Sean Bell and Peyton Strickland

Sean Bell and Peyton Strickland

The name Sean Bell is now fairly well known and has become yet another metaphor for racist repression and the escalation of the police state. The Queens, New York youth was gunned down last month by out of control New York cops and has generated widespread outrage.

The community response whether in N.Y.C itself or nearby New Jersey communities has been intense and certainly will take the struggle against police brutality and racial profiling to another level. The NYPD in its efforts to cover up has engaged in even more repression and harassment.

Peyton Strickland, on the other hand may only be known to those who keep up with North Carolina news. Strickland, a Wilmington college student was gunned down by Sheriffs deputies.
The Sheriff's Emergency Response Team, along with UNC-Wilmington campus police were serving a warrant that accused him of robbery and assault of another youth on November 17 after they had purchased two Play Station games. They showed up at his apartment and fired through the door at the unarmed Strickland. The New Hanover Sheriffs Office said it was prepared for violence because they had seen a photo of Strickland and his friends brandishing weapons on MySpace.

Although unloaded weapons were found in the apartment, it appears that Strickland was shot as he answered the door with the bullet that entered his head, having passed through something before it hit him. He was also hit in the shoulder. Three deputies fired their weapons. One of them, Christopher Long, has been fired and is the subject of investigations by the Department and the State Bureau of Investigation. It is reported that he was involved in the shooting of two unarmed Black youth last year who he alleged were trying to hit him with his vehicle.

The questions that local community are asking include: why the heavily armed team was called on to serve a warrant for a Play Station robbery, what caused deputies to begin shooting, who fired the fatal shot to Strickland's head and whether anyone will be charged in his death. Friends and family in Wilmington and Durham where he grew up are angry. There has also been a huge outcry on blogs frequented by gamers and other groups of youth.

So what we have in Wilmington is a swift action against a law enforcement officer who in a case that is no more compelling then the deaths of Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo and countless hundreds of other People of Color who are victims of "armies of occupation" in our communities. Clearly Strickland's racial, ethnic and class background have compelled the Sheriff and the District Attorney to move quickly and seriously. Strickland father, Don Strickland a Durham-area attorney has said he would address Long's firing "at the appropriate time." "Right now, I'm just going to let the judicial process do its work.

While he may not be conscious of it, only a sense of White Privilege positions a person to take this approach to such a serious blow to their family. His legal background and experience with the criminal justice system may be responsible for him refraining. In contrast, Black and Latino families, based on a long history of injustice in these kinds of investigations have usually joined communities in speaking out against the atrocity and have often joined the outraged masses in the streets.

Comments

[Libertarian Girl]

Actually, for the record, the grand jury did not indict Long (and neither did a follow-up grand jury). The foreman came forward the next day and said he had accidentally checked off the wrong box; the grand jury had chosen not to indict.