Amadou Diallo was a 23 year old student from Liberia who was shot by a NYC special police unit while reaching for his wallet in 1999. The officers were acquitted of all charges. .
Amadou Diallo
New York City, shot him 19 times
they get away with murder
it oughtta be a capital crime
after midnight
four white cops from the elite corps
and Amadou Diallo
standing in his own front door
Amadou Diallo
he was a West African man
they said he looked suspicious
he had somethin’ in his hand
it was his wallet
they put the trial up in Albany
where the police have more friends
they said it was a big mistake
and they’d never let it happen again
his mother cryin’
in a far off lonesome place
she came to see justice done
what she got was a slap in the face
gunslingers
walkin’ on the side of the law
some have a real short fuse
and that can be a fatal flaw
if you fit the description
they might want to see you dance
Amadou Diallo
he never had a chance
there’s a woman in the harbor
and she’s carrying a burning light
but it’s gettin’ hard to see it now
there’s gonna be a storm tonight
don’t you hear the thunder
don’t you feel that river run
someone ask a question, someone give an answer
somethin’s gotta be done
everybody’s talkin’
somethin’ on everybody’s mind
Amadou Diallo
it oughtta be a capital crime
Relesaed on The Time Is Now, 2022
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