EAST NEW YORK — Residents in East New York are raising funds to support the family of an unarmed man shot dead by a rookie NYPD officer in November.
Activists and relatives of Akai Gurley launched an online campaign this month to raise $150,000 to help Gurley’s 2-year-old daughter and her mother move out of a NYCHA residence.
Gurley, 28, was killed by NYPD officer Peter Liang in a dimly lit stairwell of East New York’s Pink Houses on Nov. 20, 2014. City officials ruled his death a homicide.
Along with the Indiegogo campaign, community organizers and family friends will host a February benefit for additional proceeds. Gurley’s 2-year-old daughter, Akaila, and her mother, Kimberly Michelle Ballinger, are expected to attend.
The goal is to the change living conditions for the family, which reportedly lives in the Red Hook Houses, said organizer Ty Black.
“Akaila is still living the projects, in the same type of conditions that her dad was killed in,” Black said. “There were no institutionalized funds being offered, set up, or even in the works for Akaila. In organizing with the family, we saw this and wanted to do something to cover her.”
The proceeds will go towards a down payment for a low-income home, according to Shavon D. Ford, a friend of Gurley's aunt, Hertencia Petersen.
“For Kim having to raise two young girls and adding to the grief of the situation, she needs the support,” Ford said. “The victims in these circumstances are impoverished or from low-income backgrounds, so fundraisers are an immediate need in addition to good counsel and representation.”
On Thursday, a notice of claim was filed on behalf of Ballinger and Gurley’s daughter, marking the first steps toward a $50 million lawsuit against the city, according to lawyer Scott Rynecki, who represents Ballinger.
Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson previously announced that he would impanel a grand jury to examine Gurley's shooting death.
“We look forward to a court determining this matter,” Rynecki told DNAinfo New York. “In addition, we hope that out of this case, the city will undertake an independent review of the training that the potential police officers undergo at the academy.
“We feel obviously that there’s something not right there based on a variety of difference instances over the past few years," he said
The community’s online campaign had raised $2,785 as of Friday afternoon and runs until March 5.
The benefit event will be held at 7 p.m. on Feb. 13 at 89 Crystal St. in Brooklyn. Organizers are asking for a $10 donation.
