Earlier this month, an 18-year-old Black girl was arrested within the Bronx. Hours later, authorities discovered her unconscious in her holding cell, and he or she finally died. In keeping with a health worker, the teenager died by suicide after hanging herself together with her sweater, however her household isn’t shopping for it, and so they’ve employed famed civil legal professional Ben Crump to see them by means of their pursuit of transparency and justice.
In keeping with Gothamist, Bronx native Saniyah Cheatham was pronounced useless on July 5, after she was taken to Lincoln Hospital from the New York Police Division’s forty first Precinct stationhouse in Longwood, the place a number of officers carried out CPR on her whereas ready for an ambulance to reach. It’s unclear what the circumstances have been surrounding Cheatham’s arrest, however the New York Instances reported final week that she was booked on an assault cost.
On Monday, the Cheatham’s household, joined by Crump, held a press convention exterior the stationhouse, the place they accused authorities of being lower than forthcoming with data on Cheatham’s dying exterior of the ruling that she killed herself. Crump mentioned through the convention that he deliberate on “exploring each attainable authorized treatment to get to the reality.”
“It’s a hypocritical dynamic the place you’ve gotten the video, you already know what occurred, however you’re gonna make this household should undergo all types of hoops and hurdles to search out out what occurred to their daughter,” he mentioned.
Cheatham’s household beforehand denied assertions made by Bronx police officers that the teenager hanged herself — statements that, in keeping with the Instances, have been made earlier than the health worker made an official reason behind dying ruling. Her mom, Thomasina Cheatham, mentioned her daughter was in good spirits on the Fourth of July, the day she was arrested, when she was at a barbecue with kin. Thomasina additionally famous that she was not sporting a sweater on the time because it was July.
“ I simply need to know what occurred to Saniyah,” Thomasina mentioned Monday, describing her daughter as “vibrant, impartial, good and outgoing.”
“That was my solely daughter and he or she didn’t deserve this.”
Now, the household appears to be extra open to the likelihood that Cheatham, certainly, hung herself in her cell, however there’s nonetheless the difficulty of the jail surveillance video that they’re reportedly not being allowed to see.
“We’re not saying it’s inconceivable, but it surely does make you scratch your head,” Crump mentioned. “It isn’t including as much as the household. That’s why they need to see the video.”
Crump’s workplace additionally launched the next assertion on Sunday:
“Saniyah Cheatham was an 18-year-old together with her entire life forward of her. I commend her mom, Thomasina, for her braveness in standing as much as demand the reality. How may this occur to a younger girl in police custody? Why wasn’t her security ensured by these charged together with her care? No mom must be left at the hours of darkness after her little one dies in police custody. We demand full transparency and accountability for this grieving household.”
Cheatham’s case is eerily just like that of Sandra Bland, who was discovered useless in her jail cell in Waller County, Texas, in 2015, after a confrontation with a police officer throughout a site visitors cease.
When Black individuals die below mysterious circumstances, particularly whereas within the custody of regulation enforcement, and household and neighborhood members are advised it was a suicide, it’s unreasonable to count on it to be accepted with out full and swift transparency.
Relaxation effectively, Saniyah Cheatham, and will you and your loved ones obtain justice.
For those who or somebody you already know is contemplating suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Disaster Lifeline by dialing 988, textual content “STRENGTH” to the Disaster Textual content Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.