MEDIA CONTACT: Eliel Cruz, press@justicecommittee.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 20203
Ellen & Rickie Trawick Call on Mayor Adams & Commissioner Sewell to Swiftly Reject the Request & Allow the CCRB to Move Forward with the April Prosecution of Officers Brendan Thompson & Herbert Davis
New York, NY – In response to a formal request filed by police union attorneys to dismiss disciplinary charges and block the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) from prosecuting the upcoming discipline trial against Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis for their 2019 killing of Kawaski Trawick, the following statement was released by Justice Committee from Ellen and Rickie Trawick, parents of Kawaski Trawick:
“Next month will mark four years since Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis murdered our son and we’re outraged and disgusted by this latest move by the police union lawyers to try to block the discipline trial. We don’t see how or why the Mayor and Police Commissioner could even consider dismissing the charges and blocking the trial from moving forward at this late stage when we’ve known for years that Thompson & Davis murdered Kawaski in less than 112 seconds while he was cooking and wasn’t a threat to anyone, in what should have been the safety of his home. They didn't even try to save his life after shooting him - they let him bleed out. We’re calling on Mayor Adams and Commissioner Sewell to do the right thing and reject the police union’s request as soon as possible, so that the trial can begin on April 24th, as scheduled. Mayor Adams and Commissioner Sewell must hold these officers responsible and fire them both. Until then, they will remain a threat to public safety and are still being paid while they get away with killing our son.”
Background:
On April 14, 2019, Mr. Trawick locked himself out of his apartment while he was cooking. The super at the assisted living facility where Mr. Trawick lived refused to let him back in so Mr. Trawick called 911 for the fire department. Fire department arrived and let Mr. Trawick back into his apartment. Mr. Trawick was cooking in his home after the situation had been resolved and NYPD officers Thompson and Davis illegally entered Mr. Trawicks apartment and murdered him in 112 seconds.
After shooting Kawaski, neither of the officers attempted to administer emergency medical aid. They closed the door to Kawaski’s apartment, then stood outside, leaving Kawaski to bleed out on the floor.
In June 2021, the CCRB voted to substantiate fireable charges against both officers.
In November 2022, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Rosemarie Maldonado scheduled the discipline trial of Thompson & Davis to begin on April 24, 2023.
Kawaski was a Black queer man, a son, and a brother, who was pursuing his dreams as a dancer, teacher, and entrepreneur in New York City.
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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.
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