In response to Commissioner Cabán’s decision not to fire the NYPD Officers who killed Kawaski Trawick, a Black gay man in his own home, Mrs. Ellen and Mr. Rickie Trawick, parents of Kawaski Trawick, Loyda Colon, Executive Director of Justice Committee and CPR spokesperson and others issued the following statements.
Elected Officials and Racial Justice Groups Rally to Demand An End to Delays
& the Firing of Officers Who Killed Him
Today–nearly five years to the day that Kawaski Trawick, a Black gay man killed by the NYPD in his own home – Kawaski’s family, racial justice organizations, and elected officials rallied on the steps of City Hall to demand Mayor Adams and NYPD Commissioner Edward Cabán end their delays and finally fire NYPD Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis for killing Mr. Trawick on the night of April 14, 2019.
In response to the City Council’s preliminary budget announcement, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) issued the following statement from CPR spokesperson Donavon Taveras, Lead Organizer with El Puente.
In response to Mayor Adams announcement that he will be expanding the Street Conditions Observation Unit Team (SCOUT), Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) issued the following statement from CPR spokesperson Hassen Bashir from VOCAL-NY.
CPR calls for 50% cut to NYPD’s press and communications budget, amongst other budget demands
Today, marked the New York City Council FY25 Preliminary Budget Hearing on Public Safety. As part of their campaign for budget justice, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) members and partners offered testimony calling for specific cuts to the NYPD budget to improve the safety and health of all New Yorkers. Those testifying in-person or in writing included: Divad Durant and Merope Peponides from the Justice Committee, Obi Afriye from Legal Defense Fund, Isabelle Leyva from New York Civil Liberties Union, and CPR’s Program Director Ileana Mendez-Peñate.
In response to Governor Hochul’s subway safety plan, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) issued the following statement from CPR spokesperson Ileana Méndez-Peñate (she/her), Program Director of Communities United for Police Reform.
Today, the New York City Council voted to override Mayor Eric Adams’ veto of Intro 586 of the How Many Stops Act (HMSA) with a supermajority of votes. The passage of the How Many Stops Act will bring urgent and necessary transparency about formerly unreported categories of stops - referred to as level 1 and 2 by the NYPD - which constitute the vast majority of the NYPD’s formal “investigative encounters” with civilians.
“This is a historic win for our movement and New Yorkers, especially against the backdrop of a massive misinformation campaign waged by the mayor and NYPD," said Loyda Colón (they/them), spokesperson for Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) and Executive Director of the Justice Committee. "We applaud the City Council for enacting the How Many Stops Act, in spite of the mayor and NYPD's non-stop lies, and thank council members for following the leadership of New Yorkers who are directly impacted by the NYPD's racist and abusive practices. The How Many Stops law will give us a more complete picture of the NYPD's racial profiling and abusive police actions and is an essential step towards true community safety. Council members who voted to enact the legislation over the mayor's veto should be commended for putting the needs of their constituents first, instead of bowing to the illegitimate power and baseless fear-mongering of the NYPD."
Today, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), which coordinates the broader How Many Stops Act Coalition, delivered a letter to New York City Council Members urging them to consider Mayor Eric Adams’ request that they participate in “NYPD ride-alongs” a tactic in his dangerous misinformation campaign against the How Many Stops Act (HMSA). The letter also calls on the City Council to override the mayor’s veto of HMSA.
In response to Mayor Eric Adams’ veto of Intro 586 of the How Many Stops Act (HMSA), Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) issued the following statement from CPR spokesperson Sala Cyril, an organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and Iris Baez, mother of Anthony Baez (killed by the NYPD in 1994):
