Mother of man slain by police to speak at University of Florida

October 27, 2005

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The mother of an innocent man who was shot and killed by four New York City police officers will speak Tuesday at the University of Florida about her experience.

Kadiatou Diallo’s son, Amadou Diallo, a 22-year-old immigrant from Guinea, was shot 19 times on Feb. 4, 1999, while reaching for his wallet, which police officers mistook for a gun. She will speak at 6 p.m. in the President’s Ballroom of Emerson Alumni Hall. Her speech is sponsored by the Institute of Black Culture, African-American Studies, African Studies, the Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations, Fredric G. Levin College of Law and Student Government ACCENT.

“Recent cases of alleged police brutality like that of the man beaten in New Orleans or of Devin Davis right here in Gainesville and the recent dismal report by the Justice Department on racial profiling show that these are still prevalent issues within our society that need to be discussed,” said Darius Bost, director of the Institute of Black Culture.

New York police officers alleged the incident was a case of mistaken identity because they were looking for a suspected rapist who also was black. There was an immediate outcry from New York City residents who thought this was a case of police brutality and racial profiling. The police officers, who are white, were later acquitted of all charges.

Following the acquittal, Ms. Diallo sued the police and the City of New York. She settled out of court for $3 million in 2004. Since her son’s tragic death, she has opened the Amadou Diallo Foundation which provides educational programs on how to improve relations between communities and police.

In addition to Ms. Diallo’s address, a discussion will be facilitated by representatives from the UF and Gainesville police departments, Levin College of Law, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Amnesty International. The panelists will give a brief synopsis of their perspectives. Questions from the audience and discussion will follow.

For more details, contact Bost at (352) 392-1261, ext. 250.