MEDIA CONTACT:
Eliel Cruz, press@justicecommittee.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
NYPD Disciplinary Trial Finally Scheduled for Cop Who Killing Allan Feliz after Four and a Half Years of Delays
September 3, 2024–– At a closed court conference last Thursday, the NYPD disciplinary trial was scheduled for Lt. Jonathan Rivera, who shot and killed Washington Heights father, Allan Feliz, after illegally detaining him during a car stop in 2019. This step forward comes after four and a half years of advocacy by the Feliz family and their supporters while the NYPD stalled the Civilian Complaint Review Board’s investigation for years, refusing to serve CCRB-substantiated charges to Lt. Rivera for over a year and engaged in other delay tactics, a standard practice across all police killing cases
“Finally, after fighting for almost five years as the administration, the NYPD, administration, Lieutenants Union, stalled and played games,” said Samy Feliz, the brother of Allan Feliz. “We are relieved that we finally have a date for the trial, but it never should have taken this long and any further delays will be completely unacceptable. My family knows this fight is far from over. We will be at One Police Plaza every day of the trial, even though we will have to miss work and disrupt our lives, because Lt. Rivera is a threat to public safety and he should have been fired years ago. We’re calling on New Yorkers to join us. All New Yorkers should be afraid while Lt. Rivera remains a police officer and we cannot rest until Mayor Adams and Commissioner Caban fire Rivera from the NYPD.”
“The level of disrespect for the Feliz family and the lack of remorse from Lt. Rivera, his police union attorneys and the NYPD are outrageous,” said Loyda Colon, Executive Director of the Justice Committee. “By the time Rivera’s discipline trial begins, it will be over five years since the NYPD brutally shot Allan and then dragged him into the street to bleed out with his genitals exposed. The Feliz family has remained steadfast through four and a half years of delays and obstruction. The trial date is a step forward, but Rivera - along with the other officers involved in Allan’s murder - should have been fired the day he climbed into Allan’s car on top of a passenger, threatened Allan with deadly force, and then beat, tased and shot him point blank in the chest. In every one of these cases, the City and the NYPD employ delay tactics to protect officers instead of New Yorkers, wear families down and deter them and their supporters from fighting. Mayor Adams and NYPD Commissioner Caban must ensure this process moves forward and they must fire Lt. Jonathan Rivera for killing Allan Feliz.
Lt. Rivera’s discipline trial is scheduled to take place on Nov. 12, 13, and 15, 2024 at One Police Plaza.
Other Quotes
“This is welcomed news and a positive step forward for the Feliz family who continue to endure the pain and loss of their beloved Allan at the hands of the NYPD,” said Deputy Speaker of the City Council Diana Ayala. “Although the needle has moved slightly in this case, we must recognize the continued obstruction into disciplinary processes in pending cases only undermine public safety efforts. New Yorkers deserve transparency and accountability, which are paramount to public trust and safety. We look forward to justice being served.”
“Allan Feliz was a brother, father, son, and a neighbor to many," said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. "His life was cut short in an undignified manner by those sworn to protect and serve. This process was arduous and unnecessarily lengthy — four and a half years dedicated to confronting delays and obstructions that inhibit the public from proper police transparency. We celebrate this step in the journey of justice as the admin trial dates are confirmed and hope other families impacted by this unjust system of police brutality can have their voices heard as well. We continue to stand by the Feliz family until justice is served and Lieutenant Rivera is fired,”
“It’s beyond belief that it has taken the NYPD almost half a decade and only after the threat of being sued, to finally serve charges and set a trial date for the officer who shot and killed Allan Feliz during an unjust traffic stop,” said Norma Esquivel, Senior Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “NYPD has and continues to obstruct discipline to shield its officers from abusing and killing our community members. This abhorrent practice is far too common and continues to stall many other disciplinary cases. LatinoJustice vows to continue our work to ensure cops are held accountable and put an end to this illicit behavior by the NYPD.”
”Lt. Rivera should have been fired years ago, but we now have a chance to see an accountability process through,” said Council Member Alexa Aviles. “With dates set for November, the CCRB must be allowed to conduct their work without any departmental interference. I call on the Mayor and Commissioner to allow this trial to proceed. To delay any further is to deny the Feliz family the fair and just process they deserve.”
###
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.
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.
Comentarios