Washington Heights, NY — On October 20th, Koran Irvine was shot by a retired police officer while driving across the George Washington Bridge. There will be a rally demanding justice for Irvine at Foley Square, 4:30pm on Tuesday, October 27th.

Andre Easton, father of three and congressional candidate for NY-15, released the following statement on October 26th:

“End the war on Black America. Justice for Koran Irvine.

“Koran Irvine was a Black union worker, a father of two, and one of the workers New York simply can’t live without. On a Tuesday night, after a 12-hour shift keeping the lights on in our city, he was driving home to his family across the George Washington Bridge. He never made it home.

“Victor Romero, a retired NYPD detective, gunned Koran down in an act of senseless, road-rage-induced violence.

“As a fellow Black union worker and father, I am outraged, but I am not surprised. We live in a system that does not value Black lives. I stand with Koran’s widow, Patricia Irvine, in demanding justice.

“After Romero was released on bail, Patricia Irvine asked the questions we should all be asking: “And with my good man, best friend and partner gone, the man who killed him is free. And why? Because the Manhattan District Attorney thought he deserved to be free? Because Judge Kevin McGrath thought he deserved to be free? Or because his killer has billionaire friends? Or is it because a good, hard working Black man’s life does not matter.”

“The whole system is guilty. Now is the time to organize for a future where Black people can grow old in dignity, free from the threat of racist violence, and where current and former police officers can no longer kill with impunity. A future where we, not billionaires, hold the power to decide what our lives are worth.”