“Unfortunately, Amadou will never get justice and we still feel that there’s not any change,” said Kadiatou Diallo, the mother of the late Amadou Diallo. “Before hashtags, before Twitter, Amadou’s name echoed around the world.”
Twenty years ago this past Monday, 22-year-old Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo was shot and killed by New York Police Department officers. The police, who said they’d mistaken Diallo’s wallet for a gun, fired 41 shots at the unarmed man. Nineteen of those shots hit Diallo.
“As a mother, when my son was killed in this way, I had to cross the ocean to give his story,” said Kadiatou. “Because his story was completely twisted. So every time I speak about Amadou, I want people to know about the life he lived.”
According to Kadiatou, Diallo was passionate about education and was about to enroll in college. He sold wares on the street to help raise money to pay his way through college. Diallo’s journey took him to various African countries and Thailand, where he graduated from high school. After a short stint in Singapore, Diallo made his way to the U.S.
“I want people to understand how a young person of Black skin is portrayed by the media,” said Kadiatou. “I want people to know his background.”
Diallo was killed by NYPD Officers Sean Carroll, Richard Murphy, Edward McMellon and Kenneth Boss. Angered and aggrieved, the community participated in demonstrations around the city, including one where protestors carried a coffin in front of Officer Carroll’s home.
Kadiatou said that she’s still working for a change in the relationship between the police and the Black community, but she knows she’s fighting an uphill battle.
“We didn’t have the change that we were supposed to have because, still, people have been killed and the community is still going through the same things 20 years later. I would hope that in Amadou’s name that we can turn the page. Still, we have many parents who have suffered. Mohammed Bah. Eric Garner. Sean Bell.”
Later in the year, when the officers went to trial, controversy erupted when the court decided to move the trial from New York City to Albany. All the officers were found not guilty on all counts. This led to even more demonstrations, and high school students around the city staged walkouts in the middle of the day to display their distaste for the verdict and for police brutality.
Kadiatou related that her son was the origin of the movement. “His named echoed around the world about injustice, the criminal justice system and everything else,” she said. Even though we did not get a conviction, the Civil Rights Movement didn’t happen overnight. This is the new Civil Rights Movement.”
Last weekend, Kadiatou spoke with children at Bronx Community College during an event commemorating her son’s life. She emphasized the importance of an education to the kids.
“They’re interested in learning,” shared Kadiatou. “I was talking to students who weren’t even born when Amadou was killed.”
Some members of the state legislature are working to make sure that Amadou and the names of others slain by police will not be forgotten.
Working with the families of those slain by police, the New York State Assembly introduced a bill that calls for a special prosecutor focused specifically on police killings in New York. The bill, sponsored by New York State Assemblymember Nick Perry, would create an 11-member commission appointed by New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the state legislature and a chief judge to investigate and recommend sanctions.
But the family members of those killed by police are not satisfied with the bill. In a letter to Cuomo, the coalition expressed disappointment with the special prosecutor proposal laid out in his most recent budget proposal. They called on the governor to stick to what was approved of and work on their behalf to curtail police brutality.
“Your proposed ‘Special Counsel’ would be a major step back from what currently exists through your executive order, and is weaker and narrower than the bill that we support (A.1601-Perry) that has passed out of the Assembly for the past two years,” read the letter. “A special prosecutor for police killings should be responsible for investigating (and if warranted, prosecuting) all killings by police and deaths in police custody. Instead of focusing on all police killings, your proposal says that a special prosecutor can investigate only when a person is unarmed. This is deeply problematic and wrong.”
The letter continued, “We don’t understand why you are calling for a major step back from your own special prosecutor executive order you signed in 2015, and we know that the police reform coalition we are part of has reached out to your counsel to try to have a conversation, with no response. The 2015 executive order empowers the attorney general to investigate cases in which civilians are killed by police—and doesn’t limit the special prosecutor’s authority to just incidents in which the person killed is reportedly unarmed.”
The letter was signed by family members of individuals killed by police in New York State, including Kadiatou Diallo, the parents of Sean Bell, the mothers of Anthony Baez and Eric Garner, and the sisters of Delrawn Small and Yong Xin Huang.
Despite traveling a “long, difficult road,” Kadiatou said that linking up with other families who share similar pain has given her strength.
“We are all working together to not let people forget my son’s legacy. His legacy is the Amadou Diallo Foundation,” said Kadiatou. “We have people who have dreamt of going to college and never having the chance to go on scholarships from the organization. People who are getting the Amadou Diallo Scholarship are keeping his name and legacy alive. We’re working towards stronger laws and demanding action to save our future generations.”
She added, “But Amadou will never get justice.”