Yvonne McNeil
Murdered October 1st, 2011Yvonne McNeil
Facts
Fact 1: Yvonne McNeil was a 57-year-old black lesbian woman. Yvonne was homeless and disabled. She was a member of Queers for Economic Justice and was staying at the New Providence shelter for women with mental illness or addiction.
Fact 2: Other residents at the shelter said Yvonne kept to herself and “Never bothered nobody”.
Fact 3: On October 1, 2011, witnesses report Yvonne was arguing with her girlfriend over the phone in front of the shelter. When NYPD Officers arrived, the argument had ended and Yvonne was attempting to go back inside the shelter.
Fact 4: Although Yvonne walked with a cane, the NYPD claims she was holding two knives and that she refused to drop them. By their own account, the officers never considered non-lethal measures. Instead they shot her multiple times, killing her.
Fact 5: Over four years after her murder, Yvonne’s family still has not received a certificate of death or a statement explaining the cause of death. The NYPD holds that the shooting was justified. No officers have been charged in the death of Yvonne McNeil.