United States
Mother of Mohamed Bah, police reform advocate
Hawa Bah immigrated to the United States from Guinea, with her son, Mohamed Bah. On September 25, 2012, Hawa Bah called an ambulance for her son, who was in physical and emotional distress. The NYPD officers arrived before the paramedics. While Mrs. Bah pleaded with them, the Emergency Services Unit of the NYPD forced their way into Mohamed Bah's Harlem apartment, with their guns drawn. They show Mohamed eight times as he lay on the ground. The officers claimed that Mohamed was going to harm them. Judge Kevin Castel found no evidence to this claim in 2017. Since that night, Mrs. Bah has been advocating against police brutality and fighting the NYPD head on. In 2018, after a six-year battle, a Manhattan federal judge awarded the Bah family a $2.2 million jury award. Hawa Bah continues to advocate for police reform and an end to police brutality.
