The 21-year-old Reid was shot in the back on January 1 and died shortly later. The police claimed that he was firing at them over his back. Newsome was killed in a police ambush involving a cop dressed up as a pizza delivery man. When the 17-year-old pulled out a pellet gun, the cop’s partner shot him three times.

Jeanette Perry, a social worker who lives near the site, told the Militant that she supports the call for full disclosures. "The police are all over the place," she said. "They will always justify it, and then get a few ‘dirty cops’ and say ‘we cleaned it up.’"

"He was just a 17-year-old kid. Even if he had a real gun, why shoot him?" asked Ethna, a student at City College. "It is not justified. Every time they have to shoot. Where is the justice?"

New York police killed two others in the same period. Earlier on New Year’s Day Jamal Nixon, 19, was shot twice in the back in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Along with other neighbors, he had been celebrating the holiday by shooting in the air. When he refused a police order to drop his gun, he was shot and killed.

On January 2 the police chased down John LaGattua, accusing him of driving a stolen vehicle. One cop broke out a side window of the car with his gun. Police said the gun discharged accidentally, killing LaGattuta.

Police commissioner Ray Kelly said January 4 that he accepted the explanation. The other three homicides were also justified, he said.

On January 15 70 people gathered at a Brooklyn school to mark the one year anniversary of the police killing of Georgy Louisgene. The 23-year-old Haitian immigrant was shot by two police officers who claimed that he had charged them with a knife and a stick.

The memorial was organized by the Haitian Coalition for Justice. Members of the National Congress of Puerto Rican Rights also participated, along with Parents against Police Brutality. The evening began with a showing of "Justifiable Homicide," a documentary about the 1995 police killing of Hilton Vega and Anthony Rosario.

Candace Wagner is a garment worker in Queens, New York.  
 
 
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