Advocates and elected officials rallied outside of police headquarters in Lower Manhattan on Thursday to decry the ongoing administrative trial which recently recommended that two cops receive no punishment for shooting a gay, Black man to death inside of his Bronx apartment in 2019.
The protesters turned out to rally against the findings of the administrative trial, which failed to recommend the punishment of the cops who killed Kawaski Trawick— who was shot four times after allegedly failing to drop a knife when cops knocked at his door for a wellness check. Advocates clung to photos of the aspiring dancer, while a letter drafted by Trawick’s parents was read aloud that referred to the proceedings as a “sham.”
“The NYPD investigation was a sham,” Ellen and Ricky Trawick wrote. “This internal recommendation is a sham.”
The protest comes after The City reported that Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis are not expected to face any disciplinary action for the shooting that occurred almost four years ago. In the draft, Commissioner Rosemarie Maldonado recommended that the cops not face disciplinary measures while also admonishing the Civilian Complaint Review Board for failing to bring the misconduct allegations against the officers within the Statute of limitations.
Dozens of protesters railed against the draft decision on Sept. 29 on behalf of the family, finding allies in several elected officials who called for the cops to be fired. State Sen. Jabari Brisport, who represents north Brooklyn, called for the cops to be fired, telling the crowd that he sees himself in Trawick.
“I’m a proud gay, Black man. I am 36. I also recognize that Kawaski should have turned 37 this year and it is a tragedy that he cannot be here with us to today,” Brisport said.
The Police Benevolent Association responded to the criticisms with PBA President Patrick Hendry alleging that the CCRB, despite its delay in investigating Trawick’s death, was using the case as a tool to “ruin cops’ careers.”
“CCRB waited nearly five months after the expiration of the statute of limitations – and nearly a year after the Bronx District Attorney cleared the police officers – before bringing these charges without a shred of new evidence. CCRB’s goal isn’t justice,” Hendry said. “Their goal is to help their activist allies advance an anti-police narrative and distract from the failures of every other social service provider who could have and should have helped this individual and prevented this tragic situation, long before our police officers arrived at his door.”
At this point the draft remains a recommendation and the final decision will be made by top cop Edward Caban.
When amNewYork Metro reached out for comment, a spokesperson simply replied that “The disciplinary process remains ongoing.”
