Photo courtesy of a representative of the family of Saniyah Cheatham
Friends and neighbors of Saniyah Cheatham, the 18-year-old who died while in police custody in the Longwood section of the South Bronx on July 5, have spoken to Norwood News, paying tribute to her.
On Sunday, July 20, we spoke to some residents and friends of Saniyah, who lived in a 5-story building on Prospect Avenue and East 185th Street, where candles were seen on the street in front of her building in memory of the young Bronx Community College student.
One friend named Tanya said, “She was a very nice person; she was well loved. She was jolly, she liked to dance. She liked listening to music. She had no issues and no problems.”
Photo by Síle Moloney
Asked how long she had known Saniyah, Tanya said, “I’d known her for about two or three years.” We asked if she would be attending the funeral and Tanya said, “Yes.” We said we assumed neighbors were shocked by her death. “Yes, very much,” Tanya said.
As reported, Saniyah’s death was ruled a suicide by the City’s medical examiner. During a press conference held July 14 outside the 41st Precinct in Longwood, where she died, Ben Crump, a lawyer for Saniyah’s mother, Thomasina Cheatham, said the family was seeking accountability and answers from the NYPD about how the tragedy occurred.
We asked Tanya about her feelings towards the NYPD in the context of the situation. “I don’t like them,” she said. “I’m a person who’ll tell you; I don’t get along with the police at all. I’ve got a lot of issues with them; I don’t like those [expletive]. They can’t be trusted and nothing ever gets done.”
Photo courtesy of a representative of the family of Saniyah Cheatham
The family’s lawyer had been asking, seemingly unsuccessfully, for the release of video-camera footage capturing the events leading up to Saniyah’s death inside the stationhouse. Norwood News had also posed various questions to the NYPD about the incident and were informed that no further information was available at the moment in light of a pending internal investigation.
Asked about how the family and community were doing in light of Saniyah’s untimely passing, a second unidentified friend said, “There’s a lot of anger here. Trust me, everybody is p*ssed with the police but there is only so much we can say and do about it.”
As reported, police said that on Saturday, July 5, at around 00.40 a.m. officers requested EMS to respond to the 41st Precinct stationhouse located at 1035 Longwood Avenue in the South Bronx “for an 18-year-old, unconscious, female prisoner.” The 41st Precinct serves Hunts Point and Longwood.
Photo by David Greene
Police said multiple officers performed CPR on the 18-year-old, later identified as Saniyah, while awaiting EMS response. The spokesperson said that EMS transported her to Lincoln Hospital where she was pronounced deceased by hospital staff. “The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is investigating this incident at this time,” police said. When asked, police confirmed Saniyah had been arrested in relation to an assault.
As reported, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson has also paid tribute to the teen, saying the community was devastated and in absolute mourning over her tragic death.
She said in part, “At a time when we continue to work to build trust and partnership with the NYPD, we must also ensure that this family’s pain and trauma is acknowledged as they seek answers and justice for Saniyah. The NYPD’s Force Investigations Unit is overseeing the investigation, and we will be monitoring the situation as more information is made available.”
Flier courtesy of a representative of the family of Saniyah Cheatham
She concluded, “As the Cheatham family seeks a clear and honest account of what happened to their loved one, we ask that everyone continue to keep them in your prayers.”
Funeral details for Saniyah are attached. Read our previous story, including details of the July 14 press conference here.
Health officials say if you have had thoughts of suicide, it might help to create or update a suicide safety plan. They said this plan will provide you with a list of steps you can follow to feel safe if you think about harming yourself. They said if you do not have a suicide safety plan, you can use this Safety Plan Template (PDF) as a guide.
They said you can help prevent suicide by learning the warning signs and said the risk of suicide is greater if a behavior is new, has increased, and seems related to a painful event, loss or change.
They said the following signs may mean someone is at risk for suicide:
- Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves.
- Looking for a way to kill themselves, such as searching online or buying a gun.
- Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live.
- Talking about feeling trapped, a burden or in unbearable pain.
- Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs.
- Acting anxious, agitated or behaving recklessly.
- Sleeping too little or too much.
- Withdrawing or isolating themselves.
- Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge.
- Displaying extreme mood swings.
- Giving away possessions.
- Saying goodbye to family and friends.
Call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Help is available in English and Spanish 24 hours a day.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.