Blue Lines, Shaded in Black and Brown: The Diallo Shooting, Race and Politics.

When Amadou Diallo was shot and killed by four NYPD officers, judicial blame focused on the men who held the guns that night. Although eventually acquitted, the officers embodied thick dynamics of race and politics that were left unrevealed and untouched by criminal justice proceedings. The paper delineates the many strands of culture, racism, politics, and organizational interaction that resulted in the death of a young African immigrant at the hands of four white police officers. Told through transcripts of interviews with policemen, defense attorneys, political figures, and members of the community, the story of the Diallo tragedy suggests directions for addressing the problem of police killings of young men of color across the country. The paper draws on research currently in process of publication by Syracuse University Press. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]