November 27, 2006

Disappointed Diallo ma

"I think this is unbearable"

BY NICOLE BODE - DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Kadiatou Diallo was told of new shooting at screening of a documentary on her son.

Amadou Diallo's mother learned of the latest NYPD shooting in the most ironic of settings: an East Village screening of a documentary about her son's 1999 death at the hands of city cops."I was hoping that after all these years of speaking and marching and protesting to ask about the end of police shootings - like my son was killed - that we would never see such a thing again," Kadiatou Diallo said yesterday about Saturday's shooting death of Sean Bell, 23.

"This is the reason why people should not forget."

She vowed to join with protesters calling for a thorough investigation of the police shooting of Bell and his two friends, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, who remain hospitalized. The three unarmed men were shot by cops outside a Queens strip club after a bachelor party for Bell, who was to be married Saturday.

"They stood with us for Amadou. I will join the community to join our common voices," said Diallo, who lives in Maryland.

Amadou Diallo was 22 when he was shot to death Feb. 4, 1999, by cops who fired 41 bullets as he stood, unarmed, in the doorway of his Bronx apartment. The cops were acquitted of all criminal charges by an Albany jury, but the city later paid the Diallo family $3 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.

Kadiatou Diallo was at Anthology Archives on Saturday afternoon to speak about the documentary, "Death of Two Sons," when a member of the audience told her about Bell's death.

The movie, directed by Micah Schaffer and shown as part of the African Diaspora Film Festival, delves into Amadou Diallo's slaying and the car-crash death of Peace Corps volunteer Jesse Thyne, an American who lived with Diallo's family in Guinea, Africa."As a mother who lost a son in a police shooting, I think this is unbearable," she said yesterday. "It's so sad to see this."

She said she regretted not being able to participate in the rallies across the city yesterday, and planned to contact the Rev. Al Sharpton to lend her support.

She called on police to take responsibility for their actions.

"The NYPD also needs to be reminded that we thank them for the wonderful job they are doing, but they have to help us," Diallo said. "This is why we need to raise awareness, until people at large in all communities will have good policing without killing people."