A critical part of the Justice Committee’s (JC) work is supporting the families of people killed by the NYPD. In our system of policing, two patterns stand out: 1) Brutality and murder is racialized–Indigenous, Black, and Latinx people experience much higher rates of it than white people in the U.S., and 2) When the cops take a life, there is rarely any discipline, and they generally get to keep their jobs. This is as true in NYC as anywhere else. All of this points to how our racist system makes police above the law.
This week, that unequal system has been on full display in the case of Kawaski Trawick, a Black gay man killed in 2019 by NYPD Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis, just 112 seconds after they broke into Kawaski’s apartment, where he was cooking.
The disciplinary hearing for Thompson and Davis starts this Monday, April 24th. Yet just one week beforehand – and on the 4th anniversary of Kawaski’s murder, April 14th – his family learned that the commissioner overseeing the trial is considering dismissing trespass charges, which could significantly undermine the case. This last-minute change is outrageous and heartbreaking. You can read specifics here, but JC director Loyda Colon put it simply, “just because police routinely act with impunity, it doesn’t mean that they are above the law.”
Regardless of this latest possible obstruction to accountability, the hearing will begin as scheduled next week, and Kawaski’s family and our partners at JC need our support for all that that entails!
For those who remember the CCRB trials for Daniel Pantaleo, who murdered Eric Garner, and Richard Haste, who murdered Ramarley Graham, you know what we mean. These trials are an intense time, and our partners have come to rely on us in SURJ NYC for certain roles, specifically note-taking, transcription, and coordinating lunch for the family and organizers. The Beyond Policing Working Group needs more support with these roles for the upcoming trial, and no prior experience is necessary. Join us! There are multiple ways you can be involved and provide concrete benefits to JC and Kawaski Trawick’s family.
Contact SURJ NYC, sign-up for our eblast, or follow JC’s socials @justicecommittee (IG) and @watchthecops (TW) for latest updates and calls to action!
In Solidarity,
SURJ NYC