New York, NY — Today, ColorofChange.org along with Communities United for Police Reform delivered more than 33,000 petitions demanding justice for Ramarley Graham by calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring federal charges against Ramarley’s killer — NYPD Officer Richard Haste.
“Currently, the Black community is facing a national epidemic of police brutality. Ramarley Graham was another victim of this epidemic. Ramarley, an 18-year-old Bronx resident, was shot and killed by NYPD Officer Richard Haste in the bathroom of his family’s home in front of his grandmother and 6-year-old brother after Haste unlawfully broke into his home on February 2012. After the prosecutors office failed to hold Officer Haste accountable for his deadly actions, the Department of Justice said it was looking into this case. Since then, Ramarley’s family has heard nothing from the DOJ.
“The killing of unarmed Black men who pose no threat to officers or public safety — like Ramarley Graham, Amadou Diallo, Eric Garner and Sean Bell — highlights the long history of brutality and violence perpetrated by the NYPD against members of our community. In 1999, officers fired 41 shots at Diallo, killing him in his Bronx apartment, and in 2006, police fired 50 shots at Bell, killing him on his wedding day in Queens. In both of these horrifying cases, the district attorney’s office was unable to secure a guilty verdict.
“The DOJ has a duty to protect our community against racial profiling and deadly police violence, especially when local or state prosecutors fail to do so. All too often there is no accountability for the officers kill our loved ones. They walk free, while families and communities are left to mourn. In light of the epidemic of racial profiling and police brutality across the country, we are asking the DOJ to send a clear message that the justice system values the lives of young Black people by bringing federal civil rights charges against the officer responsible for killing Ramarley Graham.”
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With over 900,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest online civil rights organization.