The family of Delrawn Small was joined by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Councilmembers Sandy Nurse and Christopher Marte, and community groups to demand that NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch uphold the charges against Officer Wayne Isaacs for killing Mr. Small in front of his family nearly a decade ago and ensure Isaacs’ discipline trial moves forward next week. The rally follows a shocking recommendation from Deputy Commissioner of Trials (DCT) Rosemarie Maldonado to drop discipline charges against Isaacs just two weeks before his long-awaited discipline trial was scheduled to begin on November 19.
“My nephew, Delrawn’s son, was only 4 months old when his father was taken from him. He is now 9 years old,” said Victoria Davis (she/her), Mr. Small’s sister. “There is simply no excuse for how long we’ve been here, begging for one single cop to be fired. Commissioner Tisch, this in your hands now: you have a chance to do what’s right. Reject Maldonado’s outrageous recommendation, uphold the charges, and ensure Isaacs’ faces his disciplinary trial at long last. No more games, no more delays.”
This morning, 33 elected officials sent a letter to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, urging her to reject Maldonado’s recommendation and ensure Isaacs’ long-overdue discipline trial proceeds without further interference. The letter was cced to Mayor Eric Adams and Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani.
“Nearly a decade after Officer Isaacs horrifically took Delrawn’s life, there has been little progress towards justice,”said Council Member Sandy Nurse (she/her). “We are entering a new era towards responsible public safety in this city. Delrawn can’t be brought back, but Commissioner Tisch can still do right by his family by bringing Officer Isaacs to account.”
“As elected officials who are committed to building a safer and more just New York, we are deeply alarmed by Officer Isaacs’ self-serving legal distortions and the DCT’s faulty stance on this matter, ” the letter states. “Isaacs and his attorneys cannot both claim he was acting as an NYPD officer to defend him from liability and secure indemnification in federal court, and now claim he was not acting as an officer to evade discipline. Unfortunately, DCT Maldonado was fooled by these antics. We urge you not to be.”
The final decision to hold the charge against Isaacs or follow Maldonado’s recommendation now rests with NYPD Commissioner Tisch and is poised to become her first major decision on police accountability since Mamdani’s victory and as her continued leadership of the NYPD is debated.
“Mayor-Elect Mamdani should pay close attention to what Commissioner Tisch does regarding Delrawn Small’s case because it will indicate whether she is continuing to make politically-motivated decisions that protect abusive officers over New Yorkers or if she is ready to take police accountability seriously,” said Loyda Colón (they/them). “If the Mayor-Elect truly wants to usher in a New York that is safe and liveable for all, he needs to prioritize police accountability and he needs a commissioner who will do so as well.”
“Dismissing the charges against Officer Isaacs after Mr. Small’s family has fought for nearly a decade to ensure he faces some level of accountability would be a gross miscarriage of justice and would send a dangerous message about the direction of police accountability as New York enters a new mayoral administration,” the letter states.
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Background: On October 17, 2019, NYPD Lt. Jonathan Rivera (who was a sergeant at the time) and Officers Edward Barrett and Michelle Almanzar pulled Allan Feliz over on the corner of E 211 St and Bainbridge Ave for allegedly not wearing a seatbelt. Bodyworn camera (bwc) footage shows officers acknowledging that Mr. Feliz was wearing his seatbelt, but rather than allowing him to drive away, the officers escalated by illegally detaining him and attacking him. Lt. Rivera climbed into the passenger side of the car, tasered, beat and threatened to shoot Mr. Feliz, and then shot him point blank in the chest. After Mr. Feliz was shot, Officer Barrett yanked Mr. Feliz’s limp body from the car, exposing his genitals. None of the officers immediately covered Mr. Feliz or provided medical aid. Instead, they left Mr. Feliz to bleed out, cuffed, and exposed. Moments after shooting Mr. Feliz, Lt. Rivera exclaimed, “I was fighting. My hand was getting tired.”
After years of delays and obstruction, in May 2023, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) substantiated fireable charges against Lt. Rivera for the killing of Allan Feliz. The NYPD delayed the process further by failing to deliver the charges to Lt. Rivera so that a discipline trial could be scheduled for over a year. Finally, after multiple rallies and press conferences, the NYPD delivered the charges in June 2024 and a discipline trial was held in Nov. 2024. In February, Deputy Commissioner of Trials Rosemarie Maldonado determined Lt. Rivera to be guilty of excessive force and assault in the first degree and is recommending he be fired. The Feliz family is calling for the NYPD commissioner and the mayor to make a swift decision that accepts Maldonado’s recommendation to fire Lt. Rivera by March 31, 2025. As of March 6, 32 city and state elected officials have signed on to a letter of support for the family, demanding Commissioner Tisch and Mayor Adams take action by the end of the month.
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About the Justice Committee:
Since the 1980s, the Justice Committee (JC) has been dedicated to building a movement against police violence and systemic racism in New York City. The heart of our work is organizing and uplifting the leadership of families who have lost loved ones to the police and survivors of police violence. We empower our community to deter police violence, hold law enforcement accountable, and build people-led community safety through grassroots organizing campaigns, community empowerment, political education, our CopWatch program, and by developing safety mechanisms and projects that decrease reliance on police. By building solidarity with other anti-racist, immigrant and people of color-led organizations, the Justice Committee seeks to contribute to a broad-based movement for racial, social, and economic justice.
About Communities United for Police Reform
Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an unprecedented campaign to end discriminatory policing practices in New York, and to build a lasting movement that promotes public safety and reduces reliance on policing. CPR runs coalitions of over 200 local, statewide and national organizations, bringing together a movement of community members, lawyers, researchers and activists to work for change. The partners in this campaign come from all 5 boroughs, from all walks of life and represent many of those most unfairly targeted by the NYPD.