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| Not Again!!! NYPD Kills Young Black Man |
| 02.05.04 (11:29 pm) [edit] |
By Herb Boyd
Managing Editor
The Black World Today
http://www.tbwt.org/home/content/view/103 /2/" title="http://www.tbwt.org/home/content/view/103 /2/" target="_blank"http://www.tbwt.org/home/cont...
Brooklyn -- Irene Clayburne wept inconsolably throughout the 90-minute funeral for her grandson, Timothy Stansbury, Jr.
There was nothing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Councilman Al Vann, Minister Kevin Muhammad, Assemblywoman Annette Robinson, or even the Rev. Craig Gaddy could say to stem the flow of tears, though their remarks aroused the mourners crowding the pews here at Friendship Baptist Church.
"He was on the right path," Mayor Bloomberg said of Stansbury, 19, who was killed by a housing cop on the rooftop of a building where he often lived with his grandmother. "He resisted the temptations that trap so many of our young people."
But the one trap Stansbury, and many young black men, cannot not elude [i]is the one set by nervous white police officers. [/i] Officer Richard Neri, who had his gun drawn while patrolling the rooftops of the housing complex, told sources that he didn't recall the incident–"it happened so fast."
Apparently Stansbury opened the exit door on the roof Saturday morning, January 24, at the same time the officer was pulling it open, according to several witnesses, including two young men who accompanied Stansbury as they took a short cut across the rooftop, rather than descending four flights of stairs of the adjoining building and then climbing back up to reach their destination.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who did not attend the Friday funeral, quickly called a press conference after the shooting and announced that it [b]"appeared to be unjustified,"[/b] which was a reaction that was in stark contrast to the attitude of the Giuliani administration and it's tendency to do everything possible to protect members of the NYPD.
"We lost a piece of our future," Bloomberg continued to respectful applause. "It is something we cannot afford to lose....He's gone from our vision, but not from our hearts."
Councilman Vann, who administers the district where Stansbury lived and was killed, was equally emotionally in his statements that drew a thunderous response. After commending the community activism of his colleague on the council, Charles Barron, Rev. Herb Daughtry, and the mayor for his sentiments, he wanted to know why it's always "young black boys and young black men who have been shot mostly by white police officers...We must make sure that justice is served.
"We are at a defining moment in the city," Vann continued, "and Mayor Bloomberg has had the courage to tell the truth." He turned from the pulpit and faced the mayor and said: "We can work together to bring about change."
Assemblywoman Robinson also entreated the mayor, asking him to resurrect the "Safe Streets, Safe Cities" program. "We need more of these programs," she insisted. [b]The police need to "recognize that everyone in our community is not a criminal."[/b] Listeners came to their feet with a sustain round of applause.
The applause grew even louder when Minister Muhammad boomed that "Our people can't take anymore. We are tired of this, and there must be an atonement." Muhammad of the Nation of Islam, heads Mosque #7 in Harlem, was furious and recounted a litany of police atrocities from Eleanor Bumpurs to Amadou Diallo. Then, pointing to the metallic blue casket at the front of the church, he said: "Timothy is still here with us because why would we all be here?"
"I didn't know my brother was loved by so many people," said Stansbury's sister, Timetress, who left her seat where she sat with her father, Timothy, Sr. and her mother Phyllis Clayburne, to read a poem she wrote for the occasion.
At the close of the service, Rev. Gaddy, pastor of the church, praised those who had come, particularly the city's elected officials that included City Comptroller William Thompson, State Senator David Paterson, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Councilman Bill Perkins, Council Speaker Gifford Miller, and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.
"This is what we call leadership," Rev. Gaddy roared. "Together we can make a difference."
Stansbury, who had great aspirations to be a basketball player, leaves to mourn his father, mother and grandmother; sister, Timetress; four aunts, Sandra Clayburne, Cormella Smith, Margie Clayburne, all of Brooklyn; Elaine Clayburne of Hampton, Virigina; three uncles, Wayne Clayburne, Frank Clayburne and Stanley Clayburne all of Brooklyn; a loving stepfather and friend Tracey Watson and a host of cousins and friends. He was laid to rest at Rosehill Cemetery in Linden, New Jersey.
(Monday, 02 February 2004 )
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