'Radical' podcast investigates what really happened during a shootout in Atlanta's West End
A new investigative podcast is centering on a prominent Atlanta civil rights activist who was convicted of murder and efforts to re-examine his case decades later.
The series called “Radical” is a dive into the life of Jamil Al-Amin, a Black Muslim who was a beacon in Atlanta’s West End community.
On March 16, 2000, Fulton Sheriff’s deputies were trying to serve a warrant on Al-Amin at a local mosque. A shootout followed and left a Fulton County Sheriff’s deputy dead. Another officer who survived claimed the shooter was Al-Amin.
While many people testified on Al-Amin’s behalf, including former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, the now 80-year-old Al-Amin was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Hosting the podcast is journalist Mosi Secret, a former New York Times and ProPublica reporter. Secret sat down with WABE’s “Morning Edition” and began the conversation by talking about why Al-Amin’s case generated both local and national attention.
Lily Oppenheimer contributed to this report.