The Amadou Diallo shooting yesterday dogged Mayor Giuliani through the
halls of Congress, where he was heckled and challenged to defend his
record on police brutality.
Before the mayor had a chance to speak at a House hearing on drug
policy, a spectator shouted, "Remember Amadou Diallo, 22 years old,
gunned down and killed.
The man left peacefully on the order of Rep. John Mica (R-Pa.), but not
before saying, "You can't change what I think, cracker."
Giuliani then traded charges with Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) over the
killing of the unarmed West African immigrant Feb. 4 by police, and over
the mayor's taking credit for the city's drop in crime.
"Your voice has not been a loud one" in calling for police
accountability, Meeks told Giuliani, citing the shooting of Diallo by
police who fired 41 times, and the stationhouse torture of Abner
Louima in 1997.
Meeks also cited FBI statistics indicating that the decline in city
crime had begun during the administration of Giuliani's predecessor,
David Dinkins.
While Giuliani was defending the Police Department in the Capitol,
members of his now-disbanded Task Force on Police-Community Relations
urged the city to take a closer look at their recommendations.
"We believe there may be serious consequences for all New Yorkers if
public trust and confidence in our police is not restored," they said in
a memo to the mayor.
One of them, City Councilwoman Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan), said
Giuliani had refused to meet with the task force on the Louima case.
Quinn said the mayor's response left her "forever skeptical of my
ability to work with this mayor or to take him at his word."
Meanwhile, a Bronx grand jury investigating the Diallo case met for a
sixth day. A block away, 400 angry protesters led by the Rev. Al
Sharpton repeated demands that the four plainclothes cops involved be
arrested.
"What we need to do is suspend these officers today," Sharpton said.
"Take their badges. Take their guns. Bring them up here today to be
arraigned on charges of killing Amadou Diallo."
