Sean Bell, the BLA and 50-Plus Shots

Abstract

If there’s one thing “America’s” institution of law enforcement is consistently doing as a deviation from protecting and serving our communities, it’s been punishing and slaughtering. The state is continuing to create an environment of fear in our society, rather than establishing peace and safety. Recently, the FBI cracked down on eight out of the nine Black Liberation Army (BLA) members indicted under charges of conspiracy and murder of a San Francisco police officer in 1971. Similarly, the criminalization of the victims and witnesses in the case of Sean Bell, a 23 year-old bridegroom shot 50-plus times by five New York City police officers in front of a nightclub in Queens, New York, showcases a blatant disregard for Black life as well. The public needs to address the system’s attempt to reinvent the wheel of history, as it seeks to take our freedom away via the violence of militarization, whether through pistols, prisons, or policy.