'Eudes Pierre Way': Crown Heights Street Named For Man Shot By Police

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — For the family of Eudes Pierre, a vote this week to rename part of Eastern Parkway for the 26-year-old — who was shot and killed by police — will bring more to the block than a new street sign.

It will create a legacy.

"One day his future nieces and nephews [will] ask me, 'Why is Eastern Parkway named 'Eudes Way' and I can say, 'Lemme tell you a story of a great man, whose name rings out for those in need,'" Pierre's brother, Rholan Pierre, told Patch. "My brother would be proud and smiling to see all the people who have fought to make sure he is remembered."

Proposed by Councilmember Crystal Hudson, "Eudes Pierre Way" was one of 78 streets that will get new co-names after a City Council vote on Thursday. It will name the stretch of Eastern Parkway and Utica Avenue where Pierre lived, and, coincidentally, where he was shot by two officers in December.

The NYPD later deemed the death a "suicide by cop," saying Pierre had called 911 on himself and left a suicide note at his family's home before the incident.

But family and friends have pushed back on the narrative, starting a campaign to argue mental health experts should join 911 calls like that of Pierre, who suffered from bipolar disorder.

"Eudes Pierre's Way to me is the city's promise to identify, recognize and work with people who are dealing with mental health episodes and their families," said Sharlee Banatte, Pierre's cousin. "It is the city's promise to eliminate situations where someone's cry for help is not a response that has to be fatal."

Pierre's family have pushed for what they call the "The Eudes Pierre Law," or a requirement that 911 operators ask if there is a mental health crisis and, if so, send specialists and EMTs in place of police.

A similar program from the city known as B-HEARD has already been put in place in some city precincts, including a plan to expand into Brooklyn in the mayor's budget this year.

Pierre's family have long held that the idea would extend far beyond their own loss. Across the city, 25 New Yorkers have been killed by police during mental health emergencies since 2007, according to advocacy group Correct Crisis Intervention Today.

"From the very beginning, our main objective was to let the world know, especially the NYPD, Eudes Pierre was and will always be more than a 'Suicide by Cop' headline ... Eudes was a person and he had a name," said Sheina Banatte, another of Pierre's cousins. "This street co-naming is an emblem of being heard and being seen, not only for Eudes."