It's our duty to protest Bell decision

It's our duty to protest Bell decision

It was a disaster that leaves a large swath of the population with the sense that the odds are rigged against them, the cops are out of control, and the courts are no place to look for justice.
It didn't have to be that way.
Sitting in the front row of the courtroom as the verdict was read, I was amazed at how Cooperman gave the case a narrow reading that mentioned the flaws and inconsistencies of the prosecution case, but ignored the gaping holes in the defense version of what happened outside the Kalua that fateful night in 2006.
The detectives' defense depended on the notion that they identified themselves as officers, ordered Bell and his companions to surrender, and reacted when Bell tried to drive away.
But the lieutenant in charge of the operation testified that he never heard his companions ID themselves, and the first outside officers to arrive on the scene testified that they didn't see the detectives wearing badges. Cooperman gave no indication the inconsistencies mattered.
Cooperman also skipped any mention of whether the level of deadly force applied - dozens of shots fired at unarmed men who committed no crime - made any difference.
Adapted from --nydaileynews.com and --Errol Louis Opinions 4-26-2008