In the Media

NYPD Punched, Kicked, Fatally Shot This Black Man in 2019—and Still Won’t Say Why

11/24/2020
Daily Beast

Antonio Williams was waiting for a cab one night in 2019 when a slew of NYPD officers chased, kicked, and punched him in the head, before fatally shooting him and letting him bleed out for five minutes. And they still won’t reveal why they approached the 27-year-old in the first place, according to a lawsuit and new footage released by his family.

Family of man shot to death by police plan to take NYPD to court

11/24/2020
Bronx News12

The family of a man who was shot to death by police is planning to take the NYPD to court.

This comes after the family says new video doesn’t add up to what the department says.

Antonio Williams, 27, was killed last year during a confrontation with the NYPD that also led to the death of Officer Brian Mulkeen.

“He was funny, he pretty much brought joy to everyone when he came in. He was a jokester,” said Williams’ stepmother, Gladys Williams.

Video Footage Amps Up Outrage Over NYPD Killing of Queer Man in His Home

11/20/2020
Gay City

Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark on Nov. 17 released police body camera and hallway surveillance footage showing the moment when NYPD officers entered a Black queer man’s apartment last year and shot him to death in a case that has fueled outrage.

Clark also unveiled a report outlining the incident more than a year and a half after 32-year-old Kawaski Trawick was gunned down by police on April 14, 2019, at Hill House, a supportive living environment at 1616 Grand Avenue in the Bronx.

Kawaski Trawick death: No criminality found in fatal police-involved shooting in New York City, officials say

11/17/2020
ABC News

MORRIS HEIGHTS, Bronx (WABC) -- An investigation into the police-involved shooting death of a man who authorities say was armed with a stick and knife found no criminality on the part of the responding officers.

Officials released the report on the investigation into the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kawaski Trawick inside his apartment by a member of the New York City Police Department on April 14, 2019, as well as video of the shooting and the events leading up to it.

How 'defund the police' has taken shape across the country

11/12/2020
Local 21 News

WASHINGTON (SBG) - In the wake of nationwide calls to defund the police, government officials in several major U.S. cities have made significant cuts to their local police budgets, part of a sweeping police reform effort sparked by the death of George Floyd.

The movement to defund police departments began in Minneapolis shortly after Floyd's death in late May. Two months later, the Minneapolis City Council moved $1.1 million out of the police department's budget, according to MPR News.

NYPD's Oversight Agency Launches Do-Over On Police Sexual Misconduct Investigations

11/10/2020
Gothamist

Two years after the Civilian Complaint Review Board announced to fanfare that it would begin to investigate police sexual misconduct, the independent NYPD watchdog is starting the process anew.

On Monday, the board anounced it’s seeking public comment on proposed new rules that will enable it to probe sexual misconduct claims against police—such as inappropriate comments, sexual propositions, sexual humiliation, assault and rape.

De Blasio Cites Cops’ Light Touch, But Some Protesters Charge Increased Brutality

11/06/2020
The City

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday again invoked what’s been his mantra for months: He expects cops to use “the lightest touch possible” as demonstrators take to the streets amid post-Election Day uncertainty.

But some New Yorkers who have been participating in anti-racism and anti-brutality marches since the spring say that after recent weeks of relative calm cops are back to heavy-handed, sometimes brutal tactics.

He’s About To Be The First Openly Gay Black Member Of Congress — And He’s Talking About Mental Health Like Few Politicians Ever Have

Ritchie Torres is grappling with how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting his likely New York district’s mental health and opening up about his own.
10/27/2020
BuzzFeed News

WASHINGTON — At 32, Ritchie Torres has already been a star in New York City politics for years.

At 25, he became the youngest member of the City Council. Soon, he’ll likely become one of the youngest members of the House, and, along with fellow New York Democratic congressional nominee Mondaire Jones, the first openly gay Black member of Congress.

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