2/09/2012 Bronx, NYC – Jateik Reed, family members and supporters gathered today in front of the Bronx Supreme Court Courthouse located at 851 Grand Concourse to announce their attorney’s call for New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to appoint New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman as special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute New York City Police Department officers who beat Mr. Reed.
In a letter sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo, Attorney Michael W. Warren said, “based on my experience, and discussions with many colleges, I have concluded that the close working relationship between the District Attorney’s offices and the New York City Police Department has made it next to impossible for a district attorney to effectively investigate cases where the police are alleged to have engaged in criminal conduct of this nature.
Moreover, there is the critical issue of the public’s trust in a institution that is mandated to provide safety and security for our citizens of this city. The beating of Jateik Reed and the shooting of unarmed eighteen-year-old Ramarly Graham, also in the Bronx, on February 2, 2012, as well as many other documented cases of police misconduct, have a segment of the population of New York City questioning their relationship with the NYPD and their ability to obtain justice when their rights are violated.”
Attorney Michael and co-counsel Gideon Oliver have grave concerns regarding their client’s ability to receive justice if the Bronx District Attorney’s Office investigate the unwarranted assault on Jateik Reed.
On Thursday, January 26, 2012, 19-year-old Jateik Reed, an African-American male from the Bronx, was brutally beaten and arrested by several New York City Police Department officers from the 42nd Precinct. The beating was caught on tape and the footage was widely circulated on the internet.
The Guardian reports that after his arrest, Schuan Reed, Reed’s mother, her 4 years old son and her son Jashuan, 17, went to the precinct to ask about Jateik. She and her son Jashuan, too, were arrested.
On Monday, February 6th, Jateik was released on $10,001 bail. All Things Harlem interviewed him and his family.
One week after Jateik’s arrest, on Thursday, February 2nd, Bronx police officers entered the home of 19 year-old Ramarley Graham and shot him dead in his bathroom. Initially the department said Graham ran into his home, however video provided by Graham’s landlord, show Rahmarley walking, not running, into his home. Moments later police officers are seen running up after him. After a few minutes of kicking the front door an officer was able to gain entry into the building from the back and Graham was killed. Police said, they found a bag of marijuana in the toilet but no weapon was found in the house. Graham’s grandmother and six year-old brother were home at the time of his killing.
On Saturday, February 4, 2012, New yorkers rallied and marched in the Bronx to protest the beating of Jatiek Reed by four NYPD police officers and the murder of Rahmarley Graham by another NYPD police officer. You can see pictures and videos here
Mr. Reed is represented by veteran criminal defense and civil rights attorney Michael W. Warren and Gideon Orion Oliver, President of the New York City Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.
Gallery is empty!