The significance of Amadou Diallo's tragic death has not been limited to New York City.  National media like the Christian Science Monitor have called the victim "a national symbol of a perceived police racism that assumes black males to be dangerous."

Yet unlike the response to the acquittals in the Rodney King beating, the aftermath of the Diallo verdict has been mostly peaceful -- in spite of widespread feelings of outrage.  The reason?  Protesters are placing their hopes in the hands of the U.S. Government.

Following the King acquittals, the US Department of Justice filed federal civil rights charges against the four white officers involved, leading to convictions of two of the men.  This wasn't "Double Jeopardy," as some critics claimed.  In fact, the Supreme Court has ruled that charges brought under different sovereigns are not considered to be the "same offense."  The same logic that led to federal charges in the King case should be applied today in the Diallo tragedy.

Most people realize the obvious: if Amadou Diallo had been white, he would probably still be alive today.  Yet the issue of race was barely mentioned in the criminal trial.  As attorney Johnnie Cochran said to TIME magazine, "It was like there was a big pink elephant in the room and everyone acted like it wasn't there."

To allow the healing process to begin, citizens must see real justice.  As Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer explained, the acquittals provided "no closure in the case.  "In theory," he said, "all people are equal before the law.  It's hard to make that case in New York [after the verdict]."

Forty-one shots were fired at an unarmed man, and nobody has been held responsible. Convicting the four triggermen would be a significant step toward remembering Amadou Diallo as a symbol of judicial fairness, not police misconduct.