Statement on NYPD Killing of Dwayne Pritchett 

Press Release September 19, 2020
Media Contact

Contact:
Matt Sutton 212-613-8026
[email protected]

New York, NY – In response to the abhorrent NYPD killing of Dwayne Pritchett while following his father’s 911 call for help for a mental health crisis — and the Attorney General’s office’s determination to not charge the officers who killed him because of findings of drug use — Melissa Moore, New York State Director for the Drug Policy Alliance, released the following statement:
 
“It’s horrific that a family member’s call for help during a mental health crisis resulted in NYPD killing Dwayne Pritchett. While his death has been officially ruled a homicide, the officers involved will not be charged according to the Attorney General’s office. 
 
We will not stand silent during yet another case where there is no accountability for law enforcement killing people in the midst of a mental health crisis and then the person’s drug use being used a justification for their death. Let’s be clear– the drug war that has diverted valuable resources away from community health and towards militarized policing killed Dwayne Pritchett.
 
New York must stop operating in a way that prioritizes and values criminalization and demonization over health responses that center a person’s well-being when they’re in crisis. Governor Cuomo must make it abundantly clear that mental health and substance use should have nothing to do with police. He has the power to issue an executive order mandating that municipalities develop a plan for police reform to ensure that New York shifts its approach away from police and instead reallocate those resources to city and state health agencies, harm reduction programs, and community-based organizations – all of whom are better trained and equipped to address acute crises and actually keep our communities safe.”
 
Key points from the AG report 

A young woman holds a sign that says "End the Drug War."

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