New Yorkers rally for 3rd anniversary of NYPD murder of Eudes Pierre

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