Family, Advocates & Elected Officials Express Outrage at Decision Not to Fire Officers Who Killed Kawaski Trawick in His Own Home

Today, Justice Committee, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), elected officials and others held a press conference outside City Hall to react to Mayor Eric Adams’ and NYPD Commissioner Cabán’s decision not to fire NYPD Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis for killing Kawaski Trawick while he was cooking, on the night of April 14, 2019. Kawaski Trawick was a Black gay man, 32 years old when he was killed by Thompson and Davis. Mr. Trawick’s case bears striking resemblance to 19-year-old Win Rozario, who was killed in his home by NYPD officers just weeks ago. 

The decision, handed down late Friday coincided with the five-year anniversary since Officers Thompson and Davis broke the chain on Kawaski’s door to gain illegal entry, violated their training and NYPD procedures, and tased and shot him within 112 seconds. Neither of the officers attempted to administer emergency medical aid and let Mr. Trawick bleed out on the floor as Herbert Davis held the door shut. 

“This past weekend was painful for my family. We thought we were going to mark the 5 years Kawaski was murdered by being together in peace, celebrating Kawaski's life and mourning our loss. Instead, Mayor Adams and the NYPD re-traumatized my family, forcing us to contend with their unacceptable decision Friday night and into the weekend - this was unimaginably painful,” said Mrs. Ellen and Mr. Rickie Trawick, parents of Kawaski Trawick. “We said it on Friday and we're saying it again: Mayor Adams should be ashamed of himself, as a father and as a Black man. Not firing the police who murdered my son in 112 seconds in his home is disgraceful and the fact that Adams didn't even let my family know of the decision before making it public is the height of disrespect. To add insult to injury, we had to find out from the press over the weekend that Adams let Herbert Davis retire before a decision was made and we still have no details about this.”  

Advocates and elected officials demanded answers regarding reports that Officer Herbert Davis was allowed to retire before a discipline decision and the terms he was allowed to retire under - as well as a series of demands to prevent cover-ups and obstruction in pending and future discipline of NYPD officers who kill and abuse their authority and to remove police from mental health encounters. 

"The decision was monstrous and the pseudo-legal framing of the announcement was intentionally and wildly misleading, continuing the five-years of cover-up by City Hall and the NYPD. Police can and should be fired when they violate protocols and the result is the killing of a New Yorker.  What the DA failed to do and what the already-discredited FID report concluded is irrelevant to the question of whether Thompson and Davis should have been fired and they only include it to distract us from the truth," said Loyda Colon, Executive Director of Justice Committee and CPR spokesperson. "We all saw the video, the CCRB proved it in the discipline trial - Thompson and Davis both committed fireable offenses and violated their training and the NYPD's own patrol guide in multiple ways. In spite of the announcement's distracting mumbo-jumbo, the evidence was clear that Herbert Davis broke the chain on Kawaski's door, Thompson and Davis illegally entered, Thompson tased and shot Kawaski in 112 seconds and then neither cop made any attempt to save Kawaski's life - in fact at one point Thompson held the door shut while Kawaski lay bleeding out on the other side. Police need to be removed from all mental health encounters and the NYPD's budget for misinformation must be cut by at least 50%. We are all less safe because of this decision and this administration's corrupt actions -- and both Mayor Adams & Commissioner Caban should be ashamed.”

For years, Kawaski Trawick’s parents (Ellen and Rickie Trawick) have worked with the Justice Committee, Communities United for Police Reform and others to call for the firing of Thompson and Davis in the face of repeated cover-ups and obstruction by two mayoral administrations and the NYPD. For almost two years, the NYPD did not release any video footage from the incident and when it did, it was incomplete. The department did not let anyone see the full video until a judge ordered its release. After Mr. Trawick was killed; the NYPD did not turn over body camera footage to the CCRB for 21 months, blocking the CCRB from doing a timely investigation. Internal investigation reports show that the NYPD investigation was a sham, and investigators did not spend more than 30 minutes interviewing either Thompson or Davis. Not a single question was asked about what the video footage showed or when Thompson or Davis contradicted the footage or each other. 

“This decision demonstrates in no uncertain terms who is valued by the Mayor and NYPD, and who matters. The chilling lack of acknowledgment of the worth of Kawaski's life by a Mayor who never bothered to utter his name, and a Commissioner who hid behind timing technicalities created by the NYPD itself, perpetuates the cycle of a citizenry who cannot place faith in its police, even as we are forced to rely on the institution," said City Councilmember Pierina Sanchez, who represents the district in which Kawaski Trawick was killed. "The decision communicates nothing but a disgusting disregard for the life of a Black queer beautiful life and his family's anguish.” 

"After five years of administrative sabotage, Commissioner Caban's cowardly Friday afternoon announcement culminated in the cover up of a state-sanctioned murder," said City Councilmember Alexa Aviles. "A sham process doesn't change what we all know to be true: the New York City Police Department murdered Kawaski Trawick and aided and abetted his killers. It is clear that the NYPD is unable to police itself. It's a terrible decision for the City of New York and a shameful one for those who stood in the way of accountability.” 

The rally was organized by groups that have been working closely with Kawaski Trawick’s family on the campaign to fire Thompson and Davis, including: Justice Committee, Make the Road NY, Housing Works, NYC Anti-Violence Project, VOCAL-NY, El Puente, Showing Up for Racial Justice-NYC, and Communities United for Police Reform (CPR).  Also Speaking or in attendance at the press conference was: Hawa Bah, mother of Mohamed Bah (killed by NYPD in 2012 in response to a mental health call); Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Councilmember Crystal Hudson, co-chair of the Black, Latino, Asian Caucus; Councilmember Pierina Sanchez; Councilmember Alexa Aviles; Councilmember Carmen de la Rosa; and Councilmember Sandy Nurse.

“We are angry and dismayed at the decision to not fire the two officers who entered Kawaski Trawick's home nearly five years ago and killed him within a matter of seconds. This shameful decision by Commissioner Cabán shows a blatant disregard for the life of Kawaski Trawick, for his family, and for the lives of Black Queer New Yorkers, furthering the mistrust and lack of confidence in the NYPD to not cause harm,” says Beverly Tillery, Executive Director NYC Anti-Violence Project. “Our hearts are with the Trawick family and community whose grief from losing their son is further magnified by this decision and the lack of accountability by city officials. The only solution to prevent this from happening again, as it has  even within the last few weeks, is to eliminate police from mental health emergency response and direct crisis response resources to community-led organizations to keep ourselves safe from harm.” 

ADDITIONAL QUOTES:

“I see cops everywhere I go - from the train station to my school - and am furious knowing they wouldn’t be held accountable for murdering a New Yorker. I would be heartbroken if cops killed a member of my family. Kawaski meant the world to his family, just like my family means the world to me. Once again the city has failed us by not firing officers Thompson & Davis for the murder of Kawaski Trawick, “ said youth member Quasie Melendez of Make the Road NY 

“Kawaski Trawick should be alive today.  NYPD has undermined justice,  first by refusing to turn over video evidence necessary for the CCRB's investigation, and now by refusing to fire the officers responsible for killing Mr. Trawick in his own home. Mr. Trawick's family cannot heal and safety in our communities is consistently weakened when NYPD fails to hold officers accountable for killing civilians. We grieve for the Trawick family, those with mental illness who receive harm and not help, and all impacted by police violence," said Marco A. Carrion, Executive Director, El Puente.

"Under Mayor Eric Adams, the NYPD remains a corrupt paramilitary mob; above the law, sneering at every attempt at democratic oversight and actively frustrating the legal accountability process; protecting their own at our expense," said Leo Ferguson, Organizer with Jews for Racial & Economic Justice. What happened to Kawaski could happen to any of us. And thanks to Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Caban it will certainly happen again."

Full statement from Mrs. Ellen and Mr. Rickie Trawick, parents of Kawaski Trawick: 

“This past weekend was painful for my family. We thought we were going to mark the 5 years Kawaski was murdered by being together in peace, celebrating Kawaski's life and mourning our loss. Instead, Mayor Adams and the NYPD re-traumatized my family, forcing us to contend with their unacceptable decision Friday night and into the weekend - this was unimaginably painful.  

We said it on Friday and we're saying it again: Mayor Adams should be ashamed of himself, as a father and as a Black man. Not firing the police who murdered my son in 112 seconds in his home is disgraceful and the fact that Adams didn't even let my family know of the decision before making it public is the height of disrespect. To add insult to injury, we had to find out from the press over the weekend that Adams let Herbert Davis retire before a decision was made and we still have no details about this. 

Thompson and Davis broke into my son’s home and murdered him within seconds, without even attempting to administer aid. They should have already been fired but Mayor Adams and the NYPD don't care about protecting New Yorkers from cops who kill. The disregard they have for our son's memory, to make this decision as part of a late Friday news dump, on the five-year anniversary of his death is disgusting and shameful. We hope New Yorkers don't let the mayor and NYPD get away with this and we hope they do something to stop the NYPD's ability to just murder people in their homes. Shame on Mayor Adams. Shame on Commissioner Caban.

We also want to thank all the groups and New Yorkers for everything you've done to fight and support our family over the past five years. We couldn't have fought this battle without you. We're forever grateful to you and we hope you can change your city."

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.