Censorship WebQuest

Bruce Springsteen

Description

You are Bruce Springsteen. When you heard about the New York City 
police shooting of African immigrant Amadou Diallo, you were upset. He 
was an innocent man coming home from work who was mistakenly 
profiled as a criminal that the police were looking for.  The police 
thought he had a gun in his hand but it was really his wallet. So they 
shot and killed him. You were even more upset to find out that between 
the four officers that shot Diallo, 41 shots were fired, 19 of them hitting 
Diallo. Then, when you found out that all four of the officers were cleared 
of any wrongdoing, you felt that you had to do something and you 
wanted to express the way you felt about it.  That's when you wrote the 
song, "American Skin." Although you have received a lot of criticism for 
the song, you strongly believe in the message of the song and you feel 
you have the right to sing about it if you choose to.

Internet Links

This article is in support of Springsteen's song and his right to sing it. 
The article also discusses the actions taken by the Police organization 
in New York (PBA), and has quote from several different people involved.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/jun2000/spri-j15.shtml

This article talks about the implications of the Amadou Diallo shooting 
and Springsteen's song.
http://www.geocities.com/cpa_blacktown/20000628springwwnus.htm

This article uses sarcasm to make a point about censorship, including 
the attempt to censor Springfield.
http://www.ccchronicle.com/back/2001-01-08/opinions3/html

This is a website about Bruce Springsteen. Click on 'News,' then scroll 
down until you see, New "American Skin" Controversy. There are also 
links to other articles within this one.
http://www.backstreets.com/news.html

Other Resources

Just because this is a WebQuest doesn't mean that the students 
should be limited to using the web for resources.  Think of other 
resources for this role or perspective and list them here.

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