Springsteen upsets cops with Diallo song
By Norm Dixon
"Standing on the stage at Madison Square Garden momentarily shrouded in darkness, Bruce Springsteen sang the words '41 shots' nine times last night. The words begin his new song deploring the killing of Amadou Diallo by four police officers.
"The crowd grew silent, then rose in applause, as Mr. Springsteen began to sing. Scattered boos were quickly enveloped in the cries of 'Bruce!'", reported the New York Times on June 13.
The "Boss" was performing his new song "American Skin", which has provoked howls of outrage from New York City's cops. The song refers to the killing by an elite squad of plainclothes cops of an innocent, unarmed African immigrant on the doorstep of his home.
The four police fired 41 shots at Diallo, at least 19 of which struck him. The police claimed they thought the wallet in his hand was a gun. The cops were acquitted of murder in February. The song includes the words: "You can get killed just for living in your American skin" and "Is it a gun? Is it a knife? Is it a wallet? This is your life."
NYC Police Commissioner Howard Safir and NY Mayor Rudolph Giuliani Safir have criticised the song. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association urged NYPD officers to refuse to provide security at Springsteen's concerts. "He's turned into some type of fucking dirt bag", belched Bob Lucente, president of the New York state chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest US police organisation.
Springsteen has not recorded the song. He first performed it on June 4 in Atlanta. Diallo's mother, Kadiatou Diallo, praised the song as a sign that people cared about her son.