➤ KAWASKI TRAWICK, from p.6
to inform them of the decision not
to bring charges against the cops.
The DA is committing to release a
“comprehensive and transparent
report that will detail the facts”
in the case and justify the lack of
criminal charges.
Trawick’s mother, Ellen Trawick,
blasted the DA in a response
to Clark’s announcement.
“My family and I are heartbroken
and outraged that Bronx District
Attorney Darcel Clark is choosing
not to charge Offi cers Brendan
Thompson and Herbert Davis for
murdering my son, Kawaski Trawick,
while he was cooking in his
home, on April 14, 2019,” Trawick
said in a written statement issued
through the Justice Committee, a
grassroots organization aiming to
➤ TIFFANY HARRIS’ MURDER, from p.6
non-binary individuals. The NYPD,
before and now, identifi ed the victim
as a woman but only referred
to her dead name, and the Daily
News misgendered her in the headline
eradicate police violence and systemic
racism. “After meeting with
DA Clark’s staff, viewing surveillance
and body camera footage,
and listening to 911 calls it is 100
percent clear to me and my family
that Kawaski should be alive
today.”
She continued, “The offi cers
who killed my son escalated the
situation every step of the way
by opening the door to his home
while he was cooking, then yelling
commands at him while he
was nowhere near them, then tasing
him while he posed no threat,
and then shooting him. They rendered
no aid and let him die on the
fl oor. Both of these offi cers were
Crisis Intervention Team-trained
but instead of treating my son as
a human worthy of dignity, they
shot and killed him in cold blood,
of a news article on August 13.
The newspaper in a story shortly
after the killing reported that Harris’
mother identifi ed her as a man
but also said, “I didn’t know much
about his lifestyle.”
Diallo’s attorney, according to
in his own home. Offi cer Brendan
Thompson in particular seemed to
want to cause harm, he tased my
son after his partner told him not
to, and then he shot my son. My
family and I are demanding that
Mayor de Blasio make sure that
both of these offi cers are fi red immediately.
They are a danger to
New Yorkers.”
The Bronx DA has drawn the
ire of the LGBTQ community on
multiple occasions in recent years.
Most recently, she deadnamed Layleen
Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco,
a trans woman who died while
in restrictive housing in Rikers
last year due to seizures caused
by epilepsy, when announcing that
there would be no criminal charges
in that case. Guards tasked
with watching Polanco blew her off
for extended periods of time and
the Daily News, argued in court
that his client suffers from serious
mental health issues that
have been exacerbated during
the COVID-19 crisis due to a lack
of adequate access to necessary
care. The attorney also tied his client’s
carelessly neglected their duties to
oversee her well-being. The mayor
later suspended 17 members of the
Department of Correction in connection
with Cubilette-Polanco’s
death based on the fi ndings of a
department oversight board.
Clark also aggressively prosecuted
gay youth Abel Cedeno, now
locked up for 14 years for a manslaughter
conviction after a tragic
stabbing incident that left one of
his classmates dead after they were
bullying Cedeno. Clark’s team,
led by assistant district attorneys
Nancy Borko and Paul Andersen,
said the diminutive Cedeno was
“bent on creating an opportunity
to use” a knife he brought with
him to school out of what asserted
was concern for his safety, mocked
him, and described him as “a big
man with a big mouth.”
mental health issues to Diallo’s
previous encounters with the
criminal justice system.
The NYPD did not respond to an
email seeking further details about
the encounter between Diallo and
Harris.
PREVENT THE SPREAD
OF COVID-19 IN NYC!
TAKE THESE STEPS:
Stay home if sick
Only leave for essential
medical care and testing
or other essential errands.
Keep physical distance
Stay at least 6 feet away
from other people.
6 ft
Wear a face covering
You can be contagious without
symptoms. Protect those around
you by wearing a face covering.
Keep your hands clean
Wash your hands often with soap
and water or use hand sanitizer if
soap and water are not available.
If you are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, you should still stay home as much as possible. Those at increased
risk are adults age 50 or older (adults 65 and older are at the highest risk), and those who have other health conditions.
Get tested: There are COVID-19 testing sites in all five boroughs.
To find a site, visit nyc.gov/covidtest or call 311.
For the latest information, visit nyc.gov/coronavirus.
Bill de Blasio
Mayor
Oxiris Barbot, MD
Commissioner
GayCityNews.com | August 27 - September 9, 2020 7
/covidtest
/coronavirus
/GayCityNews.com
