BY DAMIEN OVALLE
On Oct 10th, protesters rallied near City Hall calling for the arrest of Officer Brendan Thompson, Officer Herbert Davis in the awaiting decision from City Hall to continue or cease punishment for the NYPD officers.
On the night of 2019, April 14th Kawaski Trawick was cooking in his apartment in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx when Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis responded to calls claiming Trawick was disrupting and threatening his neighbors. As the Officers began confronting Trawick, they tased and shot him four times, leaving him to lie on the floor. According to the NYPD, Trawick held what appeared to be a broomstick and kitchen knife. When the officers asked him to release the weapons, he did not comply which escalated the situation.
The Bronx District Attorney found no criminality and cleared the officers of murder in 2020.
The parents of Kawaski Trawick took to the streets on October 10th, where they were alongside Loyda Colon, Executive Director of the Justice Committee, an organization against police violence and systemic racism, members of Committees United for Police Reform, and members of El Puente, an organization that bridges health, education and the arts with activism and community empowerment.
With anger and passion, dozens of people attending the rally voiced their frustrations about the NYPD. Ellen Trawick, the mother of Kawasaki, told the crowd, “It’s been over four years since Thompson and Davis murdered my son while he was cooking at home. The mayor and the commissioner should be embarrassed that these two men are still being paid as NYPD officers.” She went on to mention her disappointment in Mayor Adams.
“Mayor Adams has never even said my son’s name. His new commissioner could make a decision on whether or not to fire the officers as early as this week. My husband and I are calling on the mayor to meet with us,” said Trawick.
Kawaski moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to New York City to follow his dance career. With Kawaski’s passing, traveling back and forth from Georgia to New York has taken a toll on their family. “We’re back and forth every other month. It’s been hard for his sister,” said Trawick.
Spectators began to chant for the firing of Thompson and Davis, with more participants joining and yelling, “Mayor Adams, stop the lies, Kawaski’s fam don’t hide.”
New York State Senator Jessica Ramos attended the protest, where she showed her support for the Kawaski family. She opened her speech describing the responsibilities of police officers and the lack of democracy and transparency in the NYPD. Labeling the police as “gun-slinging and trigger-happy,” she added that they “shot and killed an innocent man.”
“No one is above the law,” said Ramos. “If you don’t know how to do your job, you shouldn’t do your job.”