RIP Amadou Diallo (Sept. 2, 1975 – Feb. 4, 1999)

On this date, ten years ago, Amadou Diallo was gunned down by four plain-clothed police officers in New York City. Officers approached Diallo using the age-old excuse that he "fit the description" of a suspected rapist in the area. The 23-year-old immigrant from Guinea was hit 19 times out of the 41 shots fired by Sean Carroll, Brendan Murphy, Edward McMellon and Kenneth Boss.

The four officers claimed to believe that Diallo was reaching for a weapon, which was later found to be a wallet, presumably to show them his temporary Visa.
The four murderers were acquitted on February 25, 2000, after the jury deliberated for two days.

What. The. F*ck.


In '96, Amadou Diallo moved to NYC to start a business with a family member and to pursue a degree in computer science. As an immigrant, Diallo had a vision of the "American Dream," only to have that dream cut short by rabid, crooked cops. This wasn't the first high-profile case of police brutality. Everyone touched by Diallo's death had feelings reminiscent of those felt when Fred Hampton was gunned down in his Chicago home, when Rodney King was brutally beaten by the LAPD on video and when Malice Green died of blows to the head from a cop in Detroit.


While the uproar was fierce, officers who took their "authority" to the extreme kept on pushing. The deaths of Kathryn Johnston, Sean Bell, Oscar Grant and others followed. This will continue until the "Blue Code of Silence" is dead and officers who abuse their power are held more accountable for their actions.


On February 27, 2009,
The City of Ink in Atlanta's famous Castleberry Hill District will be hosting its second anniversary show, "ENOUGH IZ ENOUGH: Artists United Against Police Brutality." If you're in the A, you can make a statement by simply gracing the gallery with your presence. Uhuru!

2 Engage in Discourse:

Anonymous said...

Real talk! RIP Diallo.

mr.soul:216 said...

righteous!!

nicely written!

 
 
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