Alex Steele
– Artist’s Website –
Yesterday, activists with Artists For Justice NYC and Shut It Down NYC, at the request of his family, installed a memorial and held a vigil for John Collado, who was shot & killed by an NYPD cop two-and-a-half years ago, to mark his birthday (see attached photos).
The memorial was done by artist Alex Seel, and includes an image of John as well as “J-4-J” scales of justice designed by the family to call for Justice For John. It was placed on the ground at the exact spot where John was shot & killed, in front of his home, where his widow still lives to this day.
The vigil marks a renewed push for Justice for John, who, despite the astonishing facts of his case (see attached photo), has received no justice from the criminal justice system: the cop who killed him, James Connelly, was never charged or disciplined and works for the NYPD to this day.
Many other families whose loved ones have been killed by the NYPD came to the vigil and have asked for similar memorials at the sites where their family members were killed. We plan to install them across the city throughout the summer to draw attention to the crisis of people being victimized by the NYPD in our streets.