Saniyah Cheatham’s Family Calls For NYPD Accountability At Funeral

Earlier this month, 18-year-old Saniyah Cheatham died while in NYPD custody. Police officials said Cheatham hanged herself with a sweater shortly after entering her cell, a story her family finds skeptical. During her funeral on Tuesday, Saniyah Cheatham’s family, as well as several community activists, once again called for accountability and transparency from the NYPD.

According to the Bronx Times, Saniyah Cheatham’s funeral was held at Harlem’s St. Luke AME Church and officiated by Charles L. Green. Cheatham was very active in the church, and Green is the same pastor who baptised her. Saniyah Cheatham was enrolled at Bronx Community College and working to earn her GED, with the goal of joining the Army before becoming a social worker, according to the funeral’s program. 

“Saniyah was a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a niece, a friend — but more than that, she was a blessing,” the program read.

Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump is representing Saniyah Cheatham’s family and spoke at the funeral.  “We cannot let them sweep her death under the rug,” Crump said. “We have to fight for our Black sisters.” Crump joined the Cheatham family in calling for the NYPD to release lapel cam footage of the arrest as well as surveillance footage at the precinct showing the events surrounding her death.

On July 4, Saniyah Cheatham spent the day with her family during a cookout at Cotrona Park. By all accounts, she was in good spirits throughout the cookout and seemed to be her normal self. The NYPD arrested Cheatham that evening for allegedly getting into a fight while leaving the cookout. She was booked at the 41st precinct in Hunts Point and found unresponsive in her cell around 12:40 a.m..  

NYPD officials said Saniyah Cheatham hanged herself with a sweater, and the city medical examiner’s office ruled the death a suicide. The NYPD Force Investigation Division is currently investigating the circumstances leading to Cheatham’s death. 

Thomasina Cheatham, Saniyah’s mother, has continually expressed doubt over the official narrative.  “I don’t believe she killed herself,” Thomasina told NBC 4. “Maybe she said something they didn’t like, they roughed her up. I don’t believe my daughter committed suicide.” 

Thomasina also attended the family cookout and said Saniyah wasn’t wearing a sweater that day, which further fuels her skepticism around the official narrative. “Oh she hung herself on the bars. I would like to see that,” Thomasina added.  

Stephan Marshall, senior advisor to Rev. Al Sharpton, also spoke at the funeral, asking why no one in the precinct was monitoring surveillance footage or rushed to help if Cheatham truly hanged herself.  “Where were you?” Where’s the action?” he asked the NYPD.

Activist Tamika Mallory, co-founder of the social justice nonprofit Until Freedom, led a chant of “No justice, no peace” for Saniyah Cheatham and spoke on how Black women are “discarded” by society. 

Sadly, she’s not lying. 

Saniyah Cheatham is only the latest Black woman to die in police custody. The story of Saniyah Cheatham’s in-custody death evokes memories of Sandra Bland, a Black woman who allegedly hanged herself while in police custody in 2015. Bland’s death increased visibility for the #SayHerName campaign, which was launched in 2014 “to cut through this disturbing reality and resist the invisibility of Black women, girls, and femmes by telling their stories of police violence.”

SEE ALSO:

Black Teen Saniyah Cheatham Dies While In NYPD Custody

Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump Representing Saniyah Cheatham’s Family