Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the Feb. 10, 2000
issue of Workers World newspaper
-------------------------'Justice for Diallo'
Hundreds rally in Albany, N.Y., as jury selection begins
Special to Workers World
Albany, N.Y.
Hundreds of people rallied in a snowy park across from the county courthouse here Jan. 31 on the first day of jury selection in the trial of four members of the New York Police Department charged with the shooting death of Amadou Diallo.
Diallo was killed after being hit by 19 of 41 bullets fired at him by police in the Bronx last Feb. 4. The unprovoked attack on the young, unarmed West African immigrant has shone an international spotlight on racism and police brutality in the United States.
The Jan. 31 rally, organized by the Capital Region Justice for Diallo Committee, was one of many protests scheduled for Albany after the trial of the four cops was moved here from the Bronx. The trial venue changed after the courts upheld the claim by defense lawyers for the four white police officers that their clients couldn't get a fair trial in the Bronx.
"White supremacy is the issue in this case," said Vickie Smith, co-chair of the committee. "The change of venue, from a district with a significant people of color jury pool and a Black woman judge, to a district with an overwhelmingly white jury pool and all white judges, was a signal to people of color that if you play by the rules and gain some representation, the system will change the rules.
"A change of venue is almost never done for anyone," she pointed out. "This kind of unfairness, creating a police force above the law and beyond accountability, endangers not only people of color communities but all communities."
Inside the courthouse, the cops' lawyers used their peremptory challenges to block three prospective Black jurors. The prosecution excused seven white men.
In a red herring to cover their own actions, the defense lawyers claimed that the challenges to the seven white men showed that the prosecution was using race to exclude white jurors. But the prosecutor pointed out that many of their peremptory challenges would be white male jurors since that is who predominates in the jury pool.
"This is not the Bronx," lead prosecutor Eric Warner noted. He countered that the dismissal of the three Black jurors was "blatantly discriminatory on race."
In response, Judge Joseph Teresi agreed to seat two of the excluded African American jurors--both women.
Outside the court, a wide range of groups and individuals have united to demonstrate their outrage over the killing of Diallo and the racist change of venue.
Organizations represented on the committee include: the African Center, Inc., the Albany and Saratoga NAACP, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Campus Action, Prison Families of New York, Empire State Pride Agenda, Feminist Action Network, Free Mumia Committee of Albany, International Action Center/Millions for Mumia, A Fund for Women, Dismantling Racism Project, the Albany County and Capital District Greens, Alliance for Democracy, Holding Our Own, In Our Own Voices, Social Justice Center and the Women's Building.
The committee also works in partnership with People's Justice 2000 in New York, and other groups protesting police violence and racism.
Despite an overnight sleet storm, activists traveled to Albany from New York, from cities in New Jersey and Connecticut, and from nearby cities and campuses in upstate New York. They stood for several hours in Academy Park, in eight inches of fresh snowfall, to hear a wide range of rally speakers call for unity in the struggle against racism and police brutality.
Speakers included Diallo's parents Saikou Diallo and Kadiatou Diallo; the Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network; Barbara Smith, a Black lesbian feminist author, activist and leader in the committee; Colia Clark, long-time civil-rights activist and organizer from the Albany Free Mumia Committee; Terry Melvin of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists; Norman Siegel, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union; Richie Perez of People's Justice 2000; and Leslie Feinberg, transgender lesbian activist and co-founder of Rainbow Flags for Mumia.
The next Albany protest is scheduled for Feb. 4. For more information, readers can contact the Capital District Committee at (800) 583-3388.
This article is copyright under a Creative Commons License.
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