If the police, especially the NYPD, are telling you a story, your best bet is second-guess everything they are saying, hire the best attorney that you can afford, pressure them publicly, and be prepared to fight. Contrary to the jingoistic mantras that some would have you believe, justice isn’t given in America, it’s paid for in blood, tears, and sweat equity.
According to a NBCNewYork report, the NYPD has told a grieving family that 18-year-old Saniyah Cheatham took her own life while in police custody last weekend. Cheatham had just celebrated the July 4 holiday with her family in Corona Park when she got into a physical altercation with her girlfriend that led to both women being arrested. Around 12:40 pm the next morning, police say they found Cheatham laying lifeless in her cell and allegedly attempted to perform CPR to no avail.
The family ain’t trying to hear none of that.
Said Saniyah’s mother Thomasina Cheatham, “She was happy and I was happy to see her”. NYPD told Thomasina that Saniyah had used a sweater to choke herself to death but the mother says her daughter did not have a sweater that day which stands to reason because…it’s July…in New York.
“What happened to her? I don’t believe she killed herself,” said Thomasina. “Maybe she said something they didn’t like, they roughed her up. I don’t believe my daughter committed suicide.”
The medical examiner has not yet determined a cause of death and the family is demanding that all security footage from the jail be released to the public and the body camera video of the arresting officers be released as well.
Bronx News 12 spoke to Saniyah’s brother Javan who said that even news of her arrest was shocking because his sister was not a violent person or the type to initiate a fight.
“Saniyah’s not really a fighter,” Javan said. “She would rather talk to you first than hit you or start a fight with you or anything like that.”
Something ain’t right and the math ain’t mathing. We will be following this story closely and will provide updates as they become available.
