Assa Traoré has spent the last four years demanding justice for her brother, Adama. 'She's ... shining the spotlight on the police violence and injustices that we face every day,' says a supporter.
Assa Traoré addresses a crowd during a demonstration in Persan, France, to commemorate the fourth anniversary of her brother Adama Traoré's death."The fight for justice for Adama belongs to all of France," she says.Assa Traoré addresses a crowd during a demonstration in Persan, France, to commemorate the fourth anniversary of her brother Adama Traoré's death."The fight for justice for Adama belongs to all of France," she says.
Now she has become an icon in France. In a gritty neighborhood around the Gare du Nord train station in the north of Paris, people recognize her and stop her in the street to thank her for what she's doing. She tells NPR she couldn't watch the video showing police kneeling on George Floyd's neck because it would have been like watching her own brother die.
Assa Traoré speaks at a demonstration to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the death of her brother Adama Traoré, in Persan, France."Adama was asphyxiated when three gendarmes threw him to the ground face-down and put their full weight on his back," she says."It was the day of his 24th birthday. He wore his Bermuda shorts and a flowered shirt and cap. He just wanted to go out and be free and enjoy a bike ride on his birthday.
The medical experts disputed the official ruling. But progress was slow. Her protest movement never caught on beyond a core group of supporters. "For the last four years, she has traveled the country doing a sort of Tour de France of troubled neighborhoods," he says."She would speak with families, with mothers, with young guys. She would visit to settle a fight between two gangs or if a young guy had been killed. She would stay all night to help people and to give advice about lawyers. She has this very, very strong political desire to get connected with people.
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