MEDIA CONTACT:
Eliel Cruz, press@justicecommittee.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 23, 2023
New York, NY–– Yesterday, just weeks after Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun ruled to unseal the records from NYPD Officer Wayne Isaacs murder trial for the killing of Delrawn Small, a motion the judge sat on for over a year, the NY Supreme Court Appellate Division stayed the release of the records at the request of Officer Isaacs’ police union attorneys, who are planning to appeal Judge Chun’s ruling.
“We are beyond outraged and disgusted,” said Victoria Davis and Victor Demspey, the siblings of Delrawn Small. “It’s been almost seven years of delays by Isaacs’ and his police union lawyers - along with two Mayors, four police commissioners, the CCRB, the Law Department, and Judge Chun - all for the purpose of protecting a cop from facing discipline for shooting our unarmed brother and leaving him to bleed out in the street. The CCRB substantiated fireable charges two and a half years ago. Now, after being forced to fight for over a year just to get Judge Chun to rule on the CCRB’s motion to unseal the records from Isaacs' murder trial, Isaacs’ PBA lawyers are dragging us back into court with more baseless delays.
This latest legal game to prevent the CCRB from having access to all the records they need to fully prepare for Isaacs' discipline trial is unacceptable and we will not stand for it. Officer Wayne Isaacs should have been fired in 2016 when he murdered Delrawn. We are calling on the Appellate Court to not give into these games and move quickly to uphold the decision to unseal the records. Our family should not have to suffer like this. No family should. Mayor Adams and Commissioner Sewell must fire Officer Isaacs for murdering Delrawn.”
“These types of baseless legal ploys to continue to delay discipline indefinitely are infuriatingly common by police union attorneys who are attempting to protect NYPD officers who have unjustly killed New Yorkers,” said Chauvet Bishop, Organizer at Justice Committee, a member organization of Communities United for Police Reform. “The goal is to exhaust the families of those killed, advocates from continuing to fight for officers to be fired, and the media from continuing to cover, so that officers can keep their jobs for as long as possible, vest into their pensions, and retire without facing consequences for their actions as happened in the cases of Mohamed Bah, Antonio Williams and others. The PBA is trying to hide key facts of the case from the public and ensure that the Civilian Complaint Review Board walks into Officer Isaacs’ discipline trial ill prepared.”
BACKGROUND:
On July 4, 2016 Officer Wayne Isaacs shot and killed Delrawn Small in front of his four-month-old son, step-daughter and girlfriend. Isaacs had been driving erratically down Atlantic Ave. and had cut Mr. Small’s car off several times. When Mr. Small approached Officer Isaacs’ car, Isaacs - who was off-duty at the time - rolled down his window, shot Mr. Small three times and then left him to bleed out in the street without offering any aid, all in plain view of Mr. Small’s family. Mr. Small was 37-years-old and unarmed.
Isaacs was charged and prosecuted for murder by the NYS Attorney General’s Office. While the NYPD refused to charge Officer Isaacs with misconduct, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) substantiated fireable misconduct charges against him in October 2020. The NYPD failed to serve these charges until 2021. In February 2022, the New York State Supreme Court Judge Verna L. Saunders dismissed NYPD Officer Isaacs’ Article 78 lawsuit, a baseless attempt by his police union attorneys to block his long-delayed discipline trial. Following this ruling the Police Benevolent Association attempted to strike a backroom deal with NYPD Commissioner Keechat Sewell to get her to squash the case, which Delrawn’s family and supporters successfully organized to stop.
In preparation for Officer Isaacs’ discipline trial, the Civilian Complaint Review Board filed a motion to unseal the criminal trial records, a decision Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun sat on for over a year, but ruled in favor of on March 3, 2023. Weeks after the ruling, Officer Isaacs’ attorneys asked the appellate court to stay the release of the files in preparation for an appeal of Judge Chun’s decision. The appellate court granted an interim stay pending and hearing.
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BACKGROUND:
On July 4, 2016 Officer Wayne Isaacs shot and killed Delrawn Small in front of his four-month-old son, step-daughter and girlfriend. Isaacs had been driving erratically down Atlantic Ave and had cut Mr. Small’s car off several times. When Mr. Small approached Officer Isaacs’ car, Isaacs - who was off duty at the time - rolled down his window, shot Mr. Small three times and then left him to bleed out in the street without offering any aid, all in plain view of Mr. Small’s family. Mr. Small was 37 years old and unarmed.
Isaacs was charged and prosecuted for murder by the NYS Attorney General’s Office. While the NYPD refused to charge Officer Isaacs with misconduct, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) substantiated fireable misconduct charges against him in October 2020. The NYPD failed to serve these charges until 2021. In February 2022, the New York State Supreme Court Judge Verna L. Saunders dismissed NYPD Officer Wayne’s Isaacs’ Article 78 lawsuit, a baseless attempt by his police union attorneys to block his long-delayed discipline trial. Following this ruling the Police Benevolent Association attempted to strike a backroom deal with NYPD Commissioner Keechat Sewell to get her to squash the case, which Delrawn’s family and supporters successfully organized to stop. In preparation for Officer Isaacs’ discipline trial, the Civilian Complaint Review Board filed a motion to unseal the criminal trial records, a decision Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun sat on for over a year, but ruled in favor of on March 3, 2023. Weeks after the ruling, Officer Isaacs’ attorneys asked the appellate court to stay the release of the files in preparation for an appeal of Judge Chun’s decision. The appellate court granted an interim staying pending and hearing in April.
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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.
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