I wouldn't be surprised if you missed it. Because the aftermath of the horrendous police beatings of spring 2008 didn't get half the play the original story did.

I'm talking about a Philadelphia grand jury's decision last week to exonerate the police officers who were caught on tape beating down three unarmed suspects.

After a 14-month investigation, the jury concluded that criminal action against those involved in the beatdown was unwarranted because the officers "reasonably believed . . . that force was necessary."

According to departing District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham, the video of a slew of cops dragging three men from a car and mercilessly pushing, beating, kicking, and pummeling them on the ground "did not speak for itself."

Whom exactly did it speak for, then?

Certainly not the viewers around the world who were repulsed by the footage, captured by a Fox29 news helicopter, that spooled endlessly on cable news networks in May 2008, giving the city an embarrassing black eye.

And apparently not Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, who fired four officers and suspended four others, after his own investigation, for using force he determined was "indiscriminate," "excessive" and "unjustified." From 40 years of big-city policing, Ramsey knows the line. In his mind, his officers crossed it.

He still stands by his decision, despite the grand-jury report.

And I know it didn't speak for the overall decency of the Philadelphia Police Department, whose reputation has taken a big hit lately over charges of misconduct among its ranks, including the roughing up of State Rep. Jewell Williams, the alleged sexual abuse of female victims by narcotics officers, and the brutish raids of neighborhood bodegas during which undercover officers allegedly stole money and destroyed surveillance equipment. And let's not forget the operation of a racist Web site founded and run by one of the department's sergeants.

Sadly, the tape has only stoked the long-held mistrust between police and residents that has festered since the Rizzo years. Unfortunately, rogue cops make everybody look bad.

Fraternal Order of Police lodge president John McNesby says he'll fight to ensure that the disciplined officers are "made whole," predictably defending their questionable behavior even if that behavior imperils the ability of other officers to do their jobs. I'm guessing that McNesby won't try to defend his officers while that video plays in the background.

"It's business as usual," says J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, adding that his organization will block any legal attempt the fired officers make to get their jobs back. "The Philadelphia Police Department is still a very ugly department, even though we've had enlightened leadership."

'Helpful' beating

Not only did the members of the grand jury clear the officers of any wrongdoing, they went a step further, concluding that the cops' violent actions were "helpful rather than hurtful" because the kicks and blows were aimed to facilitate safe arrests.

And Abraham was quick to remind us that the suspects suffered no substantial injuries: "no broken bones . . .. They were in and out of the hospital in an hour."

Meaning what? That short of a suspect's ending up in surgery or, God forbid, coding out, anything goes? The grand jury did find that the seemingly overexcited police dog impeded the arrests and that the officer who pressed a suspect's head into the ground with his foot - after the suspect had been stomped and pummeled - was "disrespectful."

You think? Oh, did I mention that the suspects were acquitted?

The 97-page report made a big deal out of the racial makeup of the panel, composed of 14 African Americans, eight whites, and one Latino.

Its decision was interesting but not surprising. African Americans are victimized by crime more than most. You can't blame them for feeling weary. Still, the grand jury's weariness may be misguided.

Ramsey looked at the bigger picture.

And what the commissioner saw was a city and department on edge after the shooting of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski only two days before the taped beatings.

Ramsey took it upon himself to send a message that despite the department's anger and grief, it would not tolerate the gratuitous violence against citizens that we all saw on display.

Of course, the grand jury's telling us not to believe the video, which, even now, is gut-wrenching to watch.

But if we can't believe our own eyes, what can we believe?

Contact columnist Annette John-Hall at 215-854-4986 or ajohnhall@phillynews.com. Read her work: http://go.philly.com/annette