It's Springsteen's song about Amadou Diallo, a 23 year old immigrant from Guinea gunned down by plain-clothes New York City Cops. 41 shots. He was reaching for his wallet. And died in a hail of bullets. He was hit by 19.
"Diallo was unarmed, and a firestorm of controversy erupted subsequent to the event as the circumstances of the shooting prompted outrage both within and outside New York City. Issues such as police brutality, racial profiling, and contagious shooting were central to the ensuing controversy."
And there's this: "All four officers were charged with second-degree murder and acquitted at trial in Albany, New York.[1]"
What can you say?! That's an American Story. Sad to say.
"Diallo was unarmed, and a firestorm of controversy erupted subsequent to the event as the circumstances of the shooting prompted outrage both within and outside New York City. Issues such as police brutality, racial profiling, and contagious shooting were central to the ensuing controversy."
And there's this: "All four officers were charged with second-degree murder and acquitted at trial in Albany, New York.[1]"
What can you say?! That's an American Story. Sad to say.
In New York this song was quite controversial. The Fraternal Order of Police claimed Springsteen was "a floating fag," (whatever that means) and he was greeted with boos when he first performed the song with the E Street Band.
Bruce was reminded that stepping into America's "race thing," is always controversial. It was then, it is now.
"Black Lives Matter," right? People were pissed just because Bruce wrote a song, and suggested that there were at least two sides to the story. And really a Black Man was gunned down for no reason. Bruce said the best comment he heard about it all, was from an elderly Black Woman, "People don't like to hear the truth."
Ain't it the truth? Great song... sad... true...