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Editorial: After the verdict

By The Times/Ledger

The one thing certain from day one of the trial of the four policemen who killed Amadou Diallo was that the eventual verdict would resolve nothing. The tragic killing of Diallo has left the city deeply divided and has broadened the chasm between the Police Department and the minority community.

On Friday, the jury delivered a verdict of not guilty on all counts. Not surprisingly the verdict has inspired frustration and anguish among people who believed that the four officers must be punished. Those who already mistrusted the justice system are now more convinced than ever that for minorities and especially African Americans there is no justice in New York.

The ironic truth is that, despite the killing of Diallo in the Bronx, the use of deadly force by members of the NYPD has been greatly reduced citywide. The precincts of southeast Queens are safer today than they have been in 30 years. No matter what some activists would have you believe, it is not “open season” on young black men in New York City.

The tragedy of the Diallo killing will only be compounded if it results in the police, and especially the Street Crimes Unit, taking a less aggressive posture in the minority community. It is not the bullet of the police officer that causes mothers in Springfield Gardens or Laurelton to tremble when their teenage children are on the streets after dark. We have come a long way, but in parts of southeast Queens cigarettes and donuts are still served from behind the safety of bulletproof glass. In the 113th Precinct on the weekend before the Diallo verdict, three people were murdered in as many days. Anyone who says that the community is not indebted to the courage of police officers who risk their lives to get violent criminals and their guns off our streets is deluded.

Now that the trial is over, the community must work with the NYPD to reduce the chances that such a tragedy will be repeated. Too many police officers live on Long Island far from the realities of life in the inner city. The city must recruit more minority candidates and the NYPD should make certain that future SCU teams reflect the diversity of this city.

In addition, the NYPD should spare no expense in training the officers who prowl the night in high crime areas. But sadly none of this will guarantee against future tragedy. In the wake of the Diallo trial, the minority community should renew its efforts to maintain good lines of communication with the police.

Too many guns

Speaking of tragedies that never should have happened,.last month a Springfield Gardens father returned unexpectedly to his home in midday. The man heard noise coming from a closet in an upstairs bedroom. He ordered the intruder to come out and, when he didn't, the father shot through the closet door.

It was only then that he learned that the noises were coming from his son and a friend who were cutting classes. The second boy was critically wounded and the father was devastated.

Despite the fact that accidental shootings are far from uncommon, the NRA continues to argue that the best defense against crime is to arm the honest citizen. There is at least one distraught dad in Springfield Gardens who knows this is a lie. Statistics show that the untrained citizen is far more likely to kill someone by accident than he or she is to successfully use a pistol to protect his or her home. To this day there are too many guns in Queens and too many opportunities for new tragedies.