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HarlemLive Staffers Reflect on the Slaughter of Amadou Diallo

and Kerly Suffren offers a possible solution to prevents such tragedies

 

A recent immigrant to the United States who sold goods on the street was gunned down by four New York City Police officers as he stood at the entrance of his Bronx apartment building. The four plain clothed officers fired 41 shots at the unarmed Amadou Diallo, 22, hitting him 19 times at close range. Mr. Diallo had no criminal record. His friends remember him to be a gentle man with big dreams and an easy smile. His parents flew from Guinea, West Africa, to visit where their son was killed. His mother was near collapse several times in the week that followed, often crying out her son's name, "Amadou, Amadou!" Note: One of the officers involved in the shooting of Amadou Diallo is already being investigated in the shooting death of a young black male a couple years ago. Almost daily protests are being held at One Police Plaza in downtown New York City. We will be bringing you more news of these events in the coming weeks as justice in the death of Amadou Diallo is sought. We commend the Amsterdam News in their comprehensive coverage of police brutality and the Amadou Diallo shooting case.

HarlemLive staff spent time recently, reflecting on the tragic murder and acknowledged their experience of how the police often stop them for no reason, but for the color of their skin

Malik Wilson, 14

I feel that this was wrong for the police to shoot this unarmed man. How can the policemen just say, “He looks like the rapist, lets shoot”. He had no weapon, and for the policemen to shoot 41 times and only hit him 19 times that makes no sense. I also feel they will get over on this just like other police men have. And if they do some time they probably serve 2 to 3 years in prison.

As an African-American youth my concern is other black men and youth boys that have or will go through the same type of situation.

I have been stopped by the cops before but for something to happen like this it makes me scared to walk for HarlemLive at night because the same thing can happen to any of us.

I know the family of Amadou Diallo is going through some tough times right now. I know I would if my father was killed and he looks nothing like the suspect they were looking for. I wish that these cops do not get over and serve life in jail because they deserve it.

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Kamal Muhammad, 11

I feel that the murder of Amadou Diallo was unnecessary because the only thing the cops had to do is chase him down like they would do to every other person. I think he was shot 41 times because of the color of his skin. One time when I had visited a school (Manhattan East) to go to a drama class and I heard a speech from some kid (whose name I don’t remember). He talked about how the color of Amadou Diallo's skin made him get shot 41 times. I’m not sure what Amadou Diallo did to get shot.

 

 

 

I feel the death of Amadou Diallo, the 22- year- old who was shot at 41 times, was unnecessary.

I think cops should be able to approach black and white; youths, men, and women equally. If a group of black youths were to walk the streets, the cops would stop us and check us. However if a group of white men were to walk the streets, they would not be stopped or asked any questions. Amadou was shot down for no reason at all.
I hope the four police officers get fired. Every time a cop kills or injures somebody, they always get away with it with the excuse of self defense.

Basically I think the cops should get arrested for their actions. I’m glad that Mr. Diallo's family is taking this issue to court.

Listen to this comment on Diallo's death

Chris Frierson, 18
I think that the shooting of Amadou Diallo was the worst event that happened since the death of Princess Diana. Not because a black guy was shot by a bunch of white cops, even though it was horrible for that to happen. But the fact that people in the media take advantage of this situation. Every day on the news I always hear that someone was killed. It would be shown on the news and in the papers the next day. After that the event will not be heard of again. But when someone famous like Al Sharpton gets involved, then the report starts going wild. This makes me wonder are they doing this to help find justice or are they doing this for personal gain.
All in all, I do feel bad for Amadou Diallo, especially his mother. She lost her child and I think that no mother should have to witness that.
I truly hope the mother finds justice.

Ebony Meyers, 15
The shooting of Amadou Diallo was a tragedy that should not have occurred to anyone. To be shot at 41 times for no apparent reason is just preposterous. I believe Diallo and his family deserves justice for what happened that Thursday morning. The perpetrators, in this case, is our very own NYPD, who do their best to try and protect the citizens of New York. In this particular case these cops actions can not be excused.
I’m sure there are numerous other cases where police officers used bad judgment and discriminated against minorities or people of different races. However, not all officers are rotten. There are many who perform their job well and credit should not be taken away from them. But these four cops should lose their jobs, be sentenced to life imprisonment, or death.

Basil Washington, 17
Last Thursday an African street vendor by the name of Amadou Diallo was brutally killed by police. They shot at the unarmed man 41 times but it only 19 bullets hit him in front of his Bronx building for reasons still unknown.
When people heard about this horrifying ordeal they started to protest in front of City Hall.
As an African-American youth my heart feeling is that the Mayor should suspend or fire the officers that killed Diallo. They should think about what they done and instead of buried Diallo in America he should be buried in Guinea, West Africa where he was born and raised.

 

Raising the Standards

by Kerly Suffren

New York City’s police officers, otherwise known as "The Boys in Blue" have been the focus in many recent shootings. The most recent involves four officers shooting 41 shots at an unarmed African immigrant in the Bronx. To many, the incident is a painful reminder about the horror in today's N.Y.P.D. It's absurd trying to make sense of a shooting that can't be justified, and the pain is felt throughout the community.
As in similar incidents that happened in the past, the community is outraged with the behavior of the officers, and their anger is understandable. The New York City police department is one with many faults. They have repeatedly shot without cause or harassed law abiding citizens over and over again. In the end, Mayor Giuliani is always on their side.
One of the main problems is the lack of education needed to become an officer. I'm a believer that if the standards are raised to become a cop, many of these incidents will decrease dramatically. The lack of education is the result of many if not all of the crimes committed by police officers.
To become an officer:
1) To be an officer one should finish both High School and college, not just two years of college. This will set up real standards for becoming a cop and it will decrease the rush for those who only become officers to gain power.
2) I believe officers should be required to take history and psychology classes. These classes will aid cops in understanding and relating to the people in their communities. Understanding the frame of mind and how it works will help stop unnecessary conflicts between citizens and cops.
3) There should be an ongoing test while officers are on the field. A physical test as well as a reasoning test, testing their ability to reason and to interpret certain situations will help to make sure that these officers are still capable of practicing what they've learned and put it to use in our neighborhoods.

Although these ideas are simple, I believe they will make a big difference in the way police officers act on the streets. It's a shame that things like this still happen in our society, and we can't just sit back and watch them. I'm certain that the only way this incident will never repeat itself again is if we continue to put pressure. We shouldn't be intimidated by cops. We must all challenge them, challenge them by using our rights to vote and challenge them in the courts. Together we can make a difference. Letting one incident pass is simply giving an okay to do it again.
This we can't afford.

 

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