New Black Panthers and Quanell X plan Rally in Lumberton on Monday at noon at the Police Station to protest what they believe to be a racist beating.

I am sure everyone has seen the news already. A black man died in Lumberton after a struggle with the police and it is already labeled as racist profiling. First off, I think this death, just as any, is tragic and I feel sorry for the family and it should be investigated to find out the cause of death and if there was any wrong doing other than a struggle with someone trying to resist arrest. If the facts show there is something wrong then you have something to protest about. But until the autopsy, there is no evidence of racial profiling or excessive force. A man with a history of drugs and resisting arrest crashed his car and fought back when the police tried to give him a field sobriety test. He was tased and went unconscious after he was put in handcuffs and died. It is tragic and I feel sorry for the family because of their loss and it should be looked into to make sure everything was handled correctly. But before we even have an autopsy (which I believe will show he died of something other than getting "beaten") there is absolutely no justification to say it was racial profiling or even excessive force. I believe the LPD would have done the same thing to anyone of any race or color based on the situation.

So the big question is.... should we show up an do a counter protest to point out the fact that it has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with a guy who crashed his car and was resisting arrest and tragically died.... or should we just sit back and watch them do their thing?

Give me your input!!

davidbellow@davidbellow.com