Amadou Diallo

Amadou Bailo Diallo (September 2, 1975 – February 4, 1999) was a 23-year-old immigrant to the United States from Guinea, who was shot and killed on February 4, 1999, by four New York City Police Department plain-clothed officers; Sean Carroll, Richard Murphy, Edward McMellon and Kenneth Boss. The four men fired a total of 41 rounds. Diallo was unarmed at the time of the shooting, and a firestorm of controversy erupted subsequent to the event as the circumstances of the shooting prompted outrage both within and outside New York City. Issues such as police brutality, racial profiling, and contagious shooting were central to the ensuing controversy. diallo picture from unmarked website This work is copyrighted. ... diallo picture from unmarked website This work is copyrighted. ... is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The New York City Police Department (NYPD) was created in 1845 and currently is the largest municipal police force in the world with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... David Kirkwood on the ground after being struck by police batons Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers and other law enforcement officers. ... Racial profiling, also known as ethnic profiling, is the inclusion of racial or ethnic characteristics in determining whether a person is considered likely to commit a particular type of crime (see Offender Profiling). ... A contagious shooting or mass reflexive response is gunfire that spreads among officers who believe that they, or their colleagues, are facing a threat. ...

The shooting took place at 1157 Wheeler Avenue in the Soundview section of The Bronx. The four officers involved were part of the now-defunct Street Crimes Unit. Soundview Soundview is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of the Bronx. ... For other uses, see The Bronx (disambiguation). ... The New York Police Departments Street Crimes Unit is a now-defunct city anti-crime unit that gained notoriety after the 1999 killing of Amadou Diallo. ...

Biography

One of four children of Saikou and Kadiatou Diallo, Amadou's family is part of an old Fulɓe (Fula or Fulani people) trading family from the Fouta Djallon highlands of Guinea. He was born in Sinoe, Liberia while his father was working there, and grew up following his family to Togo, Bangkok, and Singapore, attending schools in Thailand, and later in Guinea and London, including Microsoft's Asian Institute. In September of 1996, Amadou came to New York City where he and a cousin started a business, and to where other family members had emigrated. There he planned to enroll in college to pursue a computer science degree. The Fulbhe (singular Pullo) or Fulani is an ethnic group of people spread over many countries in West Africa,Central Africa and as far as East Africa. ... Fouta Djallon is a highland region in Guinea, West Africa. ... Location within in Thailand Coordinates: , Country Settled Ayutthaya Period Founded as capital 21 April 1782 Government  - Type Special administrative area  - Governer Apirak Kosayothin Area  - City 1,568. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ...

Amadou Diallo is buried in the village of Hollande Bourou in the Fouta Djallon, where his extended family resides.^[1]

Events surrounding death

Diallo had come to New York City to study computer science, but had not enrolled in school. He reportedly sold videotapes, gloves and socks from the sidewalk along 14th Street during the day and studied in the evenings. Computer science, or computing science, is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems. ...

In the early morning of February 4 Diallo was standing near his building after returning from a meal. Police officers Edward McMellon, Sean Carroll, Kenneth Boss and Richard Murphy passed by in a Ford Taurus when they thought Diallo matched the description of a (since-captured) serial rapist and approached him. The officers were in plain clothes. The officers claimed that they loudly identified themselves as NYPD officers and that Diallo ran up the outside steps toward his apartment house doorway at their approach, ignoring their orders to stop and "show his hands." As the suspect reached into his jacket, Carroll believed Diallo was drawing a firearm and yelled "Gun!" to alert his colleagues. The officers opened fire on Diallo and during the burst McMellon fell down the steps, appearing to be shot. The four officers fired forty-one shots, hitting Diallo nineteen times. Investigation found no weapons on Diallo's body; the item he had pulled out of his jacket was not a gun, but a wallet. is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ford Taurus is a mid-size, front wheel drive car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in North America. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Rape. ...

On March 25 a Bronx grand jury indicted the officers on charges of second-degree murder and reckless endangerment. On December 16 a New York appellate court ordered a change of venue to Albany, New York, stating that pretrial publicity had made a fair trial in New York City impossible. On February 25, 2000, after two days of deliberations, a jury unanimously voted to acquit the officers of all charges. is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Bronx (disambiguation). ... In the American common law legal system, a grand jury is a type of jury which determines if there is enough evidence for a trial. ... In the common law legal system, an indictment (IPA: ) is a formal accusation of having committed a criminal offense. ... is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Appeal. ... For other uses, see Albany. ... is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

Aftermath

Diallo's death, the change of venue, and the verdict each sparked massive demonstrations against police brutality and racial profiling, resulting in more than 1,700 arrests over the course of many weeks. Those arrested in the daily protests at the entrance of One Police Plaza came from all walks of life, and included former NYPD officers, former mayor David Dinkins, Congressmen Charlie Rangel and Gregory Meeks, the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, actress Susan Sarandon, more than a dozen rabbis and other clergy, and numerous federal, state, and local politicians. Charges against the protesters were later dropped. In 2001 the Justice Department announced that it would not charge the officers with having allegedly violated Diallo's civil rights. David Kirkwood on the ground after being struck by police batons Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers and other law enforcement officers. ... Racial profiling, also known as ethnic profiling, is the inclusion of racial or ethnic characteristics in determining whether a person is considered likely to commit a particular type of crime (see Offender Profiling). ... David Norman Dinkins (born July 10, 1927 in Trenton, New Jersey) was the Mayor of New York City from 1989 through 1993, the first (and, to date, only) African American to hold that office. ... Charles Bernard Rangel Charles Bernard Rangel (born June 11, American politician. ... Gregory W. Meeks Gregory Weldon Meeks (born September 25, 1953), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1998, representing the Sixth Congressional District of New York. ... This biographical article needs additional references for verification. ... Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. ... Susan Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C. “Justice Department” redirects here. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ...

On April 18, 2000, Diallo's mother, Kadiatou, and his stepfather, Sankarella Diallo filed an US$61,000,000 ($20m plus $1m for each shot fired) lawsuit against the City of New York and the officers, charging gross negligence, wrongful death, racial profiling, and other violations of Diallo's civil rights. In March 2004, they accepted a US$3,000,000 settlement. Kadiatou and Sankarella Diallo have remained in the United States thus far. The settlement was one of the highest against the City of New York for a single man with no dependents under New York State's restrictive wrongful death law which limits damages to pecuniary loss by the decedent's next of kin. Anthony H. Gair a partner in the law firm of Gair, Gair, Conason, Steigman & Mackauf, lead counsel for the Diallo family, argued that Federal Common Law should apply pursuant to Section 1983 of the civil rights act. is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Racial profiling, also known as ethnic profiling, is the inclusion of racial or ethnic characteristics in determining whether a person is considered likely to commit a particular type of crime (see Offender Profiling). ... Anthony H. Gair, or Tony Gair, (b. ... Gair, Gair, Conason, Steigman & Mackauf is a law firm located at 80 Pine Street, in the Wall Street financial district of Manhattan, New York City. ...

The shooting death of Diallo also highlighted the presence and plight of West African immigrants (about 50,000 as of 1999) living in New York City. Many are single males who work as street peddlers (as did Diallo) or as employees in wholesale and retail establishments.

In April of 2002, as a result of the killing of Diallo and other controversial actions, the Street Crime Unit was disbanded. Also see: 2002 (number). ... The New York Police Departments Street Crimes Unit is a now-defunct anti-gang unit that gained notoriety after the 1999 killing of Amadou_Diallo. ...

In 2003, Amadou Diallo's mother Kadiatou published a memoir, My Heart Will Cross This Ocean: My Story, My Son, Amadou with the help of author Craig Wolff (ISBN 0-345-45600-9). Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... As a literary genre, a memoir (from the French: mémoire from the Latin memoria, meaning memory) forms a subclass of autobiography, although it is an older form of writing. ... Craig Wolff is a journalist and author. ...

Diallo's death became an issue in the 2005 mayoral election in New York City. Bronx borough president, and mayoral candidate, Fernando Ferrer, who had protested the circumstances of Diallo's death at the time, told a meeting of police sergeants that although the shooting had certainly been a tragedy, there was subsequently a move to "over-indict" the officers involved. This led to criticism of Ferrer by the Diallo family. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Fernando Ferrer Fernando James Freddy Ferrer (born April 30, 1950 in the Bronx, New York) was the Borough President of The Bronx from 1987 to 2001, and was a candidate for Mayor of New York in 2001 and the Democratic Party nominee for Mayor in 2005. ...

Cultural references to Diallo

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details.(September 2007)

In music, Diallo and the shooting incident has been referred to in works by 88 Keys, Aesop Rock, Akon, Anthony David, Army of the Pharaohs, Bambu Station, Beastie Boys, Big Stan, Brothers Keepers, Bruce Springsteen, Capone-N-Noreaga, Cold Duck Complex, Common, Countdown To Putsch, Cunninlynguists, Dead Prez, DMX, Elliott Sharp, Erykah Badu, Fabolous, Greenhouse Effect, Immortal Technique, INDK, Jay-Z, Jedi Mind Tricks, KRS-One, Lauryn Hill, Le Tigre, Leftöver Crack, Mash Out Posse, Mike Ladd, Mischief Brew, Morning Glory, Mos Def, Northern State, Organized Noise, Papoose, Paris (rapper), Pharoahe Monch, Public Enemy (band), Rage Against the Machine, Ras Mykkal, Roni Size, Roy Campbell, Spooks, State Radio, Talib Kweli, Terry Callier, Trivium, Shyne, Wyclef Jean, Youssou N'Dour, Zack de la Rocha and Ziggy Marley. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Aesop Rock (born Ian Matthias Bavitz on 1976-05-11) is an American hip hop artist. ... Kishan Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Badara Akon Thiam,[1][2] often going by the shorter Aliaune Thiam[3] (born October 14, 1981),[4] and better known by his stage name Akon, is an American R&B singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. ... Anthony David is Professor of Cognitive neuropsychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, part of Kings College London. ... Army of the Pharaohs is a Hip Hop supergroup originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed by Jedi Mind Tricks emcee Vinnie Paz in 1998. ... Beastie Boys is a hip hop musical group from New York City, consisting of Michael Mike D Diamond, Adam MCA Yauch, Adam Ad-Rock Horovitz and the official DJ for the group Michael Mix Master Mike Schwartz. ... Big Stan is an upcoming film directed by and starring Rob Schneider and slated for wide release sometime in 2008. ... Brothers Keepers is a German-based transnational anti-racism project, bringing together hip hop, reggae and soul musicians, headed primarily by Afro-Germans. ... “Springsteen” redirects here. ... Capone-N-Noreaga (C-N-N for short) is an East Coast hip hop duo that consists of Capone (Kiam Holley - born in 8 February 1976) and Noreaga (Victor Santiago - born in 6 September 1976). ... Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Dead Prez is a critically acclaimed underground hip-hop duo of alternative rappers stic. ... Earl Simmons (born on December 18, 1970), better known by his stage name, DMX, is an American rapper and actor who rose to popularity in the late-1990s. ... Elliott Sharp (born 1951) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer who has personified the avant-garde experimental music scene in New York City for over thirty years. ... Erykah Badu (born Erica Abi Wright, February 26, 1971, in Dallas, Texas) is an American neo-soul, R&B/hip hop artist whose work crosses over into jazz. ... Johnathan David Jackson (born November 18, 1979[1]), better known as Fabolous, is an American rapper from the New York City borough of Brooklyn. ... Wikinews has related news: Scientists warn thawing Siberia may trigger global meltdown A schematic representation of the exchanges of energy between outer space, the Earths atmosphere, and the Earth surface. ... Felipe Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known as Immortal Technique, is a hip hop MC and political activist. ... From the ashes of the political ska punk band Choking Victim, came two bands. ... Jay-Z (aka the Jigga, HOV and Hova, born Shawn Carter on December 4, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper/hip hop artist and record label executive; one of the most popular and successful rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s. ... Star Wars, see Jedi mind trick. ... KRS-One (born Lawrence Krisna Parker on August 20, 1965 in Brooklyn, New York. ... Lauryn Noel Hill-Marley (born May 25, 1975) is an American vocalist, singer, rapper, musician, record producer and film actress. ... Le Tigre (album) Le Tigre (shirt) Le Tigre is a feminist electro post-punk band formed in 1998 by Kathleen Hanna. ... Leftöver Crack is a political ska-core band that emerged following the breakup of the ska punk band Choking Victim around the year 2000. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Mike Ladd is a hip-hop MC and producer. ... Mischief Brew is a band from Philadelphia which plays Acoustic folk and anarcho-punk music. ... Morning Glory is one of the many bands to spawn from Choking Victim, led by Ezra Crack. ... Mos Def (born Dante Terrell Smith on December 11, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.), is an American rapper and actor. ... Northern State are an all-white female rap group from New York. ... Organized Noize is a successful Atlanta-based American record production company made up of Rico Wade, Ray Murray, and Patrick Sleepy Brown. ... Papoose (b. ... Paris hails from the San Francisco Bay Area and was catapulted onto the national scene in 1990 with his hit single The Devil Made Me Do It and album of the same name, after earning a degree in economics from University of California-Davis. ... Pharoahe Monch (born Troy Donald Jamerson on October 31, 1972) is an American hip hop artist from Queens, NY. He is known for his complex delivery and multi-syllabic rhyme schemes. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... Rage Against the Machine (also Rage and RATM) is a Grammy Award-winning American rock band, noted for their blend of hip hop, heavy metal, punk and funk as well as their revolutionary politics and lyrics. ... Roni Size (b. ... Roy Campbell is the name of: a South African poet a jazz musician a character in the Metal Gear series of video games. ... The Spooks is a music band ranging from hip hop to R&B. Their music revolves around social, personal and political issues. ... State Radio is a rock band formed by former Dispatch member Chad Urmston in 2002 after Dispatch announced their indefinite hiatus (after about two years on hiatus, the band announced a break-up and a final show). ... Talib Kweli (born Talib Kweli Greene in Brooklyn, New York City on October 3, 1975) is an American MC from Brooklyn, New York. ... Terry Callier (born 24 May 1945) is an American Jazz, Soul and Folk guitarist singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. ... For any other uses, see Trivium. ... Moses Michael Leviy (born Jamal Barrow on November 8, 1978), best known as Shyne, is a Belizean rapper. ... Nelust Wyclef Jean (IPA: ) (born October 17, 1972) is a Haitian-American rapper, guitarist, producer, and member of the hip hop trio The Fugees. ... Youssou NDour Youssou NDour (born October 1, 1959 in Dakar) is a Senegalese singer. ... Zacarías Manuel Zack de la Rocha (born January 12, 1970 in Long Beach, California) is a heavy metal vocalist, rapper, musician, poet, and activist, and is best known as the lead singer and lyricist of Rage Against the Machine. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

In books and poetry, there are references in works by Dave Eggers, Malcolm Gladwell, Jeffrey McDaniel, Inga Muscio, Ross Gay, Mumia Abu-Jamal and Bassey Ikpi. Dave Eggers at the 2005 Hay Festival Dave Eggers (born March 12, 1970) is an American writer, editor, and publisher. ... Malcolm Gladwell Malcolm Gladwell (born September 1, 1963) is a United Kingdom-born, Canadian-raised journalist now based in New York City who has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. ... Jeffrey McDaniel (born 1967 in Philadelphia) is a slam poet who has performed in diverse locations such as Lollapalooza 1994, the National Poetry Slam, the Globe in Prague and the Moscow Writers Union. ... Inga Muscio is a third wave feminist writer and public speaker. ... Ross Gay is an American poet whose poems have been published in several magazines and journals. ... Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook April 24, 1954[3]) is a former Black Panther Party activist, cab driver and journalist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania convicted for the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981. ...

In film and television, there are references in 25th Hour, Phone Booth, Double Take, The Awful Truth, NYPD Blue, Law & Order, The Boondocks (TV series), Film School (TV series), and Children of Men. This article is about the film. ... Movie poster of Phone Booth Phone Booth is a 2002 movie about a man who is trapped in a telephone booth by a sniper. ... Double Take is a 2001 action/comedy film starring Orlando Jones and Eddie Griffin. ... The Awful Truth (1999-2000) was the name of a satirical television show which was directed, written, and hosted by the American film maker Michael Moore, and funded by the British broadcaster Channel 4. ... NYPD Blue was an Emmy Award-winning hour long-running American television police drama set in New York City. ... This article is about the original television series. ... The Boondocks is an American animated television series created by Aaron McGruder based on his comic strip of the same name. ... Children of Men is a 2006 dystopian science fiction film loosely adapted from P.D. James 1992 novel The Children of Men. ...

In other art, there is a reference in a tapestry by William Wiley.

Films

• 2007 - 365 Days Of Marching - The Amadou Diallo Story Directed, Written and Produced by Veronica Keitt

• 2006 - Death of Two Sons. Directed by Micah Schaffer. Produced by Alrick Brown and Micah Schaffer.

See also

• Police brutality
• Racial profiling
• Civil rights
• Johnny Gammage
• Rodney King
• Abner Louima
• Anthony Gair
• Sean Bell
• Ousmane Zongo
• Patrick Dorismond [1]

David Kirkwood on the ground after being struck by police batons Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers and other law enforcement officers. ... Racial profiling, also known as ethnic profiling, is the inclusion of racial or ethnic characteristics in determining whether a person is considered likely to commit a particular type of crime (see Offender Profiling). ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... Johnny Gammage was a black motorist who died on October 12, 1995, after being stopped for driving erratically by police from the nearly all-white Pittsburgh suburbs of Brentwood, Baldwin Borough and Whitehall in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. ... Rodney King Rodney Glen King (born April 2, 1965 in Sacramento, California) is an African-American taxi driver who was violently arrested by officers of the LAPD (Ofc. ... Abner Louima (b. ... Anthony H. Gair, or Tony Gair, (b. ... Sean Bell, his fiancee Nicole Paultre, and their daughter For the actor, see Sean Bell (actor). ... Ousmane Zongo (1960-May 22, 2003) in Burkina Faso) was an African arts trader from Burkina Faso living in New York City. ... Patrick J. Dorismond (1974-2000) was the father of two children, an off-duty security guard and a Haitian immigrant who was killed by an undercover New York Police Department officer on the evening of March 15, 2000. ...

References

External links

• The Amadou Diallo Educational, Humanitarian and Charity Foundation.
• Complete Diallo case coverage at CourtTV.com
• A satirical article from the parody newspaper The Onion which criticizes the actions of the NYPD and the official response of the New York government can be found at TheOnion.com.