Police Brutality

Rev. Al Sharpton led a half-dozen non-violent protests in New York City. The protesters were outraged over the acquittal of three police officers who shot a killed a bridegroom on the eve of his marriage. The officers were tried before a judge without a jury. The outrage is understandable -- 50 shots is a lot! At the same time, from my perspective, both the judge and the protesters overreacted. One of the police officers fired only one shot; a second fired four. The third officer, obviously out of control, fired the other 45 shots. In my judgment, the two officers should have been acquitted (there were ambiguities in the situation) but not the third. Meanwhile, down the road in Philadelphia, a dozen police officers jumped three men, suspected on drug dealing, threw them to the ground, beat them and kicked them unmercifully. And the whole thing was filmed and broadcast live to the public from a news helicopter that happened to be on the scene. Of course, the police chief apologized, but more than an apology is necessary. Real reforms in the mentality of cops on the street need to occur. Paterson, like New York City and Philadelphia, has a high minority population, yet its police officers are predominantly white and live outside our city. They do not identify with Paterson and slip easily into brutality.