On July 24^th in a New Orleans court room, a white police officer was found not guilty of beating an unarmed Black man.  Unfortunately, that in itself is probably not surprising to some Americans.  But what should come as a shock to Americans of all colors is that this particular beating was caught on tape and shown around the world. The tape was graphically violent and the nation’s outrage was well chronicled.  So, why is it that the “not guilty” verdict has been met with universal silence from the media and the politicians who usually live for this opportunity?

On October 8, 2005, on the world famous Bourbon Street, a 64 year old Black man was brutally beaten by three (3) New Orleans police officers and two (2) FBI agents.  The law enforcement officials claimed they were trying to arrest the tourist.  The beating was caught on tape. The tape left little doubt that the officers used excessive force to subdue a man of average size and advanced age.  Yet, a New Orleans judge, after reviewing the tape, miraculously ruled that he did not feel that the officer broke the law.  The judge based his not guilty verdict on the same tape we all saw. I am not going to attempt to understand what this judge saw to make him render such a verdict.  What surprises me is the tepid response from the mass media and especially the Democratic presidential candidates.

Nothing is more volatile in this country’s racial history then a police beating of an innocent Black citizen. It wasn’t that long ago that Los Angeles erupted into race riots because Rodney King’s beating by Los Angeles law enforcement officials was caught on tape and yet the officers were all found not guilty by a jury. I think it is fair to say that usually, police beatings of Black citizens when caught on a tape that is widely seen will produce heightened interest in the offending officer’s trial.  That is not the case here which is even more surprising when you consider that New Orleans, because of Hurricane Katrina, has become somewhat of a media center with news organizations such as the vaunted New York Times now having news bureaus in the Crescent City. With that amount of news firepower and a story that had already captured national media attention coming to a close, what happened to the media coverage on this highly controversial courtroom drama?

New Orleans has long been a city perceived as corrupt to the point of being considered by some to be “Third Worldish.” So, maybe to play down this image, those who seek to rebuild New Orleans do not want to bring attention to this verdict.  Of course, the Mayor could be concerned that a guilty verdict against an already much criticized New Orleans police department might further erode confidence in the city’s ability to protect its citizens. However, this not guilty verdict came at the hands of a judge, not a jury.  I would think that would cast doubts about the city’s criminal justice system.

Police brutality, a questionable criminal justice system, a racial beating, and media silence regarding the whole matter have combined to damage the image of New Orleans as thoroughly as Hurricane Katrina damaged the city’s physical structure.  Does this mean that Americans, because of the threat of terrorism are less inclined to question the actions of law enforcement officials? Have we grown so tired of feeling sorry for New Orleans and its citizens that we no longer care if a grave miscarriage of justice occurs right before our eyes? And what about all of those Black civil rights leaders and white politicians who have been trekking to New Orleans for every possible photo opportunity? Where is the outrage or even a response from them?  And has just about every Black minister with a travel budget been at some pray vigil in New Orleans since Katrina landed? Where is the pray vigil for this city’s criminal justice system? Where is the pray vigil for the Black folks who come before it?  Are we not concerned when this judge haughtily declared that his not guilty verdict was not even a hard decision? Shouldn’t all Americans be outraged when we saw the same tape?  Or, God forbid, maybe we just don’t care about this kind of thing any more.  At least that is how I see it from South of the Trinity.

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