Bronx River Ecomedia Blog

Last week-end, as just about everyone in the city knows by now, 23-year-old Sean Bell, a black man, was killed when police fired 50 shots into his car. Two others were wounded, one described in the press as “a convicted felon.” None of the three were armed. Most (I forget how many exactly) of the five police involved were either black or Hispanic.

From what I hear, most black people see this as yet another expression of racist fears of black men. Many white people take more a “we don’t know all the facts yet” point of view. I would like to hear comments from residents of the Bronx, particularly the West Farms area. What is your experience with police conduct? Do you think young blacks and Hispanics are particularly targeted by police? How? What is your opinion of the actions of police in this case? What do you make of the fact that some of the police officers were black?
–Peggy