Amadou Diallo would not have wanted this. But the case is still used as a primer of police violence against minorities.
Rape is also up.
Many, including this columnist, believe homicides are rising because the NYPD is less aggressive in hunting down dangerous criminals. Let's look at the changing landscape. Before the Diallo killing, members of the plainclothes SCU roamed the city streets after dark looking for people carrying illegal guns. In fact, the SCU confiscated tens of thousands of guns, but in doing so angered some in the poorer neighborhoods. The anger stemmed primarily from the SCU's tactic of patting down suspicious-looking individuals.