEACE

    I’m with you. The verdict signals to cops that they don’t have to think twice about being brutal. They can just let off shots like Rambo without any penalty. And like MICHELE added, how do they expect us not to shoot first. The community have animosity with the police, this fuels the fire even more.

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19. Johnny Haze

    This is beyond sad. I just about died when I saw the verdict. What can we as TROUBL do?

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20. TROUBLMan

    MALIA

    Only time will tell. If he’s really sincere he’ll work to make sure that NYPDs practices change. He will do outreach in the community.

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21. Q.

    fuck Cooper and the rest of them.. i’m sorry, but i can’t even think about how he or any of them are feeling.. Oliver shot 31 times.. 31!! dude was on some “ok, i’m reloaded!!”.. that shit is beyond my comprehension.. these are supposedly NY’s finest..

    now, don’t get me wrong.. when i go paint balling, i don’t follow rules.. i blackout as soon as i get hit or feel pressure.. there’s no longer a 10 foot rule for me.. but i’m not “trained”.. i’m reacting, and my instincts tell me differently.. them dudes are supposed to be trained.. 31 shots? how bad is his aim? i know dudes from the Chi that can hit dude with one shot and take him down to one need.. and he can fire it like O-Dog from Menace II Society!!

    so, yeah, all them are supposed to feel some sort of remorse.. they should also feel some sort of punishment too.. getting off? with nothing?? come on now.. it continues to happen.. if this was the first time, maybe i’d be a bit more sympathetic.. but this isn’t.. this is a bad rerun or recurring nightmare.. it’s like they are getting paid for being a syndicated show..

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22. TROUBLMan

    TROUBL

    I apologize. Today I haven’t had the chance to comment as much as usual. I spent my day at a social media summit.

    I do want to let everyone know that members of the TROUBL team are headed to Queen to participate in the Sean Bell rally, take pics and capture interviews. Our goal is to post the images and audio tomorrow.

    Stay tuned y’all

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23. "A Mom"

    I heard about this case. It is so familiar in our country, racism is such a big part of it. But I also think that a lot of our people have regressed and we don’t see the value in numbers. We got to keep on standing up instead of ignoring. They have been talking all day about Obama. They are trying to push him down. I pray he keeps on getting up. That is what we all must do.

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24. "A Mom"

    This was a person doing nothing but hanging out with his friends before his wedding. Even though their were black police involved it show me how we as a people don’t get it. We are destroying each other in many ways, and some of us are following in the footsteps of those who have historically tried to destroy us.

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25. alwayswrite

    Troubl was there at the rally, taking interviews and notes. Man…you really feel the frustration, anger, and disappointment. This ordeal keeps happening again and again. Sean Bell, R.I.P.

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26. RBT

    This is some BULLSHIT that easily could have been any one of us. I went to the rally yesterday it was great to see the community come together. We cant stand for these injustices I found out at the rally that the judge who delivered the verdict was only voted into position by 200 people (i dont know how that works) and that he has thrown a rape victim out of court for crying too much while depicting her story on the stand. This motherfucker needs to be shoot. Who’s policing the police? These niggas get away scott free? I cant believe this shit! We need to start a revolution the whole country should be outraged. The crowd marched from the court house to the spot where Sean was murdered it a small dimely lit block its like a side street of a side street,three big ass niggas run up on you how the fuck did they expect them to react. The police knew how they would react and wanted to kill all of them. If you see the block you know what Im talking about. It was a set up, thats my word I know the game I’ve seen that before. We got pics and audio coming soon were editing it now.

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27. m.dot

    This case turned on three meaningful issues.

    It was a bench trial not a jury trial. Huge difference.

    Popo is given incredible leeway when they have to make split second decisions. The courts don’t like to second guess them.

    The testimony of the witnesses for Bell was inconsistent. Thats a Big assed no no. I don’t remember all the rules of evidence, BUT, calling a witnesses credibility into question is a great way to win a case, or limit the damage they MAY cause.

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28. TROUBLMan

    M.DOT

    You right on. Who knows what difference a jury trial would have made here in NY, but I do agree with the with the leeway police have to shit first ask questions later. It’s not a new phenomenon. It goes back to what I mentioned earlier in the comment thread. We’ve internalized black men in such a way that they’re a threat even when they’re not.

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Reply to “What’s the Case?”

SEE ALSO

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