Mychal Bell, from the "Jena Six" fame, was arrested on Christmas Eve for "allegedly" trying to steal shirts and jeans from Dillards. Bell and an "unidentified" male were "allegedly" caught on camera stealing $370 worth of clothes. Bell and his "unidentified" partner "allegedly" split up after they were noticed by mall security. Bell was then "allegedly" running through the mall parking lot trying to evade capture. The police discovered Bell "allegedly" cowering under a vehicle and when they got him out he "allegedly" began "swinging his arms wildly." Bell was arrest on multiple charges, including shoplifting, resisting arrest and simple battery. He was released on $1,300 bond and will be arraigned at a later date. Louis Scott, who is an attorney representing Bell, said that preconceived notions on the part of Dillard's employees may have played a role in Bell's arrest. "Dillard's has a tradition of being overly suspicious of young black males," Scott said. "I am predicting that once all the facts are established, he "probably" will not be guilty," Scott said. "There has been more put on this young man than anybody can bear — people trying to provoke him, trying to make him react."If he was going to break the law, I believe he would have done it before."
Five days later, Bell "allegedly" shot himself in the shoulder while cleaning out a.22 caliber pistol. He had surgery at a hospital in Monroe, Louisiana, and is recovering from his injuries. Whew, all of that within a week. I wonder what will he do for an encore? This character was the same one that civil rights organizations rallied around. This was the same kid that had radio hosts shouting from the airwaves to free him from jail. This was the same person that promised he was going to stay on the straight and narrow. Many black folks made Mychal Bell into a symbol of the modern day civil rights struggle. They went by the bus loads to go March for his freedom. If you weren't going to march, they told you to wear black in solidarity. I saw a white woman at working wearing black and I thought maybe she was down for the cause. Nope, apparently black just makes her look slender.
What does it mean when you say “he probably will not be guilty?” It can only be, yes he will be found guilty or no he will not be found guilty. Probably is a so so spades hand. Probably is having sex without a condom and waiting on a pregnancy test. Probably is not what you say when you are innocent. I know what it means to be followed by store security but “allegedly” stuffing the goods in a Dillards bag? That is a bush league type sucker move. It’s called Shop Lifting not Shop Bagging…..
The problem with this kid is that he’s not ready for prime time. He doesn’t have the integrity to be what the civil rights folks need him to be. His character is seriously lacking and it has been for awhile. They didn’t have a chance to complete a background check on him. He was plucked out of obscurity and was turned into a national figure. Things were moving too fast and he was the perfect symbol. And he didn’t mind playing the part because he wanted to get out of jail. Now the threads are starting to unravel and it’s turning into a mess.
The people that I feel sorry for are the ones that supported him. He has let them down and has damaged his credibility. I know that people aren’t perfect but it would have been great if Bell wasn’t in trouble. Because every now and then, you wish that the character matched the cause.
2 comments:
Ummm... was this in Louisiana?
Both the people AND the police are often cited as being less than credible. Probably seems to be the right answer.
this dude needs to realize that people are watching him like a hawk especially after the exposure he received in the media on a issue as serious as racial injustice. so he needs to act right or it will bite him in the ass.
ps- that "probably" talk needs to stop
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