Truth to Light

Mr Bell has not missed the point. His son is dead, and it's all about the politics.

There are three unmissable issues encompassed by the events of Sean Bell's killing by three members of the NYC Police Department.
1) The police in New York City have behaved in this situation and in others as if the law does not apply to them.
2) Racial tension exists today just as it has for the entire course of US (and world) history.
3) The political system of this city is not, and can not, be the source of the solution to either of these problems.

Regarding point 1:
I can't count the number of times I have seen police in their vehicles cruising through lights with a little "woop-woop" of the siren, gazing suspiciously at all us plebes on the street, as if we're up to some law breaking. Oh, the hypocrisy.
I compare the running of a red light with the fatal shooting of an unarmed citizen merely to illustrate the attitude of those who exercise the power of law enforcement.
When the enforcers feel it is their prerogative to bend or break the law in situations when there is no compelling reason to do so (and it can certainly be argued that there is no compelling reason to do so), it can be inferred by extension, that the same belief will apply to all situations. Thus, on the basis of a police officer's theory that Sean Bell or one of his companions could be carrying a weapon, and/or using a moving car to intentionally harm one of the other officers, it should be no surprise that they might not operate under the requisite guidelines.
I do not intend to prematurely convict the police officers of committing a crime, nor to exhonerate them on the basis of inadequate evidence. No one dares to argue with the conclusion that excessive force was used by the police.
The issue at hand is the sense of entitlement exhibited by the police department in their role as protectors of the populace - they have adopted a set of behaviors that illustrate a fundamental philosophical and moral failing in their duties. Their job is to uphold the law and defend the public from the law-breakers. Their actions reflect something different - the desire to use the law to their advantage in all situations, and to avoid punishment under the same laws they enforce, which supposedly hold them to a higher standard of behavior (if we can associate more rules with higher principles).
There are certainly other elements to address: repeated incidents of excessive force in similar circumstances, ongoing ethical and procedural training within the PD, extenuating events and response, morality of undercover law enforcement, etc.

Regarding point 2:
With reference to point 1, it is true that the police are constantly overstepping their bounds, and it is also true that black people are more often the target of their enthusiasm than others. And inviting a bunch of local black leaders into City Hall (I'll refrain from the obvious plantation metaphors here) does not solve the problem.
I could include an exhaustive list of the instances of racism illustrated by the interactions between the governors and the governed, but I don't feel like finding that many links. Plus, you have your own, for sure.
What I do want to say is this: while white people are mostly in control (and slowly realizing that they are vastly outnumbered by the non-caucasian members of the human species) they are going to grab hold of that power dynamic and drain it for every drop of superiority and control they can.
If the race war hasn't already started, these 50 shots are not going to do it.

(Just a side note: If inter-ethnic and inter-racial wars are actually happening right now, how are we going to pick sides? And why hasn't someone made this into a videogame yet?)

Regarding point 3:
Sanction the police, mourn the victim, pet the favored black leaders and promise them action if they promise you votes. Does anyone actually expect this to solve anything? Call me cynical, but I think the only real source of a solution for this problem is on the ground. And it's at least four generations of major mind-shift away.

My suggestions for improved racial relations:
Integrate the public and private school systems through an income-bracket quota system (that does not factor race into its admissions decisions).

Redraw the zoning lines to include a certain percentage of stratified-income housing in each neighborhood, and include laws against gerrymandering.

Dump every police cruiser into the recycling bin, and replace them with open-sided electric zip-cars, and schedule foot patrols for every officer, every shift.

Rotate the beats of police officers citywide, regardless of seniority, requiring each officer to serve at least 6 months in each borough within 3 years.

Integrate bookstores, drug stores, clothing stores, grocery stores, music stores - get rid of those ridiculous "Black" and "Latino" and "Asian" sections.

Place a ban on all racial or ethnic qualifiers in media, i.e. "some of the community's black leaders" will become "some of the community's leaders".

And, as many great comedians have said, start fucking each other and having mixed babies until everyone's the same color!