Non Profit News (212)558-5438

ldunbar@nul.org

Max Smith

(212)558-5371

msmith@nul.org

STATEMENT BY THE NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE:

DIALLO IS AGAIN DENIED JUSTICE

New York, NY, Feb. 1, 2001–The National Urban League believes there are forty-one justifiable reasons why federal civil rights charges should have been brought against the four police officers in the Amadou Diallo case.

Though the Justice Department has not heeded the wishes of the many concerned Americans throughout our nation who are convinced that on February 4^th, 1999 Amadou Diallo was not only deprived of his life but stripped of his civil rights and the freedom to stand peaceably on his doorstep minding his own business, we remain deeply committed to the struggle against racial profiling and police brutality.

To heal the ever-widening gulf that exists between the black community and police forces throughout our nation, and to rebuild the confidence of African Americans in our justice department and our nation’s police forces, we call upon President Bush and his new attorney general to compel local police departments to reform their policies and practices regarding the recruitment, training and supervision of police officers and the permissible use of firearms, and to make the eradication of racial profiling the number one priority of our nation’s Justice Department.

The Urban League is deeply committed to the struggle against racial injustice, racial profiling and police brutality. We extend our sympathies to the Diallo family.