An 18-year-old college student, Saniyah Cheatham, tragically passed away by suicide while in the custody of the New York Police Department (NYPD) on July 4th. This heartbreaking incident has sparked renewed concerns about the treatment of women, particularly Black women, in police custody. Last Friday night, Cheatham, a student at Bronx Community College, was taken into custody after a dispute with a friend.
She was then brought to the 41st Precinct stationhouse in the Bronx, where she later lost her life. The NYPD has yet to release surveillance footage or provide detailed reports on the incident. While police sources confirmed Cheatham’s death as a suicide, her family is questioning the official narrative and demanding complete transparency. Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney representing the Cheatham family, held a press conference outside the 41st Precinct on Monday, July 14th.
Crump expressed the urgent need for answers, stating, “There are too many unanswered questions. We demand that the NYPD release all video footage and provide a full accounting of what happened in that precinct.” Cheatham’s death has drawn painful comparisons to past cases involving Black women who tragically lost their lives in police custody under controversial circumstances.
In August 2015, Raynette Turner, a mom of eight from Mount Vernon, tragically passed away in a holding cell after being arrested for shoplifting. This heartbreaking incident occurred just weeks after a series of similar cases involving Black women, including Sandra Bland in Texas, Kindra Chapman in Alabama, Joyce Curnell in South Carolina, and Ralkina Jones in Ohio, all in July of that year. These cases sparked national protests and played a crucial role in New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2015 executive order. This order established the state attorney general as a special prosecutor to investigate police-related deaths.
Activists from Until Freedom are now urging Governor Kathy Hochul and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tish to honor the memory of Sandra Bland, Kindra Chapman, Joyce Curnell, Ralkina Jones, Raynette Turner, Saniyah Cheatham, and all those affected by these tragedies. They are demanding an independent investigation and the immediate release of all surveillance footage from the night of Cheatham’s death.
Founders and leaders like Tamika D. Mallory, Mysonne Linen, Linda Sarsour, and Angelo Pinto, Esq. are committed to the cause. They have a proven track record of two decades of collective work in criminal justice reform, gun violence prevention, immigrant rights, and cultural engagement. A family supporter passionately expressed, “Saniyah’s name deserves to be heard. Her story needs to be told. We can’t let her become another statistic, another young Black woman whose life ended behind locked doors without answers.”
Advocates are also urging the public to reach out to Governor Hochul’s office and NYPD headquarters. They are demanding accountability and transparency in custodial deaths and pointing to legislation like the Prison Omnibus Bill and other reforms that aim to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
Cheatham’s death has reignited the Say Her Name movement, a campaign dedicated to raising awareness about Black women affected by state violence. If you are seeking answers or want to take action, here are the contact details: NYPD headquarters at 646-610-5000 and Governor Hochul’s office https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form
Say Her Name: Sandra Bland, Kindra Chapman, Joyce Curnell, Ralkina Jones, Raynette Turner, and Saniyah Cheatham.
Thank you for covering this. Too often, these stories get buried, and Black women’s lives are treated like footnotes. Saniyah Cheatham’s death echoes Sandra Bland, Raynette Turner, and too many others. The lack of transparency from the NYPD is unacceptable, if there’s nothing to hide, release the footage. Her family deserves answers, and we have to keep the pressure on. Say Her Name, because silence is how they erase us.
This has to stop. One is too many, and now another Black woman has lost her life while in police custody. I am sick and tired of the death by “Suicide” narrative that police departments put out there, to cover up a homicide committed by one of their own. Why would an 18 year old college student just take her life, when she has her future and entire to look forward to? Sandra Bland was on her way to starting a new job at Prairie View A&M University an HBCU in Texas, and after a minor traffic stop ends up dead in police custody. We never hear of white women, losing their lives in police custody. Demanding the NYPD to release the surveillance will take forever, will only mean they will take their to “Edit” the video to fit their narrative. Ms. Cheatham should be alive and working towards her college degree but, once again the NYPD took that away from her.