Dear Mayor Kenney.
We are sending you this letter to express that we are upset and concerned about the shooting of Eddie Irizarry by Philadelphia Police on Monday, August 14, 2023, and to respectfully request that you initiate an independent, thorough, transparent, and timely investigation into the shooting.
We cannot afford to allow this incident and its aftermath to affect public safety in our community. The threats to the relationship between the police and the Latino community that this incident and its muddled aftermath present are so great that they merit an independent entity with experience in investigating such matters. Since there have been publicly reported challenges in the formation and launching of the Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC), it is best that an experienced independent entity handles this important investigation.
There remain too many questions about what happened during the shooting and about the series of inconsistent and irreconcilable ‘official’ versions of the incident. The way that the investigation of this tragedy has been handled so far by the city poisons the relationship between the Latino community and the police. The truth sometimes isn’t easy to share, but it’s essential for the city to share it if we seek to build a foundation of trust between the community and the police. Our community needs public safety and we are looking for your leadership to address this tragedy.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with you.
We believe that relationships built on honesty and truth have deep roots to grow from and we hope that a transparent and timely investigation of this incident by an independent entity will contribute to the healing that we need to foster more trusted and effective law enforcement in our community.
Sincerely,
Will Gonzalez, Esq.
Executive Director
cc: Tumar Alexander, Managing Director
Darrell Clarke, President of City Council
Quetcy Lozada, Councilwoman, 7th District
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Will Gonzalez, Esq.
Executive Director
Ceiba
