Presidents of the Five
Colleges have called on Attorney General Janet Reno to mount an
investigation into possible civil rights abuses in the case of Amadou
Diallo, an unarmed New York City man shot and killed by New York City
police officers last year. Officers fired forty-one bullets at the
African immigrant, hitting him nineteen times as he stood in the
vestibule of his Bronx apartment building. The four police officers
were acquitted of all charges in connection with the shooting on
February 25 in state court in Albany, New York, but many people have
called for a federal investigation to determine whether Diallo's
civil rights were violated. Here is the text of the
letter, dated March 9 and signed by David Scott, chancellor of the
University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Tom Gerety, Gregory Prince,
Jr., Joanne Creighton, and Ruth Simmons, presidents of Amherst,
Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges. "As the presidents of
Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges, and the
chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, we write to
urge you in the strongest possible terms to begin an inquiry into the
possible violation of the civil rights of Amadou Diallo and the
underlying issues such as racial profiling, racism and
police-community relations. The recent jury verdict
acquitting the four New York police officers who shot to death Mr.
Diallo has outraged the students on our campuses, and left them with
questions about justice, civil rights, and racism in the United
States for which we have few good answers. We, therefore, join our
students in seeking answers, which can only come through a thorough
and impartial investigation of racial profiling and racial
assumptions in police work across America. We face a national crisis,
and we need a national commission to investigate community conflict
surrounding law enforcement. The only good that can
possibly come from this tragedy is if an educational purpose is
served for the entire country, and that lessons can be learned from
the result of your investigation. Thank you for considering
this request."
![[Index]](../index3.gif){kind=small}