Media Contact
Eliel Cruz
press@justicecommittee.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
On 4th Anniversary of Allan Feliz’s Death, Family and Supporters Call on Mayor and Commissioner to Allow CCRB to Prosecute Cop Who Killed Him
New York, NY––Today, the siblings, mother, four-year-old son and girlfriend of Allan Feliz were joined by community groups and elected officials to call on the mayor and commissioner not to interfere with the Civilian Complaints Review Board’s (CCRB) case against Lt. Jonathan Rivera for killing Mr. Feliz and to demand Lt. Rivera be fired from the NYPD. Elected officials who were present include State Senator Jessica Ramos, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and Councilmembers Carmen De La Rosa and Alexa Aviles.
Four years ago, Lt. Rivera killed Mr. Feliz with a close-range shot to the chest after he and Officers Edward Barrett and Michelle Almanzar illegally detained him during a car stop. The CCRB substantiated fireable charges against Lt. Rivera in May 2023. Lt. Rivera has a significant misconduct history with 34 allegations and 6 substantiated complaints.
In August, Mr. Feliz’s family learned that the NYPD is considering blocking the CCRB from prosecuting Lt. Rivera. In response, 39 elected officials sent a letter to Mayor Adams and NYPD Police Commissioner Edward Caban, calling on the administration to leave the case with the CCRB. No one from the Adams administration has responded to the letter.
“As a Dominican family from Washington Heights, we are not strangers to racism, racial profiling and police violence,” said Samy Feliz, brother of Allan Feliz. “Allan’s life mattered! I’m calling on Mayor Adams and Police Commissioner Caban to do better than your predecessors by letting the CCRB prosecute Lt. Rivera, telling the NYPD to deliver the charges so the CCRB can schedule the trial, and firing Lt. Rivera for murdering Allan Feliz!”
A possible NYPD move to remove from the CCRB is the latest in a series of delays and obstruction tactics. The NYPD Force Investigation Division (FID) kept their investigation for almost two years, intentionally stalling the CRRB investigation past the 18-month deadline for most discipline charges. Then, after CCRB substantiated fireable charges, the Lieutenant’s Benevolent Association tried and failed to get CCRB to re-open its investigation and reverse its decision.
The Feliz family’s supporters called on the first Latino NYPD Commissioner to do right by the Feliz family, which is from the Dominican Republic.
“When a city prioritizes aggressive, reactive confrontation over services that center care and well-being for its residents, people die,” says City Council Member Alexa Avilés (D-Sunset Park). “Allan Feliz’s death is the direct result of City Hall ceding power to an over-extended police force, who too often play the role of judge, jury, and executioner. Commissioner Caban - as the first Latino NYPD Commissioner - one of your first significant police accountability decisions must not be to shield the officer who so brutally robbed a Latino family of their loved one. You must leave the case with the CCRB and allow them to do their job.”
“If Lt. Rivera is fired from the NYPD - it won’t bring Allan back,” said Mery Verdeja, mother of Allan Feliz. “I will never get another phone call from him and his son will never go to Disney World with his father. But if Lt. Rivera is fired, it means he will never kill another mother’s son. That’s why I am here today to tell Mayor Adams and Commissioner Caban - let Allan’s case stay with the CCRB and fire Jonathan Rivera for killing my son.”
Other Quotes
"It has now been four years since Allan Feliz was murdered at the hands of police, which equates to four years of both grieving and fighting for justice as the officers involved have still not been held accountable for the heinous maltreatment of our neighbor,” said Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa. “When our city agencies, funded by taxpayer dollars, are not conducting their business respectfully, effectively, and responsibly, we perform the necessary oversight to ensure future services are delivered correctly. Why is the NYPD being held to a different standard? The people of New York are tired of the excuses and blatant disregard for accountability, and it is time for fairness, transparency, and justice to prevail.”
“Allan deserves justice, and New York City deserves a police force that is held to the highest standards of accountability and rid of brutality and bias against Black and Brown New Yorkers,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I stand with Allan’s family and friends in demanding that Mayor Adams and Commissioner Caban no longer allow the NYPD to get away with delaying and obstructing the disciplinary process against Lieutenant Rivera. Justice is long overdue, as is an end to the NYPD’s pattern of protecting officers who abuse their power, endanger New Yorkers, and inflict trauma and grief on communities of color.”
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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.
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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