November 19 Vigil for Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.:

WHITE PLAINS, NY- The Westchester Coalition for Police Reform (WCPR) will be hosting its annual vigil in remembrance of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. at 3pm on Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 3:00 pm, to continue to press for accountability for Mr. Chamberlain’s death. Mr. Chamberlain, a 68 year-old veteran, was killed on November 19, 2011 by White Plains police officers who were summoned to his apartment for a wellness check after he inadvertently triggered his medical alert button.

November 19, 2023, will mark the 12th anniversary of Mr. Chamberlain’s violent and untimely death, which was documented in the award-winning film The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain. Despite a series of lawsuits, public and law enforcement officials – including the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the City of White Plains, and its mayor, Thomas Roach – have denied culpability for Mr. Chamberlain’s death, or responsibility for the lack of public accountability that followed. Julie Carran, WCPR’s convener stated: “Earlier this year the City of White Plains agreed to a financial settlement with the Chamberlain family. The City acknowledged no culpability for Mr. Chamberlain Sr.’s death. We are gathering to call for accountability in this and every case of police abuse.”

Mr. Chamberlain’s son, Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., continues to fight for justice for his father and for other families who have lost loved ones to police misconduct. He has the support of the Westchester Coalition for Police Reform (WCPR), an organization he co-founded in the wake of his father’s killing.

Speakers at the vigil will include:

• Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr., Son of Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. and co-founder WCPR
• Damon K. Jones (emcee), Black Westchester Magazine; Blacks in Law Enforcement of America
• Rev. Lane Cobb, Minister, 4th Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Westchester
• Mayo Bartlett, Esq., Law Offices of Mayo Bartlett PLLC
• Sandy Bernabei, LCSW, AntiRacist Alliance (ARA)
• Debra S. Cohen, Esq., Co-chair, Civil Rights Practice Group of Newman Ferrara LLP
• Jasmine Hinson, Urban League of Westchester County
• Rana Hobson, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Westchester Alumnae Chapter
• Randolph M. McLaughlin, Esq., Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
• Dr. Yusef Salaam, Member of the Exonerated 5
• Cynthia Turnquest-Jones, Tha Brown. Urban Mother Partners, Inc. "Tha B.U.M.P"

The Westchester Coalition for Police Reform (WCPR) is a group of concerned community organizations, religious institutions, and individuals who share a vision to help build safe communities with improved community-police relations and greater police accountability and transparency.
wcprny.org • wcpyny@gmail.com • (914) 222-3244