Media contact: Eliel Cruz press@justicecommittee.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Family of Allan Feliz Call On Mayor Adams To End Corruption And Hold NYPD Lt. Rivera Accountable For Murder
New York, NY, October 18, 2024––Yesterday, the siblings, mother, five-year-old son and partner of Allan Feliz were joined by community groups and, Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa, and Executive Director of the NYC Council Black Latino Asian Caucus Malik James, in front of Gracie Mansion to call on the mayor and the NYPD Commissioner to fire Lt. Jonathan Rivera for killing Mr. Feliz in 2019. Next month, Lt. Rivera will face a disciplinary trial at One Police Plaza on Nov. 12, 13, and 15, 2024. The Feliz family and their supporters are calling on Adams administration to heed the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) recommendations and fire Lt. Rivera.
“For five years, my family has fought for justice and maneuvered this complex system that works to protect abusive cops. Finally, a disciplinary trial will show what we’ve known all along that Lt. Rivera should be fired for the murder of my brother,” said Samy Feliz, brother of Allan Feliz. “Every day Lt. Rivera stays on the force, New Yorkers' lives are at risk, and our communities are robbed of resources as his pay continues to go up year after year. I’m asking New Yorkers to come out to witness the trial, stand with my family, and call on Mayor Adams and the next Police Commissioner, the sixth in this long process, to do what’s right and fire Lt. Rivera.”
The disciplinary trial will take place in the midst of multiple corruption scandals within the Adams administration and the NYPD. The Feliz family and their supporters highlighted the NYPD’s pattern of protecting abusive officers - which has worsened under Mayor Adams - as a fundamental part of the culture of impunity and corruption of the administration. Earlier this year, then-Police Commissioner Edward Caban and Mayor Adams allowed the officers who killed Kawaski Trawick to walk, without facing any consequences, in spite of CCRB substantiated fireable charges. A recent ProPublica exposé exposed massive NYPD coverups of misconduct during the Adams administration.
“Let’s be clear: the corruption of the Adams administration goes far beyond favor-trading and illegal donations and what the Feliz family has had to suffer is part of it,” said David Galarza, a representative of the Justice Committee. “The culture of impunity and corruption that Eric Adams brought to City Hall comes directly from the NYPD. And the NYPD’s pattern of protecting abusive officers has gotten completely out of control since he became mayor. New Yorkers are demanding that this pattern end with Lt. Rivera. The mayor and Commissioner must promptly fire him from the NYPD once the discipline trial has concluded.”
“Allan Feliz was a brother, father, son, and a neighbor whose life was cut short in an undignified manner by those sworn to protect and serve,” said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. “After five years, progress was made toward justice, accountability, and transparency. This progress has been put at risk by the volatility and uncertainty of the changing leadership of the NYPD, prolonging the suffering of the Feliz family. Lt. Rivera’s discipline trial must move forward without further delay and fire Lt. Rivera swiftly after it’s over so that we may close a chapter for this family and not absolve the NYPD of the responsibility to those they serve.”
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“Today we mark 5 years since the murder of Allan Feliz at the hands of the NYPD,” said City Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala. “Since then, we’ve been calling for justice for his senseless death and for Sgt. Jonathan Rivera to be held responsible for his reckless actions that day. A simple traffic stop should have not ended with his death. And while there has been some movement in getting a disciplinary trial for Lt. Rivera, we will continue to call for his dismissal and get the justice Allan Feliz and his family deserve. Until that day comes, we will continue to stand united with the Feliz family.”
“Next month, the NYPD commissioner will again be presented with an opportunity to hold a member of the police department accountable for excessive force charges substantiated by the Civilian Complaint Review Board," said Malik James, Executive Director of the City Council's Black, Latino and Asian Caucus. "Lieutenant Jonathan Rivera is a threat to New Yorkers and does not belong on our streets. He has a history of at least 41 misconduct allegations and six misconduct lawsuits that not only dishonor his commitment to keeping New Yorkers safe, but that also make him a liability to the NYPD and the City of New York. For Allan Feliz, the Feliz family, complainants against Lt. Rivera and the city at-large, the commissioner must allow next month's discipline trial to proceed without further interruption or delay, and must terminate Lt. Rivera following its conclusion."
“It is truly abhorrent that almost half a decade later after Allan Feliz was unjustly killed, that his family continues to fight for even a sliver of justice,” said Robert Willis, Justice Advocate Coordinator at LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “The continued delay and obstruction of cases by NYPD to shield its officers is an abuse to our community. We stand with the Feliz family and uplift their demand that Mayor Adams fire Lt. Jonathan Rivera and vow to continue our work to ensure cops are held accountable for their actions."
"The NYPD disciplinary system shields officers who violate the constitutional rights of New Yorkers and it is time for this to end,” said Samah Sisay, staff attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights. “Five years ago, then Sergeant Jonathan Rivera murdered Allan Feliz. Instead of firing him, the NYPD rewarded his terrible actions by promoting him to lieutenant. Lt. Rivera must be held accountable and fired."
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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.
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 Alan Feliz. The NYPD delayed the process, which led to 39 elected officials sending a letter in September 2023 to Mayor Adams and then NYPD Police Commissioner Edward Caban calling on the administration not to interfere. Finally, after multiple rallies and press conferences putting pressure on the administration, CCRB scheduled the trial for November. The Feliz family is calling for the Mayor and NYPD commissioner to make a swift decision post trial that accepts the CCRB recommendation to fire Lt. Rivera.
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.
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