Families of Those Killed by Police: PRESS CONFERENCE FRIDAY Families of Those Killed by Police Say: “Enough is enough!” What: Press Conference Who: Parents Against Police Brutality Families United 4 Justice Mothers Cry For Justice When: Friday, November 28, 2014, 2PM-4PM Where: In front of the Harlem State Office Building 163 West 125th Street (between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard & Malcolm X Boulevard) In hearing the devastating and sadly unsurprising grand jury decision to not indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, the killer of 18-year old Michael Brown, New York families of those killed by law enforcement say, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.” According to national documentation by Killed by Police, at least 330 people have been killed by U.S. law enforcement since Mike Brown. The Stolen Lives Project has documented at least 265 killed by just the NYPD since Amadou Diallo in 1999, and 133 killed by NYPD since Sean Bell, whose eighth year anniversary was just yesterday. Families of those killed by NYPD relive the nightmare each time someone else’s loved one is killed by law enforcement – the same run-arounds, the same cover-ups, the same denial of justice. For some, the horrors are even more excruciating, as they see the same scenarios play out – the choking death of Eric Garner on Staten Island compelling Iris Baez to relive the choking death of her son Anthony in the Bronx twenty years ago, the recent shooting death of Akai Gurley in Pink Houses by a rookie cop echoing in flashbacks for Nicholas Heyward, Sr., whose son Nicholas Jr. was killed in an eerily similar situation in Gowanus Houses in 1994 (see Heyward’s more detailed statement below). Families of those killed by NYPD are tired of seeing each life taken being ruled a justifiable homicide, tired of the killer of someone’s child, someone’s father, someone’s sister not being punished in any way, simply because the person who pulled the trigger, who brutally snuffed out someone’s life, is a police officer. We are tired of top brass covering up for killer cops, government officials not speaking for those who elected them into office, self-appointed “leaders” of our communities trying to keep us quiet. This system clearly has no value for human life when police use our people for target practice. Come hear us. We have never been quiet and speak loudly for our loved ones and all those who have died at the hands of police. Statement by Nicholas Heyward, Sr., father of Nicholas Jr., killed by New York City Housing Police in 1994 when Bratton was first NYPD Commissioner I am the father of Nicholas Heyward, Jr., a 13-year-old honor student who was shot and killed on the 14th floor stairwell of the Gowanus Houses in Brooklyn by NYPD Officer Brian George back in 1994. Just a few days ago, a young man named Akai Gurley was shot by NYPD Officer Peter Liang in the 8th floor stairwell of the Pink Houses of East New York. Gurleys death and my sons death are not only paralleled by the way they occurred, but even more so in the reaction and response of the NYPD. When Nicholas Jr. was killed, Bill Bratton was serving as NYPD Commissioner, just as he is now. He had just been brought in that January of 1994 and served as the Commissioner for two years. When Nicholas was killed, Joseph Leake, then head of the New York City Housing Police, stated that the shooting was a “tragedy,” caused by an “accidental discharge.” The rest of the points he made were the same: Brian George, like Peter Liang, was a nervous rookie cop when he encountered Nicholas Jr. in the stairwell. Leake said, verbatim, “the stairwell was dimly lit,” and that the officer shot in the darkness. Bratton and authorities state all of this while also admitting they hasnt spoken to Officer Peter Liang since the shooting. Due to the Housing Police Chief and District Attorney Charles Hyness statements that Nicholass death was indeed an accident, the case was NEVER presented to a grand jury and Ive been fighting to get my sons case reopened since, without avail. This is despite the fact that the story given by the cop – after finally being questioned in an official deposition by then attorney Carl Thomas – completely contradicted the official statements by DA Charles Hynes as well as my own observations (e.g.: the stairwell lighting on the 14th floor was bright and worked fine). Frankly, I have been consistently marginalized by mainstream media, elected officials, and our government for the last 20 years, which has sent me on a twisted path of seeking justice for my son and justice for other families in a very grassroots way. On Friday when I went to the Pink Houses to investigate the incident myself, a NY1 reporter – who I have known and has known about my case – barely acknowledged me and refused to interview me for my comments surrounding the Gurley shooting. While I was interviewed by a number of other media outlets, most did not air what I had to say, aside from 1010 WINS, which juxtaposed my statements with Bill Brattons, which is very unusual for mainstream media. I have been protesting Mayor de Blasios decision to hire Bratton as NYPD Commissioner since before Bratton was appointed, because I know of Brattons history of not holding police officers accountable for their actions and his part in blocking my family and other families’ pursuit of justice for their loved ones. - Nicholas Heyward, father of Nicholas Naquan Heyward, Jr.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 13:38:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015