Diallo Verdict Likely to Heighten Fear of Police Among Haitian Refugees and Immigrants

In the wake of the verdict exonerating from any wrongdoing all four NYC police officers who shot and killed Amadou Diallo on his doorstep, the jury and the prosecutor are each blaming each other for the shocking acquittal. The reality is that Mr. Diallo, a black immigrant from Africa, ended up on trial and was found guilty of the failure to react promptly to the officers’ commands. The presiding judge instructed the jurors to "look at it from the officers’ perspective."

Had the jurors been instructed to look at the killing from an immigrant’s perspective, they might have reached another conclusion. "They would have perhaps realized that immigrants’ verbal and bodily communications can be widely misconstrued by American citizens whose world vision, knowledge and tolerance of other peoples remain rudimentary at best," said Jocelyn McCalla, Executive Director of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights, adding "Mr. Diallo could have been a Haitian refugee."

The verdict does not bode well for New York’s Haitian immigrant and refugee population. Already subjected to harsh punishment under the terms of the 1997 immigration law which mandates automatic detention and deportation for convictions as minor as turnstile jumping, Haitians must now contend with a ruling that, carried to its ultimate conclusion, puts them at the mercy of the police. "Since these officers were not found guilty of negligence or lack of judgment when they pumped 19 bullets into Mr. Diallo’s body (out of 41 fired), their colleagues on the NYC police force may now feel virtually immune from prosecution for lesser infractions and may be emboldened to act regularly with impunity," said Mr. McCalla.

The National Coalition for Haitian Rights joins with others in expressing our sorrow to the Diallo family. While we also join calls for a police department review of the policemen’s actions and a federal civil rights prosecution, we firmly believe that much needs to be done to improve relations between the residents of New York City and its police force. This includes increased community oversight of police activities, more frequent exchanges between the police and its immigrant communities, independent review mechanisms whose conclusions and recommendations must have the force of authority. Additionally, we urge Haitian refugees and immigrants to join with us in demonstrating their support for police reforms, to educate themselves about their rights and obligations in this metropolis and to otherwise become organized to exercise oversight over the force that is supposed to make life in their new home a welcoming one.