Harlem mourns African immigrant
The body of Ousmane Zongo was returned to
Africa on June 7. The 35-year-old Burkina Faso immigrant had
been executed without trial May 22 by New York City undercover
police officer Bryan Conroy. His "crime"--being in a building
where counterfeit CDs were allegedly being sold. He was working
in the large warehouse, repairing African crafts and drums. He
used his earnings to buy books and medicine for his village
back home.
Like fellow West African immigrant Amadou Diallo, who was
gunned down by police on Feb. 4, 1999, Zongo was unarmed and
had no police record. Police admit he was not involved in any
illegal activity.
Zongo's funeral on June 6 was preceded by a militant
procession through the streets of Harlem from the Francisco
Funeraria to Al Aqsa mosque. The sermon was given in Arabic,
Mandingo, French and English. At the funeral home
African-American community leader and 2004 presidential
candidate Rev. Al Sharpton pointed out that the cops "who came
with guns drawn were not looking for guns or drugs but for
counterfeit CDs. They are sending the message that our lives
are worth less than property."
--Bill Cecil
Reprinted from the June 26, 2003, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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