Press Release
Mayor Michael Galime
City Hall
1 Kennedy Plaza
Utica, NY 13502
Common Council
City Hall
1 Kennedy Plaza
Utica, NY 13502
Dear Mayor Galime and Members of the Common Council,
We, your concerned and grieving constituents, are writing to you following the heartbreaking and wrongful death of 13-year-old Nyah Mway at the hands of Utica police officers Patrick Husnay, Bryce Patterson, and Andrew Citriniti. This devastating event has caused deep pain not only for Nyah's family but for the entire Utica community, crossing lines of race, culture, and background. It has exposed the need for urgent changes to how this city handles public safety and community relations.
Since Nyah's tragic killing on June 28, 2024, the actions taken by your administration have been woefully inadequate. The lack of transparency and accountability has only deepened the community’s distrust. One closed meeting, two social media posts, and zero direct engagement with the Mway family or different sectors of the community show a severe lack of leadership and compassion. We, the people of Utica, deserve better.
To move forward, build trust, and ensure that this never happens again, we demand the following actions:
Immediate Restorative Actions
Publicly express condolences to Nyah's family and the community at large in writing to acknowledge the loss and the pain felt across Utica.
Cover the funeral and burial costs for Nyah Mway and provide support for the mental health needs of his family.
Commit to transparency by offering a clear, weekly timeline of the investigation in multiple languages (English, Burmese, and Karen). Ensure updates are accessible both in written and verbal formats, and appoint an independent investigator.
Policy and Legislative Reforms
Establish a Police Accountability Board with real power—modeled after Rochester’s Police Accountability Board—to investigate misconduct, create policies, and hold officers accountable with disciplinary measures. The Board should represent the diversity of Utica and have the authority to subpoena officers and change UPD policies where necessary.
Redirect funding from the Utica Police Department towards programs that reduce violence without police intervention, such as community-based violence interruption programs, specifically working alongside NYS SNUG Outreach (SNUG). This approach has proven effective in other cities and is sorely needed in ours.
Require UPD to collect and report data on all stops made by officers. This should include who is stopped, where, and why. The community deserves to know how our police operate, and this basic level of transparency should be common sense.
Reforming the Utica Police Department
Restrict the use of firearm force during foot chases and patrols. No more children should lose their lives simply for running home. The national increase in gun violence demands that we reexamine how UPD officers respond, especially when youth are involved.
End the partnership between the Utica School District and UPD by removing school resource officers (SROs) from our schools. Our schools should be places where children feel safe, not where they are watched and criminalized by law enforcement.
Terminate Officer Patrick Husnay immediately, regardless of the investigation’s findings. His reckless and violent actions have shown that he is not fit to serve and is a danger to our community.
This letter is not just a plea—it is a call to action. Nyah Mway should still be with us today, and the fact that he isn’t demands change, not only in policy but in how this city’s leadership responds to tragedy.
The priority here is clear: make sure that the death of Nyah Mway leads to lasting change—change that will protect our children, strengthen our community, and restore trust in those who are sworn and paid to protect us. We expect a formal response and action on these matters, and stand ready to work together to build a stronger, safer, and more united Utica.
Sincerely,
Justice for Nyah Mway
justicefornyahmway@gmail.com
justicefornyah.com
Below is our official list of demands we delivered to Utica City Hall at the Common Council meeting on October 16th.
********************************************************************************************************************
Chee War, the mother of Nyah Mway has filed a Notice of Claim against the City of Utica. Read below for more details.
********************************************************************************************************************
Below is our official list of demands we delivered to Utica City Hall at the Common Council meeting on August 7th.
Justice for Nyah Mway: Community Demand Letter to Mayor Galime and Members of the Utica Common Council
August 7, 2024
Mayor Michael Galime
City Hall
1 Kennedy Plaza
Utica, NY 13502
Common Council
City Hall
1 Kennedy Plaza
Utica, NY 13502
Dear Mayor Galime and Members of the Common Council,
We, your undersigned constituents, are writing to you with heavy hearts and a steadfast commitment to accountability and justice following the tragic and wrongful beating and death of 13 year old Nyah Mway at the hands of Utica police officers Patrick Husnay, Bryce Patterson, and Andrew Citriniti. This devastating event has not only caused immeasurable pain to Nyah's family but also shaken the entire Utica community, refugee and American alike, highlighting the urgent need for significant reforms in your approach to community engagement, public safety, and policing.
Since Nyah's brutal and unnecessary killing on June 28, 2024, your administration has held one closed community meeting and only shared two postings from the Utica Police Department regarding the incident on social media. Not once did Councilmember Burmaster from Nyah’s district reach out to extend condolences to the family or services to support the burial or grieving of our community. Not once did you, Mayor Galime, a father himself, extend sincere condolences to Nyah’s parents who won’t be able to celebrate their son’s 14th birthday this week. Not once have you engaged the civilian review board or tax-supported street outreach teams. Not once have you facilitated a meaningful and trauma-informed conversation for community members and officers. Not once has anyone from your administration explained why a child lost his right to due process, or his pursuit of life.
Everyone in this city deserves human decency and transparency, especially when things go horribly wrong. Everyone in this city deserves safety in all of our communities. Rather than that human decency, transparency, and safety, we have been given a convoluted bureaucratic process with a lack of accountability and character-shaming the dead. In earnest and sincere hopes to restore public trust and a sense of safety for all of our community members we respectfully request the following actions to be taken immediately and comprehensively:
Urgently:
Issue a public statement to express condolences to the family and community.
Cover the funeral and burial costs for Nyah Mway and allocate funds to support the mental health expenses of his immediate family at least.
Provide a timeline and regular update for the investigation that includes weekly updates on the process, stages, timeline, and findings in English, Burmese, and Karen, both in written and verbal formats. Clarify the steps that have been taken to engage an independent investigator.
Legislative Reform and Funding Action:
Reform and empower the Civilian Review Board to ensure it includes a representative sample of community stakeholders, no elected officials or law enforcement, and grants it investigatory and disciplinary powers.
Redirect state and federal funding currently received by the Utica Police Department to reduce gun violence towards establishing a robust community violence interruption program that operates alongside NYS SNUG Outreach (SNUG).
Invest in community organizations and institutions such as the Midtown Utica Community Center, Mohawk Valley Latino Association, Mohawk Valley Junior Frontiers, Rebuilding the Village, and Utica Royalties that serve public safety by providing recreation and resources to young people.
UPD Reform:
Pass legislation requiring the UPD to record all stops, including locations, demographics of the persons stopped, and the reasons for the stops without increasing additional funding (similar to the NYC stop-and-frisk data collection model).
Pass legislation restricting the UPD’s use of firearm force during a foot chase or street patrol.
Develop and articulate a clear and feasible plan to change the demographics of the police department.
Provide a quarterly update to the police records and personnel files, which are missing key details and settlements without the allocation of more funds.
End the partnership between the Utica School District and the UPD by removing school resource officers from our schools. Our schools should be places of learning and safety, not of criminalization and police surveillance.
Terminate Officer Husnay from the Utica Police Department, irrespective of the investigation’s finding, as his unnecessary use of force positions him as a threat to our community.
The wrongful death of Nyah Mway demands not only our sorrow but also our resolute action to prevent such tragedies in the future. By taking these steps, we can begin to restore trust, ensure justice, and create a safer and more equitable environment for all residents of Utica.
Thank you for your attention to these critical issues. We look forward to your prompt and positive response before the next Common Council Meeting.
Sincerely,
Justice for Nyah Mway
justicefornyah.com
