Dear District Attorney Clark,
I am writing this letter to you to urge you to drop the two counts of assault charges against Mr. Mamadou Diallo.
As a result of the assault charges, Mr. Diallo’s is unable to resume work as a taxi driver, and his family is experiencing immense psychological and financial strain. It is undeniable that the death of Earl Nash was a tragic incident and one that Mr. Diallo had not intended when he ran into his building to the aid of his wife. But as you are well aware, Mr. Diallo is not the only member of his community to suffer from violence and crime.
Our society, especially low-income communities such as Claremont, experience shocking levels of crime on a daily basis because of acute shortages of proper government services, failing public schools and a biased criminal justice system, which targets people of color such as Mr. Diallo, without providing meaningful rehabilitation and re-entry services.
It is a crucial indictment of the broken criminal justice system, which cycled Earl Nash through prisons and probation at least 19 times without addressing a documented history of mental illness. Mr. Diallo and his family have already paid the price for failing incarceration policies of New York City.
I am urging you to exercise mercy and discretion on behalf of Mr. Diallo and his family and allow him to proceed with what preoccupies him the most—providing for his family. I respectfully urge you to drop the assault charges against Mr. Diallo in the soonest, possible time.
Thanking and blessing you and your family.
Yours sincerely,
Sam Disu
Sam Disu added in explanation regarding the above letter.
Dear Friends,
As you are aware, we held the #JusticeForDiallo Solidarity Rally Saturday in Claremont, Bronx. On behalf of those who gathered and others who contributed to the planning, I would like to thank you all for the support.
The rally was just the first of the coming actions we can do before Diallo’s next court date on Sept. 7. I invite you to join us at the courthouse on that date to help drive the message that the public is concerned about the outcome of the legal proceedings against Diallo. We are presently waiting for a meeting with the DA, and if that comes through before the court date, I will update you accordingly.
Before September, we are asking you to participate in this campaign in the following ways:
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Send a letter in support of the family to the DA. This action is very important because mail is a tangible measure of support.
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Sign the petition asking the DA to drop the assault charges so Diallo can resume supporting his family as a taxi driver. Don’t forget to share any of the media article below and join in the conversation on social using #JusticeForDiallo.
Note that we have had good media exposure on Diallo’s case. We can build the momentum by engaging with each other on the case on social media as well as sending a letter in support of the family to the DA.
Thank you all so much for staying vigilant on #JusticeForDiallo. We are building community when we come together.