(BROOKLYN, NY) - The Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn Defender Services issued the following joint statement on the death of a 46-year-old man in New York City Police Department (NYPD) custody at Kings County Criminal Court:

“The Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn Defender Services mourn the loss of a 46-year-old New Yorker who passed away in NYPD custody at Kings County Criminal Court on Friday night.

“This tragic loss represents at least the twelfth person to die in City custody or shortly after being released and the third person to pass away at a local courthouse this year alone. The NYPD’s drive to criminalize poverty has led to the avoidable and unnecessary incarceration and death of a man who was accused of shoplifting food from a grocery store. Instead of receiving the care he urgently needed, he languished and died in a holding cell.

“At a time when misinformation about ‘cashless bail’ spreads widely, a man who was accused of a low-level crime that New York’s bail laws were designed to protect has died in NYPD custody. The NYPD continuously flouts the rules that require people to remain at liberty on non-violent and low-level matters while they await resolution of their court case. This is a cruel example of the consequences of the NYPD’s failures.

“We demand an urgent, transparent, and full investigation into his death, and we express our deep condolences to his loved ones and all who are affected by his passing.”

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The Legal Aid Society is a nonprofit organization that exists for one simple yet powerful reason: to ensure that New Yorkers are not denied their right to equal justice because of poverty. For nearly 150 years, we have protected, defended, and advocated for those who have struggled in silence for far too long. Every day, in every borough, The Legal Aid Society changes the lives of our clients and helps improve our communities. www.legalaidnyc.org

Brooklyn Defender Services is a public defense office whose mission is to provide outstanding representation and advocacy free of cost to people facing loss of freedom, family separation and other serious legal harms by the government. We believe in a client-centered approach and work, in and out of court, to uphold the rights, freedom and dignity of people threatened by unjust, racist and harmful legal systems. www.bds.org

Find a PDF of the full press release here.