The July 22 funeral for 18-year-old Saniyah Cheatham, who died in NYPD custody at the 41st Precinct, included a forceful rallying cry for justice and accountability.
The service was held at Harlem’s St. Luke AME Church and officiated by Charles L. Green, the same pastor who performed Cheatham’s baptism, family members said.
Before her death, Cheatham was earning her GED at Bronx Community College and wanted to join the Army and eventually become a social worker, according to the program distributed at the service. She loved art and music and “lived a life full of purpose, passion, and quiet strength,” it said.
“Saniyah was a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a niece, a friend — but more than that, she was a blessing.”
The circumstances surrounding Cheatham’s death in police custody are being investigated by the NYPD Force Investigation Division, and her family has questioned the official version of events.
Cheatham was arrested on July 4 for disorderly conduct after fighting with her girlfriend while leaving a family cookout, the family previously told News 12. She was brought to the 41st precinct in Hunts Point and was found unresponsive in her cell around 12:40 a.m. the next day.
The city medical examiner’s office ruled the death a suicide, and the New York Times cited two unnamed sources who said Cheatham used her sweater to hang herself.
Attorney to NYPD: You have ‘blood on your hands’
However, the Cheathams and their attorney, prominent civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, have expressed doubts. They said she was in good spirits earlier that day, was in good health and was not wearing a sweater, and they have demanded surveillance video to be publicly released.
At the funeral, Crump said the public will be “shocked” when they see the video.
“NYPD, the blood is on your hands!” he said.
Crump urged community members to engage with elected officials and on social media to pressure the NYPD into releasing the footage.
“We cannot let them sweep her death under the rug,” he said. “We have to fight for our Black sisters.”
Activist Tamika Mallory, co-founder of the social justice nonprofit Until Freedom, led a chant of “No justice, no peace” for Cheatham.
“Saniyah needed help,” but Black women are too often “discarded” by society, she said.
Rev. Stephan Marshall, senior advisor to Rev. Al Sharpton, questioned why, if Cheatham did commit suicide, no one was apparently monitoring surveillance video or walking the area in time to stop her.
“Where were you?” he said, referring to the NYPD. “Where’s the action?”
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, who attended the wake on July 21, sent a message of support and issued a July 14 statement saying that she is monitoring the situation as more information is released.
“We are standing with the family during this painful time and demanding full accountability and transparency,” she said. “At a time when we continue to work to build trust and partnership with the NYPD, we must also ensure that this family’s pain and trauma is acknowledged as they seek answers and justice for Saniyah.”
Beyond the call to action, several people at the funeral shared remembrances of Saniyah, including Dominique Cheatham, who read an original poem.
“The family will rise through every ache. For her, we bend, ‘cause the Cheathams never break,” she said.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
