NYC demands “Justice for Eudes Pierre”

New York, NY – Family, friends and community members came together this week for two events to demand justice for Eudes Pierre and celebrate what should have been his 30th birthday.

On Sunday, June 22, 40 community members and activists from the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) gathered in Crown Heights, Brooklyn for a memorial celebration organized by the family of Eudes Pierre.

Four days later, on Thursday, June 26, community members joined NYAARPR to rally outside the NYPD’s 71st Precinct to demand that the officers who shot and killed Eudes Pierre in 2021 be immediately fired and prosecuted.

Sunday’s celebration honored and remembered Eudes Pierre’s life and legacy. Most of those in attendance were close family and friends, including Eudes Pierre’s mother and his cousin Sheina Banatte, who has spent the past four years fighting tirelessly for justice. Also present were several members of NYAARPR and two elected officials, New York City Council member Crystal Hudson, who represents the Brooklyn neighborhood where Eudes Pierre was killed, and State Assembly member Monique Chandler-Waterman. The day’s mood remained celebratory, with several toasts to Eudes Pierre’s memory.

“The New York Alliance is proud to support Eudes Pierre’s family and honor his memory on what would have been his 30th birthday.” said NYAARPR Executive Committee Chair Shivani Ishwar, “Today’s celebration is a reminder of why we must continue to fight for Justice for Eudes, and justice for all the families torn apart by killer cops.”

Thursday’s rally outside the 71st Precinct struck a more militant tone. Protesters and family members spoke out against the two officers, Peter Lan and Conrado Abreu Gerez, who shot and killed Eudes Pierre in December 2021, while Eudes Pierre was in the midst of a mental health crisis. Speaking on the way Black and brown communities are overpoliced and underserved by mental health services, Sheina Banatte said “If the police are in our communities, they should be meeting people with care, but they’re not! And that is why we need community control of the police, and we need justice and accountability when they do the wrong thing.”

Between chants of “Justice for EP!” speakers called attention to the fact that neither Peter Lan nor Conrado Abreu Gerez has faced any accountability for Eudes Pierre’s death. In March 2023, just over a year after Eudes Pierre was killed, New York State Attorney General declined to press charges against either officer, and in November 2024, the Civilian Complaint Review Board ruled that Officers Lan and Abreu Gerez had acted within NYPD guidelines.

Officer Lan has transferred from the 71st Precinct to the NYPD’s notoriously secretive Intelligence Bureau, responsible for widespread surveillance and repression of New Yorkers as well as Arab and Muslim groups and individuals throughout the Northeast. Officer Abreu Gerez remains stationed at the 71st Precinct, where he continues to receive complaints for misconduct and brutality.

“If the NYPD won’t hold killer cops accountable, then we will,” said Briony Smith, Community Education Chair of NYAARRP. “We demand that both Peter Lan and Conrado Abreu Gerez are immediately fired for the murder of Erd Pierre. We demand that they are prosecuted and convicted. And until that time comes, we will not let them forget, we will not let them rest, and we will not stop demanding Justice for Erd Pierre.”

#NewYorkNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops