AAPI NJ and allies respond to failure of grand jury to indict in killing of Victoria Lee by Fort Lee Police

Victoria Lee should be alive today. Her parents deserve to see the officers who murdered their daughter stand before the law. Community members in Fort Lee and beyond should know they can access help safely and without fear when they need it.

Instead, the Office of Program Integrity & Accountability’s (OPIA) failure to secure a grand jury indictment after a torturous year-long investigation has undermined public safety in New Jersey by making it clear that no matter how brutally and senselessly police officers kill our loved ones, the systems that are supposed to protect us will instead close ranks to protect their own.

We once again demand that the Fort Lee Police Department, Mayor, and Council initiate internal disciplinary processes for the officers involved in Victoria Lee’s killing, including not just the shooter, Officer Tony Pickens Jr., but all of the officers who contributed to the reckless decisions made in those scant, deadly minutes. We call for a full review of the Fort Lee Police Department’s practices and use of force. Fort Lee and Bergen County must also keep building alternative crisis response options such as the Mobile Crisis Outreach Response Teams (MCORTs) available through 988 so that people everywhere, at any time, can access the care they need instead of an armed response. And we must all stand by Victoria Lee’s family and other victims of police violence as they continue to seek justice, accountability, and systemic changes.

We gather hope from the strength of our communities, the multiracial coalition of allies who have responded to police violence over and over and shown up so generously to support and guide us, and above all from the courage of Victoria’s parents and the example Victoria herself set during her short life. But we do not, today, find any hope or reason in the workings of the law in New Jersey. It is now up to our Legislature, Governor, and law enforcement to restore trust by taking action to ensure all families in New Jersey can access care safely.