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Letters to the Editor

Diallo verdict newsworthy

On Feb. 25, the American judicial system acquitted the police officers allegedly involved in the killing of African immigrant, Amadou Diallo. White police officers, who were looking for a rapist, fired 41 times at the unarmed Diallo and killed him with 19 of those shots. I was very disappointed by the fact that the 'Prince' did not cover this nationally publicized story in its Feb. 28 edition. This was an important ruling, and I would expect that this event would have caught the eyes of the editors or reporters at the 'Prince.' I think the 'Prince' should definitely be more aware of news that concerns the minority community on this campus.

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Many people claim that the police officers were not racially motivated in killing Diallo, but I challenge you to think again. Why was Diallo suspected of rape? The police officers assumed he was the suspect because he was black. Fearing that Diallo would pull out a gun, the officers had no inhibitions before shooting him 41 times. Of course, Diallo was going to try to defend himself. Of course. He was guilty, right? Wrong.

Amadou Diallo was not the rape suspect; he was just another black man. He could have been my brother. He could have been my father. I am deeply saddened by the murder and even more saddened that the police officers on trial did not even receive probation for excessive use of force. Diallo was just another black man in the wrong place at the wrong time, and these white officers were just doing their job, right?

I am not writing this letter in an effort to exacerbate existing racial tensions or start a race riot. Please don't get me wrong, but I think there is ample justification for my concern for the lives of my black brothers. There was a grave injustice done to Amadou Diallo and his family in both the crime and the officers' acquittal. No one, black or white, should ever suffer in such a way. All I ask is that we stand up to injustices like these and inform people about them so that no one will suffer like Diallo and his family have suffered. Tresha Edwards '02

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