Giuliani racism, homophobia backfires
City eases charges on gay activists
By Sarah
Sloan
New York
Unity among the forces opposing police brutality here has
stopped the city's attempt to single out the "Diallo 7," a
group of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and AIDS activists arrested
for their civil disobedience while protesting the police
killing of Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo.
Protests expressing the outrage of thousands followed the
Feb. 4 killing of Diallo by four white New York cops.
Demonstrations over a period of three months included a
25,000-strong march across the Brooklyn Bridge and a series of
civil-disobedience actions in which over 1,200 people were
arrested.
One such protest took place Feb. 22, when 1,000 people
gathered at City Hall. In the first civil-disobedience action
in response to the killing, a group of activists blocked
traffic on Broadway by chaining themselves to police
barricades. As they were arrested, the rally leaders led the
crowd in chanting support.
The city was forced to drop charges against all 1,200 of the
people who were subsequently arrested in a massive
civil-disobedience campaign initiated by the Rev. Al Sharpton.
But seven lesbian and gay activists who had been arrested on
Feb. 22 were singled out. Instead of dropping the charges,
District Attorney Robert Morgenthau charged them with
disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
They faced up to one year in jail, three years' probation,
$1,000 in fines, and/or community service so severe that it
would result in losing jobs. This is far more than the standard
and expected charge from a civil-disobedience action in New
York.
These targeted activists are well known to Mayor Rudolph
Giuliani, his administration, and his cops. They have been
involved in organizing against the anti-gay mayor's
hypocritical appearances at the Pride parade; they have also
worked in housing-rights, anti-racist and anti-police brutality
struggles.
Some of the Diallo 7 had also been among the organizers of
the Oct. 19, 1998, political funeral for Matthew Shepard, the
college student killed in an anti-gay attack in Laramie, Wyo.
Police attacked that Oct. 19 march of 10,000 people and
arrested over 120 demonstrators.
Emily Winkelstein, a spokesperson for the Diallo 7,
described them to Workers World as "seven queer activists who
consistently challenge the mayor and his administration."
The activists and their lawyer at first feared the trial
would go badly. In a May 1999 news release, Matt
Bernstein-Sycamore, one of the Diallo 7, said, "The D.A. is
using our case to further the divide-and-conquer tactics of the
racist Giuliani administration."
But the city backed off the charges after the activists
announced a news conference with the Rev. Al Sharpton as the
featured speaker. Sharpton announced his support for the
activists.
He said that all 1,200 of those arrested for protesting
Diallo's killing would clog the court testifying on behalf of
the targeted activists.
The Diallo 7 have now been offered an adjournment
contemplating dismissal, which is what they had expected
initially. This means that if they are not arrested in the next
six months, the charges will be removed from their records.
Winkelstein said that the Diallo 7 consider Sharpton's
participation instrumental. Sharpton's support demonstrated the
solidarity that exists amongst diverse communities and leaders.
"The district attorney saw that the community was really behind
them. ... It was really the power of the people," said
Winkelstein.
This article is copyright under a Creative Commons License.
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