Ellen and Rickie Trawick are in New York City as the two officers involved in the death of their son Kawaski are facing an administrative trial.

In 2019, police officials say he came at them with a knife, and the entire exchange was caught on video.

As the trial against the officers involved got underway, the New York City Council came out in support of the family.

“It pains me to hear the stories, time and time again, of Black parents losing their children at the hands of police violence,” said City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.

NYPD officer Brendan Thompson is charged with use of force. His partner, Herbert Davis, is charged with failure to render aid.

A previous charge of unlawful entry was recently dismissed.

“There have been multiple efforts to obstruct it with the latest being the NYPD judge to unilaterally throw out an important disciplinary charge against the officers,” Speaker Adams added.  

The Trawick family said they want justice, especially after an internal investigation found no wrongdoing, and the Bronx district attorney declined to bring criminal charges against the officers.

“Mayor Adams and Commissioner Sewell need to do the right thing and need to have these officers fired. They no longer need to work for the New York Police Department. They are a danger to the people of New York,” said Ellen Trawick, Kawasaki’s mother who has been fighting for justice for her son for four years.

The trial comes at a time when the city’s police department is facing heightened scrutiny amid budget negotiations.

On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams voiced support for the police department’s overtime budget as he pushes for rollbacks in social services.

According to a recent report from the city’s comptroller’s office, the NYPD has already blown past their allotted overtime budget by $98 million and makes up the largest amount of the city’s overtime excess.

“Is it that you dislike overtime or that you dislike the NYPD because I never hear about overtime in any other agencies,” said Mayor Adams at a press conference on his executive budget. “Now if I were to go to you and say give me the number to H-and-H, you’d scratch your head. If I said give me the number to HRA (Human Resources Administration), give me the number to Parks, you’d scratch your head, but all of you know the number to the police.”

The move was criticized by local lawmakers, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams who is seen as progressive compared to Adams’ more moderate form of politics.

“Shame on the mayor for saying that,” he said before noting how overtime spending could be useful in other critical city agencies.

“Can you imagine the department of mental health and hygiene had access to the overtime that it needed, especially responding to calls that PD now does,” Williams added.

Williams went on to say that the police department, even in the face of misconduct and deadly mistakes, fails to be held accountable.