BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – A frustrated protester told reporters at a union-sponsored Black Lives Matter event that he thinks “It is time for people to really rise up against this injustice that’s been going on for too long” and that “All of these peaceful protests are soon going to end. We are not going to continue these peaceful protests while you murder our children.”
The protester is Nicholas Heyward, whose 13-year-old Nicholas Heyward, Jr. was killed by a Housing Authority officer in 1994 while playing with a toy guy at a housing project in Brooklyn.
In a 2014 interview, Heyward expressed his frustration over the system and “community leaders” like the Rev. Al Sharpton, saying:
I don’t look at someone like Al Sharpton as a civil rights leader anymore. His inner circle isn’t full of grassroots activists. He’s surrounded by flashy lawyers and a traveling circus. I’ve been around for 20 years. In all the cases Sharpton has been involved in, we’ve seen the same routine. I’ve never seen justice – in the sense that officers were truly held accountable. It was almost solely about money.
In February, however, Hayward had expressed some hope at the case being of his son’s death being investigated and the news that police “would treat this as if it were a cold case” according to AMNY.com.
“It’s been a struggle for 22 years of injustice,” Heyward said, standing outside of the DA’s office, surrounded by signs with his son’s face on it and that of former-Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes. “I’m still feeling pain. I’m emotional about the whole situation.”
A spokesman for the DA’s office said the case is being reviewed.
“We are in the process of looking into this tragic case and will review the original investigation,” the spokesman said.
Mr. Heyward spoke at a protest in Brooklyn on Thursday morning that focused a variety of leftist issues, including higher wages for fast food workers.
Follow Breitbart News investigative reporter and Citizen Journalism School founder Lee Stranahan on Twitter at @Stranahan.