Malcolm X’s Family Announces $100M Lawsuit Against NYPD & Selected Government Agencies For Allegedly Concealing Evidence In His Murder

Malcolm X

Malcolm X’s Family Announces $100M Lawsuit Against NYPD & Selected Government Agencies For Allegedly Concealing Evidence In His Murder

Tuesday marks 58 years since Malcolm X’s death and his family continues to seek justice.

On Tuesday (Feb. 21) Malcolm X’s family members and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump announced their plan to file a $100 million lawsuit against the New York City Police Department and selected government agencies, accusing them of concealing evidence connected to the activist’s murder. Benjamin Crump appeared alongside Malcolm X’s daughters, Qubilah Shabazz and Ilyasah Shabazz, at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Education Center in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood, providing a “formal notice” of the legal complaint to New York City, NYPD, the state of New York, the district attorney’s office and multiple federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI and the CIA. 

Malcolm X

According to Benjamin Crump, Malcolm’s family intends to file a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that the entities named,

“had factual evidence and exculpatory evidence that they fraudulently concealed from the men who were wrongfully convicted for the assassination of Malcolm X.”

Reportedly, in 2021, a state Supreme Court judge exonerated two of the three men who had previously been convicted and jailed in connection with Malcolm’s murder. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office investigated the incident for two years discovering that Muhammad A. Aziz, then 83, and the late Khalil Islam were wrongfully convicted. The third man, Mujahid Abdul Halim, admitted to the crime but claimed the former two defendants were innocent.  

During the press conference, Crump said:

“The rhetorical question is this: if the government compensated the two gentlemen that were wrongfully convicted for the assassination of Malcolm X with tens of millions of dollars, then what is to be the compensation for the daughters who suffered the most from the assassination of Malcolm X?” 

He added:

“We intend to have vigorous litigation of this matter, to have discovery, to be able to take depositions of the individuals who are still alive, 58 years later, to make sure that some measure of justice can be given to Malcolm X’s daughters. The truth of what happened and who was involved has always been critical.”

As you may know, Malcolm was a minister and human rights advocate who became a known leader during the American civil rights movement. On Feb. 21, 1965, he was shot 21 times in the Audubon Ballroom as he prepared to take the stage to give a speech.  

Ahead of Tuesday’s press conference, Crump shared:

“The connection between his death and federal and New York government agencies, including the NYPD, FBI and CIA has long been contested. The governmental agencies had factual and exculpatory evidence that they fraudulently concealed from the family of Malcolm X and the men wrongly convicted of crimes surrounding the assassination of Malcolm X.”  

Last July, Aziz’s attorneys filed a lawsuit against New York City that sought $40 million for the 20 years he spent behind bars for the infamous murder conviction. In October, the city compensated $26 million to settle both suits, along with the state agreeing to pay an additional $10 million.

What are your thoughts on Malcolm X’s family seeking $100K in damages? Tell us below.

[VIA]