NEW YORK (AP) -- A piece of a door, purportedly the one an unarmed African immigrant was standing in front of when he was shot 41 times by police, has been put up for auction on the Internet site eBay.
The seller, Jared November, said the section of wood is part of the front door from Amadou Diallo's apartment building. The fragment includes the handle and locking mechanism, and bears graffiti reading "RIP Amadou Diallo" and "Never Again."
The initial asking price when the auction began Monday was $41,000, or $1,000 for each of the 41 shots four officers fired at Diallo two years ago. He was hit 19 times. As of midday Wednesday there had been no bids.
Diallo's parents told The New York Times that they wanted no part of the eBay auction, which they say has infuriated them. Their lawyers said they would demand that the auction site remove the listing.
An eBay spokesman, Kevin Pursglove, said the company would remove the item from sale if the Diallo family's attorney called to object or if the building owner claimed it was his property.
Otherwise, Pursglove said, eBay intends to allow the item to remain listed for sale.
The officers said they fired at Diallo when they saw what they thought was a gun. It turned out to be his wallet.
The four officers were acquitted last year of criminal charges, and a police internal affairs panel decided last week not to discipline them. They still face an $81 million civil lawsuit filed by the Diallo family.
November said he salvaged the piece from the trash after hearing in February 2000 that the door had been removed. He decided to sell it after the officers were cleared of departmental charges. Police said Wednesday they did not know who removed the door.
The item's description on eBay says half the auction's proceeds would be given to the Diallo family toward the purchase of the building where Diallo was shot. Diallo's father, Saikou, had said that he hoped to buy the building and convert it into a community center.
It was not clear if the building remained on the market Wednesday. A woman who identified herself only as the owner's wife said by phone that she was not sure of its status.
Saikou Diallo told Newsday that he didn't want November's help and said the eBay auction infuriated him. "We don't need that money," he said.
