Brooklyn, NY – Dozens of community members gathered for a picket at the NYPD’s 71st Precinct in Brooklyn on March 31. In December 2021, 26-year-old Haitian American Eudes Pierre dialed 911 while experiencing a mental health crisis. Instead of assistance or care, officers Peter Lan and Conrado Abreu-Gerez from the 71st Precinct followed him in and out of a train station and to his home before shooting him ten times.

The murder of Eudes Pierre demonstrates how the NYPD continues to kill and brutalize the people of New York with near-impunity. Their violence falls disproportionately on Black, brown, immigrant and unhoused New Yorkers, as well as those experiencing mental health crises.

Abreu-Gerez continues to work at the 71st Precinct. The New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR), along with Eudes Pierre’s family, organized the picket to confront Abreu-Gerez along with his associates and demand that he be immediately fired and prosecuted.

Daniel Koh of the New York Alliance described Abreu-Gerez’s history of violence before and after the murder of Eudes Pierre. Around eight months earlier, he was part of a mob of police officers who brutalized Isiah Day, fracturing his spine. Since the murder of Eudes Pierre, the NYPD awarded Abreu-Gerez five times for “excellent police duty” and once for “meritorious police duty.” Over the same period, he has had five additional complaints ranging from police brutality to abuse of authority.

The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) ruled that Lan and Abreu-Gerez had acted “within NYPD guidelines.” Attorney General Letitia James declined to pursue charges against them. James is running this year for reelection to a third term. Her website calls her “the People’s Lawyer” and the “guardian of the legal rights of the people of New York.”

In their speech, NYAARPR Chair Shivani Ishwar addressed James directly, “You cannot be the People’s Lawyer if you don’t truly represent the people! You cannot win our vote while ignoring our demands!”

Attendees carried signs with a picture of Eudes Pierre on one side and a wanted poster of Conrado Abreu-Gerez on the other. Officers from the 71st Precinct watched the picket from the other side of their barricade, showing visible discomfort at the signs, speeches and chants which included “Fire killer cops!” and “How do you spell murderer? NYPD!”

To maintain and build pressure on the NYPD, the New York Alliance will continue to picket the 71st Precinct on the last Thursday of each month. The next picket will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 30. Along with Eudes Pierre’s family, the New York Alliance continues to fight for justice for Eudes Pierre and for community control of the police.

#NewYorkNY #NY #BrooklynNY #NYAARPR #EudesPierre #OppressedNationalities #InjusticeSystem #KillerCop

Brooklyn, NY – Organizers from the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a speakout in Sunset Park on Saturday, March 14, just blocks away from the Metropolitan Detention Center, where up to 200 immigrants are being held by federal agents. The event was part of the group’s recently-launched “ICE Out” campaign, continuing the momentum established at mass rallies earlier in the year.

The speak-out began on the corner of 36th Street and 4th Avenue, where members of the New York Alliance handed out hundreds of flyers, delivered fiery speeches, and spoke to passersby about the campaign to kick ICE and federal agents out of the five boroughs.

A nearby subway station meant there was a steady stream of residents and families to engage with, the vast majority of whom reacted positively to the campaign. Some chose to stay and help hand out flyers, while others gathered on the sidewalk to take up chants and listen to speeches about the deplorable conditions at the MDC, the relationship between immigration enforcement and imperialism, and federal police oppression.

For many passing by it was their first time learning about the federal detention complex.

“I lived here for years at this point, I had no idea that prison was right here in my backyard,” Raqael Vasquez, a resident of Sunset Park, told one organizer. “That’s actually crazy. Seriously.”

After spending some time by the subway station, organizers moved to Industry City, a shopping complex on the same avenue as the MDC. Though the crowd here was composed mostly of young professionals and tourists as opposed to residents of Sunset Park, many onlookers took flyers and raised fists in solidarity. Drivers passing from the Gowanus Expressway underpass likewise honked in unity with the organizers’ message, which was audible from two blocks away.

Though the MDC is situated in an inaccessible and industrial corner of Brooklyn, the speakout drew attendees from all over the city, some of whom had learned of the New York Alliance from previous ICE Out campaign events. People from as far away as Staten Island and Bay Ridge gave up their Saturday afternoons to take part in the speakout, indicating the popularity of the campaign, and the frustration from New Yorkers that such a place is, indeed, operating in their backyard.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #NAARPR #NYAARPR #Prison

Brooklyn, NY — On Saturday, February 28, 30 community members gathered at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Macon branch to attend a justice for Eudes Pierre panel, organized by the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR).

Eudes Pierre, a young Haitian American man, was 26 years old when he was murdered by the NYPD in December of 2021. Pierre had called 911 himself while experiencing a mental health crisis, and the officers who responded to his call met him not with compassion but with violence. Despite understanding that Pierre was in distress, the officers harassed him, escalated the situation, and ultimately shot him ten times.

Over four years after Pierre’s death, his family continues to fight for justice, working closely with the New York Alliance. The panel focused on what justice can look like years after a loved one’s death at the hands of police, and how to change a system that continues to treat Black and brown lives as disposable, while allowing cops to get away with murder.

On the panel of speakers were Sheina Banatte, Eudes Pierre’s cousin and the managing director of advocacy of the Justice for Eudes Pierre Coalition; Joshua Lopez, the nephew of John Collado, a man who was killed by an undercover NYPD officer in 2011; and Sharif Hall, organizer and treasurer of the New York Alliance. The conversation was moderated by Shivani Ishwar, the chair of NYAARPR.

The panel opened by discussing the cases of Eudes Pierre and John Collado, and the ways in which the current system failed to deliver justice for them and their loved ones, or consequences for the officers responsible for the murders.

“We had to fight to change the narrative around Eudes’ death,” said Banatte, speaking about her cousin’s case. “The media was calling it a ‘suicide by cop.’” She went on to discuss how Pierre didn’t deserve to be dehumanized just because he was in distress. His death was not a suicide, but a murder at the hands of the NYPD.

The speakers then discussed the demands for justice, and how the fight continues years after a loved one’s death. NYAARPR’s Justice for Eudes Pierre campaign demands that the officers who killed Pierre be fired and prosecuted for murder; that police are removed from mental health crisis response; and that a system of community control over the police be implemented citywide.

Speaking on the importance of community control of the police, Hall said, “In the 60s, the Black Panther party advocated for community control. The Black liberation struggle at that time called for a lot of ways to give Black people control over different aspects of their lives.”

The panel closed on a call to action, reminding attendees to go beyond education to join the fight for justice. “Learning about these cases is just the first step,” Ishwar said. “We need to fight for our demands, and change the system that allows [the NYPD] to get away with murder.”

NYAARPR will be holding a Justice for Eudes Pierre protest outside of the NYPD’s 71st Precinct, the precinct responsible for killing Pierre. The protest will be held on March 31, the anniversary of the date of New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ refusal to pursue criminal charges against the officers.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #NYAARPR #EudesPierre

Brooklyn, NY- On Friday evening, February 27, dozens of Brooklyn community members gathered for a special screening of the 2003 documentary The Revolution Will Not be Televised—a film that captures first hand the failed, U.S.-backed coup attempt in 2002. The event was held in collaboration with the venue, The Boyfriend Co-op, a queer leftist organizing space and cafe.

The film showed the role that anti-worker media played in enabling the failed coup, and the importance of mass mobilizations and community organizing in rescuing Venezuelan sovereignty and defending the Bolivarian Revolution.

Members of Brooklyn Against War discussed the continuity of Venezuela’s democratic governance from Chávez to Maduro and emphasized the importance of standing up and holding the Trump administration accountable for its renewed attacks on the Venezuelan people and their democratically elected government.

Brooklyn Against War member Michela Martinazzi stated, “Whether it’s an attack on Venezuela, Palestine, Cuba, Iran, or any other country, those billions of dollars are being spent to bomb and murder people, and to steal their resources and destabilize their countries. The U.S. has no right to do that, and that money should be spent on programs that working people need.”

Brooklyn Against War will continue mobilizing against the U.S. aggression towards Venezuela, and has announced a march for First Lady Cilia Flores in honor of International Women’s Day, on March 8. Organizers and community members will march to the jail where Cilia is being held and host a speak-out in her honor.

#BrooklynNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #BAW

Brooklyn, NY — On February 3, dozens of people gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center to mark the one-month anniversary since the United States attacked Venezuela and kidnapped President Maduro and First Lady Flores.

The rally was called by the Venezuela Solidarity Network, and several important anti-war organization endorsed and attended, such as Workers World Party, Black Alliance for Peace, Palaver Collective and Brooklyn Against War.

Mumia Abu-Jamal, a current political prisoner, called into the protest via phone to give a speech in solidarity for Maduro and Flores, stating, “An empire attacks a poor, weaker state, and demands the lion’s share of its richest raw material – oil. Why is it not a stick up?”

Members of several organizations gave powerful speeches, urging the crowd to fight for Venezuela, President Maduro and First Lady Flores.

The rally ended with a recorded message by Nicolás Maduro Guerra, President Maduro’s son, who urged the people of the United States to keep fighting and that Venezuelans are fighting with them.

#BrooklynNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #International #Venezuela #Maduro #BAW #VSN #WWP #BAP

Brooklyn, NY – There was a full house in the community room of the Macon Library in the heart of Brooklyn January 17, for a reportback from Venezuela. For their monthly general member’s meeting, the NYC district of Freedom Road Socialist Organization hosted two organizers who visited Venezuela in December 2025.

Ebtesham Ahmed (NYU Students for a Democratic Society and Freedom Road Socialist Organization) and Yasmine Tiana (Palavar Collective) talked about their trip in December as part of a wider delegation. They went over how the Venezuelan people are steadfast in their support of President Maduro and ready to fight U.S. aggression.

This event comes two weeks after the United States government bombed Caracas and kidnapped President Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores. On January 4, U.S. forces brought the president and the first lady to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. Since then, many New Yorkers have protested near the MDC as they question why foreign leaders are being illegally detained in their backyard.

While Ahmed and Tiana were in Venezuela, the U.S. had begun the early stages of the attacks on oil vessels and fishing boats. Ahmed and Tianna witnessed firsthand how the people of Venezuela reacted.

Ahmed said, “The standing with the Venezuelan people is not solely out of sympathy, but out of necessity. The same enemy the people of Venezuela, U.S. imperialism, is the same enemy we face here.”

The full room gave them a resounding applause when they finished speaking and many committed to fighting to free Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores and return them to their home.

#BrooklynNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Maduro #SDS #FRSO

Brooklyn, NY – On January 16, activists with Brooklyn Against the War (BAW) participated in a National Day of Action called by the Anti-War Action Network to demand the release of kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores. Maduro and Flores were kidnapped by U.S. Special Forces on January 3 in an attack that killed 32 Cuban security personnel and dozens of civilians.

“The United States has no right to enter a foreign country and kidnap their leader,” protested Michela Martinazzi of BAW. She continued, “What is this war for? Democracy? Absolutely not. It’s for oil!”

By participating in the National Day of Action, BAW handed out over 250 flyers, spoke to passersby about the cost of U.S. aggression in Latin America and around the world, and spread the news about Maduro and Flores being held at a detention center in Brooklyn.

President Nicholas Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores’ next hearing date is scheduled for March 17 in Manhattan.

#BrooklynNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #BAW #AWAN #Maduro

Brooklyn, NY – At a late afternoon press conference, January 6, anti-war and international solidarity activists blasted the U.S. war on Venezuela and blasted the kidnaping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. President Maduro and Cilia Flores are currently be held Metropolitan Detention Center.

Sydney Loving of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “This is about the U.S. trying to crush a government that has the courage to put its own people above Washington’s greed.”

Sara Flounders of Worker’s World Party said, “The U.S. will not succeed in Venezuela, just as they failed in Iraq, failed in Afghanistan and failed with sending billions to Israel. Venezuela will hold on to its resources. We will not go back to colonialism.”

Groups organizing the press conference included the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN), International Action Center (IAC), Brooklyn Against War (BAC), International League of People's Struggle (ILPS), Worker’s World Party (WWP), and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

#BrooklynNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Maduro #AWAN #IAC #BAC #ILPS #FRSO

Brooklyn, NY – In the early morning of January 4, over 200 people gathered across the street from the Metropolitan Detention Center, where the kidnapped President Maduro of Venezuela and his wife, Cilia Flores, were being held.

The picket spanned over half a block as bundled-up protesters marched for hours in support of President Maduro and Venezuela. Chants rang through the crowd, such as, “Not another penny, not another dollar! We won’t pay for your death and slaughter!’

Several organizations spoke against the Trump administration’s illegal kidnapping of the Venezuelan president.

Michela Martinazzi of Brooklyn Against War stated, “Maduro is a hero of the people. He has carried forward the legacy of Chavez to fight against U.S. intervention. Trump and his cronies are desperate for oil and resources. The Venezuelan people will not find liberation through the United States, but only suffering. Maduro must be returned safely to Venezuela, and the U.S. must stop meddling in Venezuelans’ affairs!”

On Monday, January 5, President Maduro will appear in court in downtown Manhattan. Maduro supporters will gather demanding his freedom and an end to all aggression against Venezuela.

#BrooklynNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #BAW #Feature

Brooklyn, NY — Dozens of community members gathered at the NYPD’s 71st Precinct in Brooklyn on December 20. Four years before, Officers Peter Lan and Conrado Abreu-Gerez from the 71st Precinct shot and killed 26-year-old Haitian American Eudes Pierre while he was experiencing a mental health crisis.

Pierre’s family, alongside members of the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR), organized a protest and vigil to mark four years since Pierre’s death at the hands of the NYPD.

Because Pierre died at 4:10 a.m. on December 20, 2021, organizers began the protest at 4:10 p.m. Sheina Banatte, Pierre’s cousin and the managing director of advocacy for the Justice for Eudes Pierre Coalition, described Pierre’s family’s ongoing grief and frustration, stating, “Erd should be here celebrating the holidays, and it’s a shame we have to be here. We need justice. We need accountability!”

Pierre himself called the police while experiencing the mental health crisis. Lan and Abreu-Gerez followed him in and out of the train station to his own home before shooting him ten times. Since then, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) ruled that Pierre’s killers were acting “within NYPD guidelines.” Attorney General Letitia James declined to pursue charges against Lan and Abreu-Gerez, who continue to work for the NYPD. Peter Lan transferred to the NYPD’s notorious Intelligence Division while Abreu-Gerez continues to work at the 71st Precinct.

Ebtesham Ahmed of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) told the crowd, “This is only part of a frustrating pattern of the NYPD, who kill, brutalize, and imprison Black, Latino and other oppressed peoples all across the city, only to never face any kind of accountability.”

Also present were members of NYU Students for a Democratic Society and the best friend of eighteen-year-old Saniyah Cheatham, who died in NYPD custody on July 5, 2025. She described parallels between Cheatham’s and Pierre’s cases stating, “Saniyah was going through shit; I hear Erd was going through something too.” The NYPD criminalizes mental health crises, and disproportionately targets the Black, brown, and unhoused New Yorkers experiencing them.

Banatte and organizers from the New York Alliance ended the rally by delivering over 100 postcards written by members of Pierre’s family and the community to the 71st Precinct. They then marched to where Pierre was killed, now called Eudes Pierre Way. Protesters took the street along Eastern Parkway, demanding the city fire and prosecute Peter Lan and Conrado Abreu-Gerez.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #KillerCops

Brooklyn, NY – On November 13, the national Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) launched an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike targeting Starbucks for its unwillingness to reach a contract with the union.

This strike coincided with Starbucks’ “Red Cup Day,” which the company uses as the launch of its holiday season. In response, the union has launched its Red Cup Rebellion, an open-ended strike of over 1000 baristas demanding better staffing, higher pay and resolution for hundreds of unfair labor practice charges.

In New York City, SBWU baristas and allies launched a picket line outside of the Lafayette Avenue Starbucks, a union store in Brooklyn. They chanted, “No contract, no coffee,” “Don’t cross that picket line” and “Who makes the coffee? We make the coffee!” Many customers were turned away by the picket line, which led to cheers; though there were a couple of groups that crossed and were shamed. The store was staffed by managers from across the district at the time of the picket and rally.

As the sun set, the group of over 150 union workers, community members and elected officials rallied and listened to speeches offering solidarity and explaining the workers' demands. An organizer with the union started the rally by explaining, “Today the ULP strikes start across the country to show Starbucks we are serious!”

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers said, “We won’t be given anything without a fight!”

Weingarten continued, “It cannot just be the barista’s Red Cup Rebellion; it must be all of our Red Cup Rebellion!”

Chi Ossé, a member of the New York City Council, gave words of solidarity with the union’s fight against Starbucks’ new CEO Brian Niccol, joking that the billion dollar company is trying to “Niccol and dime” the workers.

After speeches, the group continued to picket the store, giving interviews to local media, and talking with union representatives. Local unions showing solidarity included the UFT, Teamsters Local 804, Laborers Local 79 and 32BJ SEIU, among others.

#BrooklynNY #NY #Labor #Starbucks #SBWU

Brooklyn, NY — Transit riders gathered at Jay Street – Metrotech station around a banner with an enlarged image of MTA Board Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. Organizers from the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) invited passersby to step on the image and share negative experiences with the MTA and police in the transit system.

On September 30, Janno Lieber and the MTA board voted unanimously for a slate of fare increases to start in January, including an increase of the subway and bus fare to $3. The fare increases come despite overwhelming opposition from transit riders. They were proposed amid a sharp increase in police and National Guard in the transit system, instituted by Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

MTA CEO Janno Lieber has also been pushing for aggressive fare evasion crackdown, spending millions of dollars on turnstile spikes, private security, and locking emergency exit doors which pose a significant risk in case of fire. The NYPD has aligned itself with the MTA board against fare evasion, which Lieber called the MTA’s “No. 1 existential threat.” They target stations and routes in majority-Black and brown neighborhoods.

Despite multiple lawsuits and reforms, police and National Guard continue to recreate stop and frisk. They disproportionately search, ticket and arrest Black and brown transit riders. There are thousands of pictures and videos of officers and National Guardsmen members using excessive force, ignoring requests for assistance,and playing games on their phones.

A speaker from the New York Alliance described Janno Lieber’s background as a potential explanation as to why he acts against the wishes of workers and everyday transit riders. His father was the president of a publishing company. His mother was on the New York State Board of Regents and comes from the Levin political and legal family of Michigan. His resume is full of unelected positions from the Ed Koch administration to the Andrew Cuomo administration. The NYAARPR speaker asked, “this nepo baby probably doesn’t even take the train but he’s the one in charge of the MTA?”

The New York Alliance handed out hundreds fliers for their ongoing Cops Off the Subway campaign. Dozens of people stepped on the enlarged image of Janno Lieber and shared their experiences, including someone who had been brutalized by police in a subway station. The New York Alliance will continue to organize against the MTA and demand police, National Guard, and federal agents out of the transit system.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #NYAARPR #NationalGuard

Brooklyn, NY – Dozens gathered on Tuesday, September 30 at the New York City Transit Authority to speak and give public comment at a monthly meeting of the MTA board. The event was organized by the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, as well as other members of the Fare Ain’t Fair Coalition, including the December 12th Movement.

The Fare Ain’t Fair Coalition has been organizing to stop the train and bus fare increase to $3 and expand the Fair Fares program to include those up to 400% of the federal poverty line. Because of their campaign, the MTA delayed the fare increase to January 2026 and set up public hearings. There were four times as many public comments in July as there were during the last fare increase in 2023. Public pressure forced them to walk back other proposals over the weekend, including an increase in the seven-day fare cap, which will now be $1 instead of $2.

The December 12th Movement led a rally and speakout before the public comment period, chanting, “The fare ain’t fair and the poor won’t pay more!” There were 47 community members who signed up for public comment, necessitating an overflow room and recording for those who did not get a chance to speak in person.

The majority of the speakers condemned the fare increase. December 12th Movement member Christian Joseph said, “There's the working and poor people of this city, and there's those with the deep pockets. Who are you going to serve? Because this city runs off of the labor, the efforts, the sweat, and the blood of poor and working people. The fare ain't fair.”

New York Alliance speakers connected the Fare Ain’t Fair campaign to its Cops Off the Subways campaign, specifically their demand to “fund communities, not the cops.” NYAARPR member Jamie Kowalski said, “Meeting the needs of the community is the way we actually reduce crime. And instead of enforcing fares with violence and penalties, we need to stop the fare increases and eventually make the trains a free public service for all riders.”

After the board meeting, the New York Alliance led another speakout in front of the NYCTA building. Speakers reemphasized the connection between the fare increase and the ongoing, inevitable increase in policing to enforce it. They presented community control as a way to take back power over how tax money gets spent. Through community control, people would be able to decide the hiring, firing, discipline, wages and priorities of the police. They would be able to redirect money out of the pockets of billionaires and towards making transit truly affordable and accessible.

The New York Alliance, December 12th Movement. and the Fare Ain’t Fair coalition will continue to organize for safer subways and against the fare increase.

#BrooklynNY #NY #PeoplesStruggles #Transit #NYAARPR

BROOKLYN, NY — On the evening of June 11, over 100 New Yorkers gathered near the New York Police Department 83rd Precinct in Bushwick for a speakout hosted by Boricua – meaning a native of Puerto Rico or of Puerto Rican descent – and community organizations including Juventud Unida por la Independencia (JUPI) and Adolfina NYC.

The speakout was a response to a brutal attack by the NYPD at The Bush and Mood Ring bars after the National Puerto Rican Day Parade on June 8. At around 8 p.m. on June 8, officers from the 83rd Precinct raided The Bush. Speakout organizers stated it was no accident that the NYPD targeted a lesbian bar during Pride Month. The unprovoked attack left several in the hospital. The NYPD denied patients any contact with the outside world, surveilling those receiving treatment.

In the early morning of June 9, Mood Ring hosted a bombazo, a performance of bomba, which was organized by Boricua organizers and cultural workers. Bomba is a music and dance tradition from Borikén that combines the traditions of indigenous and enslaved peoples. Bomba became an expression of resistance to enslavement, colonialism and imperialism.

Like the attack at The Bush, the NYPD entered the building without warning and immediately escalated to physical violence. They targeted performers and instruments, injuring attendees on their way to the stage. Organizers took immediate action to protect community members and unarrest people. As a result, even though nearly 100 police officers participated in the raids, only six people were arrested. Three were released in the early morning and three were transferred to the courthouse. One was held for almost 36 hours, in violation of New York State law.

The June 11 speakout began with a call-and-response performance of plena, a Boricua music and dance tradition influenced by bomba. Organizers then delivered an official statement and demands before inviting community members to speak. Speakers from other organizations, including a vendor from Bushwick and a member of the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR), made statements of solidarity.

The speaker from the New York Alliance connected the 83rd Precinct’s brutality to the 2023 killing of 78-year-old Caesar Robinson. Two officers from the 83rd Precinct shot Robinson seven times at his own apartment, despite being called there on his behalf. The Alliance speakers also contextualized the attacks within the wider increase in repression urged on by the Trump administration. The NYPD’s escalation of violence has disproportionately harmed protesters and marginalized New Yorkers.

Other speakers included a member of the community who was born in Bushwick but had been displaced due to gentrification. He said he was proud to continue to be part of the Boricua community in Bushwick and urged community members to join the linked struggles against gentrification, xenophobia and police brutality.

The organizers’ seven demands are to: drop all charges; release all footage with the faces non-police individuals blurred out; release the names and disciplinary records of all officers involved; set up a community oversight board to independently investigate the use of excessive force; compensate community members for their medical bills, legal fees and trauma; release a public apology from the NYPD, the office of the mayor, and the city council, and, finally, remove the NYPD from parade celebrations.

JUPI, Adolfina NYC, and other Boricua and community organizations will continue to build a campaign in response to the attacks.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #StopPoliceCrimes

Brooklyn, NY – Eudes Pierre’s family, friends, and supporters filled the room at the Eastern Parkway library, March 1, for the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression’s (NYAARPR) event, kicking off their new campaign to demand justice for Eudes Pierre.

Eudes Pierre, a 26-year-old Haitian American man was murdered by the NYPD on December 20, 2021, while experiencing a mental health crisis. Pierre had called the police, in clear distress, and when the police arrived, they followed him into and out of the subway station, and then shot him ten times. Despite the fact that police officers were aware that Pierre was experiencing a mental health crisis, they engaged him with extreme force and had tased him multiple times before shooting him.

Pierre’s family has remained steadfast in their demand for justice and accountability, and in their determination to never let this happen again. The family successfully fought to have the street where Pierre grew up named after him and are fighting to implement the Eudes Pierre Law, which would replace police offers with trained peers when it comes to mental health crisis intervention.

The NYPD, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), and the New York attorney general’s office, however, have all played a part in denying justice for Eudes Pierre. When the NYPD murdered Pierre, the attorney general’s office, which had initially promised to investigate and hold the officers accountable, declined to press charges against the shooters, and the CCRB shamefully found the killing to be “within NYPD guidelines.”

The New York Alliance is demanding “Fire and prosecute the cops who killed Eudes Pierre! Police out of mental health responses! Community control of the police now!

Pierre’s cousin, Sheina Banatte, spoke at Saturday’s campaign launch event on behalf of the Justice for Eudes Coalition, alongside Reverend Kevin McCall of the Crisis Action Center, and Sharif Hall, Treasurer for NYAARPR.

When asked what justice for Eudes Pierre looks like, Banatte explained, “true justice would be for Eudes to be here with us now. Second to that, the next highest form would be accountability.” Banatte also said that the campaign for the Eudes Pierre Law is another way to achieve some measure of justice.

“We want to transform how this city does mental health crisis response, so that nobody else gets killed like this. That is another kind of justice,” stated Banatte.

Sharif Hall added, “Eric Adams is also to blame, for continually increasing the police budget, and for working with the police commissioner to prevent any and all accountability.” Sharif also mentioned the case of Caesar Robinson, another Brooklyn-resident who was murdered in his own home by the police, after calling them himself because he thought he was being burglarized. Cases like these clearly show the need for community control over the NYPD.

Rev. McCall discussed a prior, five-day community patrol pilot program that his organization implemented in Brownsville, New York, in which community members responded to calls for assistance, rather than police. This example shows that “community control can happen, if we are organized enough to make it happen.” Rev. McCall also emphasized the importance of staying engaged in community activism, and the need to keep the pressure on elected officials.

Sheina closed out the event with a demand for more investment in community resources, for police to be removed from mental health crisis response, for more police accountability, and for justice for Eudes Pierre.

There will be an event to demand #PeersNotPolice on March 24, and a protest against New York State Attorney General Letitia James on March 31, to mark the two-year anniversary of her decision not to press charges against the officers who murdered Eudes.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #KillerCops #NAARPR

Brooklyn, NY – On Friday evening, December 20, two dozen New Yorkers gathered in the cold outside of the 71st Precinct to remember and demand justice for Eudes “Erd” Pierre.

Three years ago, the NYPD murdered Pierre on December 20. Pierre was in the midst of an apparent mental health crisis and called the police himself – when they arrived, the police shot him ten times, killing him only steps away from his family’s home. On November 20, 2024, the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board found that the cops who shot Pierre acted within NYPD guidelines.

The rally was organized by Justice for Eudes Pierre, an organization established by Pierre’s family which has spent the past three years fighting to remove the police from the response to mental health crises in the city. They say that Pierre needed help from trained mental health professionals, not the cops.

The demands that Justice for Eudes Pierre put forward are: to decriminalize mental health; the implementation of the #PeersNotPolice model as a mental health crisis response; the “Eudes Pierre Law” which would require 911 dispatchers to determine mental health distress and not send police as a response; community control of the police as put forward by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression; killer cops must face disciplinary actions, and end overfunding of the NYPD and fund our communities.

Sheina Banette, a family member of Eudes Pierre, addressed the crowd, saying, “Till this day, this family has not received Justice. We hold Officer Peter Lan and Officer Conrado Abreu-Gerez responsible for taking Erd away from us. Erd had so much life to live. His life mattered.”

After the initial rally, where the crowd directly confronted two police officers outside of the precinct, the family led a march to the corner of Eastern Parkway and Utica Avenue where Eudes Pierre was killed, and where the stretch of Eastern Parkway has been renamed in Eudes Pierre’s honor. There, the crowd heard again from the family and from a speaker from the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Speaking on behalf of NYAARPR, Sharif Hall said, “As long as the NYPD are able to do whatever they please with no consequences, then we will not be free. That is why it's important that we do not stop fighting for Eudes Pierre, and everyone else who is unjustly killed by the NYPD. And the NY Alliance is going to continue to do just that, continue demanding justice for Eudes, standing in solidarity with his family, and continuing to fight for community control.”

The program concluded with a candlelight vigil. The family tied a banner commemorating Pierre to a railing at the spot where he was killed and arranged lit candles to spell “ILEP” to stand for “I Love Erd Pierre.”

#BrooklynNY #InJusticeSystem #JusticeforEudesPierre #Peersnotpolice #CCOP #NAARPR

Brooklyn, NY – The NYU Students for a Democratic Society (NYU SDS) held a pro-Palestine rally, September 26, on the day their new dean, Juan De Pablo, was slated to visit the Tandon School of Engineering. Dozens of students walked by, taking photos and videos of the rally. Around 25 people joined SDS as they marched from the starting location of 6 MetroTech Center to Wunsch Hall,

The rally started with Eb Ahmed, representing NYU SDS, honoring Marcellus Williams, a black Muslim man who was executed by the state of Missouri for a crime that he did not commit. They spoke on how much community support Williams was able to garner to fight for his innocence, how much evidence people gathered to prove his innocence, even how the victims’ family did not want his execution. Ahmed tied the struggle of Marcellus Williams to the struggle of the Palestinians with a recitation of a poem by Williams called The Perplexing Smiles of the Children of Palestine.

The rally continued with speakers from No Tech for Apartheid (NoTA) and the New York Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression (NYAARPR). They connected the struggle of the student movement for divestment from genocide to other ongoing struggle in the tech industry and the NYPD for their ties to the genocide as well.

A representative of NOTA stated, “Student resistance was the inspiration for our sit-in at Google. As workers and students, we have much to learn from one another about how we engage in the struggle against empire. Students and workers, we have the power to end this genocide. We must escalate for Gaza, for Palestine, for Lebanon, for Syria, for Yemen. Whether that be in the campuses or the workplaces. We must demand that our labor not enable oppression, but rather liberation.”

Daniel Koh from NYAARPR mentioned the ties between the student movement against universities and the citywide movement for community control of the police, stating, “It is time for NYU Tandon to face reality. It is time for Juan de Pablo to face reality. Pigs are not welcome on our subways, in our schools, or on our college campuses. We demand amnesty for students facing disciplinary action for protesting a genocide. We demand cops off our campuses. Pigs are not kosher. Pigs are haram. Get them out of here!”

The Students for a Democratic Society ended the rally by stating the demands embodied in their “Money for Jobs and Education, Not for Bombs and Israeli Occupation” campaign. They marched to Wunsch Hall, a building where prominent abolitionists like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass spoke, ending off with a declaration that “We will free Palestine, within our lifetime!”

#BrooklynNY #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SDS #NoTA #NYAARPR

Brooklyn, NY – When the New York University Students for a Democratic Society (NYU SDS) held their first meeting of the semester on September 6, an NYPD officer with several others from the counterterrorism unit walked up to members in an attempt to intimidate them.

When members arrived to set up for their meeting, they saw an extensive NYPD and NYU Campus Security presence. When asked by an SDS member if NYU called them to arrive at the scene, the officer claimed they were just there coincidentally. Yet, right after the NYPD walked up to SDS, NYU campus security arrived to also confront SDS.

When asked the same question by the NYU SDS member, the campus security officer claimed NYU would never call the cops on its own students. The SDS member pushed back, saying, “You called the NYPD on your own students last year for the encampment, leading to 60-plus students getting arrested and multiple students being brutalized by cops.”

The officer then claimed that the encampment was not a peaceful action. Looking at what transpired earlier this year, the NYU encampments were peaceful up until the moment the NYPD was called. All the injuries, all the arrests were as a direct result of the NYPD, which NYU themselves called on its own students.

NYU plans to continue its repression on its own students, which it has made clear in its passing of the Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment policy which protects the political movement of Zionism from criticism. It also set further rules and guidelines on student protest saying that they should not disrupt university activities, which is what protests should be doing.

“The hypocrisy of NYU is clear. It does not care about the safety of its own students, if it is willing to call the cops on them,” an SDS member said. “They don’t even care about peace, as it continues to maintain ties to and investments in military companies who are supplying a literal genocide in occupied Palestine right now.”

NYU SDS has made it clear they will not be intimidated by NYU and the NYPD, and they will keep on their fight to win their demands.

#BrooklynNY #NY #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech

Brooklyn, NY – On Saturday, September 7, the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) and a dozen community members gathered for an honest discussion of the role of the NYPD on the New York City subway system.

The event, held at the Macon branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, marked the launch of NYAARPR’s Cops off the Subway campaign.

Panelists and participants discussed the racist history of policing on public transit, the problem with letting cops respond to mental health crises, and the underfunding of community resources due to inflated NYPD overtime.

Speakers debunked Eric Adams’ and Kathy Hochul’s claims about transit crime being on the rise and showed that the majority of people arrested in the transit system are Black, and most arrests are for non-violent offenses like turnstile jumping or sleeping.

New York Alliance speakers were joined by Sheina, a family member of Eudes Pierre, who was shot and killed by the NYPD in Brooklyn, New York on December 20, 2021, while in a mental health crisis. Sheina emphasized the fact that police officers should not be involved in responding to mental health crises and spoke about the importance of mental health care that prioritizes the dignity, autonomy, and safety of the person in crisis.

More cops on the trains will not make us safe and will only increase the harassment and abuse of Black residents and unhoused New Yorkers.

The New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and the people of New York City are fighting back against the racist, anti-poor agenda pushed by the NYPD and their crones, Cop Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul. For more information on NYAARPR, visit nyaarpr.org or @nyaarpr on social media.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #PoliceBrutality #KillerCops #NAARPR #NYAARPR

Brooklyn, NY – The NYU Students for a Democratic Society held a pro-Palestine rally on August 26, during welcome week for the incoming freshman class at New York University Tandon School of Engineering (NYU Tandon).

The goal of the rally was to make sure the incoming freshman class was aware of the ties that NYU Tandon had to the ongoing genocide in Gaza through the school’s partnerships, sponsorships, research funding, and investments with military companies and companies aiding apartheid Israel.

Students and community members showed up, numbering around 50, to stand in solidarity with Palestine. Ralliers listened to speakers from No Tech for Apartheid, Jews Against Zionism, NYU Young Democratic Socialists of America, Neturai Karta, the New York Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression, former Tandon Alumni, and NYU SDS. Protesters chanted, “Tandon students, we call on you; don’t go work for genocide too” and “Engineering should save lives, not be used for genocide” to incoming freshman who passed through the area.

NYU Tandon administration prepared for the rally by setting up NYU ID-only entry checkpoints at its 6 MetroTech Center building. They had an increased number of Campus Security Officers at the scene of the rally.

During the rally, a reactionary Trump supporter tried to disrupt. He tried to run towards the speaker from Jews Against Zionism, but rally security marshals stepped in. This happened with Campus Security standing by and watching as students were put in harms way.

NYU claims that they care about student safety, yet they called the NYPD on their own students twice last spring. The NYPD went on to arrest over 100 NYU students, faculty and staff, brutalizing many of them with pepper spray and physical force. As the speaker from the New York Alliance put it, “With each anti-imperialist, anti-racist, anti-Zionist, protester they arrest, the NYPD confirms that they stand for violence and genocide. And NYU partners with them. If you follow logic, that means that NYU is also standing on the wrong side of history.”

NYU SDS ended their rally at Tandon’s Wunsch Hall. The hall was formerly known as the first African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church in Brooklyn. NYU SDS called attention to its ties to the abolitionist movement in the 19th century, serving as a stop on the Underground Railroad and a platform for historically important Black freedom fighters like Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman. They spoke on how the building was stripped of its political history by NYU. NYU SDS declared that they will honor that building’s legacy in their fight against the university and NYU’s ties to the ongoing genocide.

SDS declared that they won’t let the current repression intimidate them from future action. The speaker for NYU SDS said, “This is not the end, this is only the beginning: We. Will. Be. Back.”

NYU SDS promises that it will keep fighting as long as Palestinians live under oppression. They promise to follow in the footsteps of Palestinian resistance fighters. As the speaker from NYU SDS proclaimed, “We will keep up the good fight. And inshallah – we will free Palestine, within our lifetime”.

#BrooklynNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS