Every Mother's Son

In the 1990s, three victims of police brutality made headlines around the country: Amadou Diallo, the young West African man whose killing sparked intense public protest; Anthony Baez, killed in an illegal choke-hold; and Gary (Gidone) Busch, a Hasidic Jew shot and killed outside his Brooklyn home. Every Mother's Son profiles the three victims' mothers, who unexpectedly find themselves united to seek justice and transform their grief into an opportunity for profound social change.

Here are the stories of these three brave women, and the sons they continue to fight for:

Iris Baez

Anthony Baez's death sent his mother, Iris -- who had never been an activist -- on a quest to find justice. She launched a grassroots campaign through the Anthony Baez Foundation to educate young people about their constitutional rights. She participated in the publication of Stolen Lives: Killed by Law Enforcement. Ms. Baez, who divides her time between the Bronx, New York, and Orlando, Florida, entered and then withdrew from the race for City Council in 2003, and briefly campaigned in 1997 for the Bronx borough presidency.

Anthony Raymond Baez (1965-1994) Anthony Baez of Orlando, Florida, was placed in an illegal chokehold by a police officer on December 22, 1994, in front of his family's home in the Bronx after the football he was throwing with his brothers accidentally bounced off a squad car. He never recovered. Anthony was visiting his family in New York for the holidays, and was about to begin training to become a police officer.

Kadiatou Diallo

Kadiatou Diallo is the mother of Amadou Diallo who was slain by undercover police officers in 1999. She left Guinea, West Africa to live in the United States after her son was killed. A frequent lecturer, she is the founder of the Amadou Diallo Foundation, which aims to promote racial healing through educational programs. Born in Guinea in 1959, Kadiatou now divides her time between New York City and Rockville, Maryland, where her three younger children -- Laura, 25, Ibrahim, 22, and Abdoul, 20 -- work and attend college. She wrote a book about her experiences, My Heart Will Cross This Ocean: My Story, My Son, Amadou.

Amadou Diallo (1976-1999) While reaching for his wallet, West African immigrant Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times by law enforcement officers on February 4, 1999, in the doorway of his apartment in the Soundview section of the Bronx. He had come to New York City in 1997 and was saving money to go to college and study computer science.

Doris Busch Boskey

Doris Busch Boskey, the mother of Gary Busch who was killed by police in 1999, lives on Long Island, New York, where she raised her three sons, Glenn, Gregg and Gary. Glenn lives in New York and Gregg in Washington, D.C. She continues to seek justice for Gary, and systemic changes as well. She plans to publish Gary's book Songs of a Large Roman City, a collection of his latest poetry, finished just weeks before he was killed, and will write the introduction in order to acquaint readers with who Gary was. She is a divorce consultant and mediator.

Gary (Gidone) Busch (1967-1999) Gary Busch was a Hasidic Jew and Dean's List computer student who lived in Borough Park, Brooklyn, a middle-class Jewish neighborhood. On August 30, 1999, police responding to a disturbance complaint rang Gary's doorbell, interrupting his prayers. Gary, who had opened the door wearing a prayer shawel and holding a ceremonial hammer with religious inscriptions, was hit by 12 bullets from four police officers, and died.