“it [sounds] cliché…I was dropping her off from her sons baby shower and…last thing I said was …I love you.” Tormel Pittman - nephew
Deborah Terrell was a mother, great-grandmother, aunt, wife, and retired bus driver. She also lived with mental health challenges, but as her nephew Tormel Pittman shared, she raised “3 great young men.” On August 8, 2025, New Brunswick police twice responded to calls at the John P. Fricano Towers senior housing complex about a resident with a knife. The first call around 5 a.m. ended without incident after finding 68-year-old Deborah Terrell in her apartment. During the second call, officers engaged her verbally, then used pepper spray and a taser when she stepped into the hallway holding a knife. Shortly after, an officer shot and killed her. Family describes Terrell as 5′5″ and about 120 pounds. Pittman, characterized the killing as “a total disregard” and added: “it's a disregard to who they choose to police and who they don't choose to police…different calls get different treatment.” His words highlight the double standard in how crises are handled. On July 10, first responders were called to a residence on Harvey Street in New Brunswick for a wellness check involving another resident in mental distress. In that case, the woman—described by community members as someone perceived to be non-Black—lunged at a police officer and a firefighter with a knife. Yet, she was subdued, survived the encounter, and was taken into custody alive. In the days following the police killing of Deborah Terrell, grief and outrage spread through the community. On August 20, 2025, hundreds of demonstrators filled the streets and packed the City Council chambers, demanding accountability, justice, and transparency. Although the Council expressed condolences and acknowledged the Attorney General’s jurisdiction, officials stopped short of committing to reforms—failing to address what many saw as a preventable and unjustified use of deadly force. New Brunswick is only 5.75 square miles, but it has an outsized history of violent and deadly policing. The names Barry Deloach, Sissy Adams, Sean Potts, and now Deborah Terrell mark a painful timeline of Black lives lost. Each case reveals not just tragedy, but a persistent culture of violence and impunity in law enforcement. Activists across New Jersey have worked tirelessly to confront this history and push for reform. Their advocacy secured important progress, such as the passage of the Seabrooks-Washington Bill, this law was created after sustained calls for non-police responses to mental health emergencies. It established a pilot program in several counties, including Middlesex County, where New Brunswick is located, to deploy trained crisis teams that could de-escalate situations and preserve life without relying on police force. But in Middlesex, the program has not yet been implemented. This means the community has never seen the alternative crisis response the law was designed to provide.
The police killing of Deborah Terrell is not an isolated incident. It reflects patterns of systemic racism and discrimination that international human rights mechanisms have consistently flagged. The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent states: “The persistence of the unlawful or excessive use of force against people of African descent by the police, border control authorities, security forces and other law enforcement agencies extends across regions.” “The persistence of police impunity for violence against people of African descent across borders … reflects the transnational roots of the social construct of race and racism as mechanisms to control Black bodies.” Former Chair of The Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, Epsy Campbell Barr, stated in 2023: “the legacies of colonialism, enslavement and apartheid are still alive today.” She added that these legacies result in greater vulnerability: “more [people of African Descent are] exposed to violence and death as a result of encounters with law enforcement officials.” The Beijing Platform states: “Adopt laws, where necessary, and reinforce existing laws that punish police, security forces or any other agents of the State who engage in acts of violence against women in the course of the performance of their duties; review existing legislation and take effective measures against the perpetrators of such violence.” Together, these reports, forums and declarations underscore the global recognition that policing, as it currently exists, often reproduces systemic injustices against communities of African descent. The international community is therefore called not only to respond to individual violations by supporting families and local communities in their pursuit of justice, but to eradicate racist governing ideologies and frameworks and to align structures and institutions with human rights–centered values of dignity and equity. The Demands are clear and urgent: • The City of New Brunswick must provide full transparency and accountability regarding the police officers involved in the killing of Deborah Terrell. Release clear, accessible information to the public. • The Attorney General of New Jersey must deliver on the Seabrooks-Washington Community-Led Crisis Response Act in Middlesex County, where it has not yet been operationalized. The Act establishes a pilot program in several counties, including Middlesex, to deploy trained crisis teams who can de-escalate situations without resorting to deadly force. The failure to have this program in place in Middlesex County meant that Deborah Terrell did not receive the alternative, life-preserving response that the law was designed to provide. • The State of New Jersey must establish independent Civilian Police Review Boards with full investigatory and subpoena powers to provide meaningful community oversight. Senate Bill S1551 (2024–2025 Session) was withdrawn from consideration on February 5, 2024, and is therefore no longer active. Assembly Bill A3441 (2024–2025 Session), introduced February 1, 2024, is pending in the Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee. It proposes establishing civilian review boards with subpoena power and the ability to investigate Police conduct concurrently with internal affairs units. • Continue providing love and support to the family Mrs. Terrell and her family are the latest victims of disproportionate violence rooted in the enduring legacies of slavery and colonialism. Too often downplayed in regions of power and affluence such as the United States and Europe—where the appearance of progress masks ongoing harm—this history continues to shape the lived realities of people of African descent worldwide. Across Africa, Europe, the Americas, and other regions, people of African descent remain disproportionately subjected to police violence, underscoring systemic racism and the urgent need for accountability. Guided by the Durban Declaration and UN mandates on racial and gender justice, the international community must recognize these killings as a global human rights crisis and advance solutions rooted in SDG 16, which calls for access to justice and inclusive institutions at all levels, ensuring justice for victims and structural transformation to end impunity. Submitted by: Barbara Horne New Brunswick Coalition Against Police Brutality (organization no longer active) Board Member - Athletes United For Peace – NGO in Consultative Status with the UN ECOSOC Reverend Lori Baynard CEO, African American Public Policy & Advocacy Group Member - Athletes United For Peace : Video - Will Foskey and Barbara Horne • Tormel Pittman – Nephew • Zayid Muhammad –New Jersey Communities for Accountable Policing (NJ-CAP)
For more information about the work of NJCAP - New Jersey Communities for Accountable Policing, call or text 973-202-0745
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sources: New Brunswick Cop Shoots and Kills 68-Year-Old Woman in Senior Building https://newbrunswicktoday.com/2025/08/new-brunswick-cop-shoots-and-kills-68-year-old-woman-in-senior-building/ United Nations Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent: Facilitating the journey from rhetoric to reality, A/HRC/54/71, 17 August 2023, para. 83 United Nations Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent: Facilitating the journey from rhetoric to reality, A/HRC/54/71, 17 August 2023, para. 95 Morning Star. “Legacies of colonialism still alive and causing harm today, UN body warns.” November 1, 2023. https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/legacies-colonialism-still-alive-and-causing-harm-today-un-body-warns The Gleaner. “UN forum says people of African descent still face discrimination and calls for reparations.” November 1, 2023. https://web5.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/world-news/20231101/un-forum-says-people-african-descent-still-face-discrimination-and BET (Associated Press). “UN body urges reparations for people of African descent.” November 2, 2023. https://www.bet.com/article/t5h920/un-body-urges-reparations-people-african-descent New Brunswick Facing Statewide Calls for Justice For Deborah Terrell Wednesday https://www.tapinto.net/towns/newark/articles/new-brunswick-facing-statewide-calls-for-justice-for-deborah-terrell-wednesday
https://newjersey.news12.com/woman-suffering-from-mental-health-episode-fatally-shot-by-new-brunswick-police
Deborah Terrell was a mother, great-grandmother, aunt, wife, and retired bus driver. She also lived with mental health challenges, but as her nephew Tormel Pittman shared, she raised “3 great young men.” On August 8, 2025, New Brunswick police twice responded to calls at the John P. Fricano Towers senior housing complex about a resident with a knife. The first call around 5 a.m. ended without incident after finding 68-year-old Deborah Terrell in her apartment. During the second call, officers engaged her verbally, then used pepper spray and a taser when she stepped into the hallway holding a knife. Shortly after, an officer shot and killed her. Family describes Terrell as 5′5″ and about 120 pounds. Pittman, characterized the killing as “a total disregard” and added: “it's a disregard to who they choose to police and who they don't choose to police…different calls get different treatment.” His words highlight the double standard in how crises are handled. On July 10, first responders were called to a residence on Harvey Street in New Brunswick for a wellness check involving another resident in mental distress. In that case, the woman—described by community members as someone perceived to be non-Black—lunged at a police officer and a firefighter with a knife. Yet, she was subdued, survived the encounter, and was taken into custody alive. In the days following the police killing of Deborah Terrell, grief and outrage spread through the community. On August 20, 2025, hundreds of demonstrators filled the streets and packed the City Council chambers, demanding accountability, justice, and transparency. Although the Council expressed condolences and acknowledged the Attorney General’s jurisdiction, officials stopped short of committing to reforms—failing to address what many saw as a preventable and unjustified use of deadly force. New Brunswick is only 5.75 square miles, but it has an outsized history of violent and deadly policing. The names Barry Deloach, Sissy Adams, Sean Potts, and now Deborah Terrell mark a painful timeline of Black lives lost. Each case reveals not just tragedy, but a persistent culture of violence and impunity in law enforcement. Activists across New Jersey have worked tirelessly to confront this history and push for reform. Their advocacy secured important progress, such as the passage of the Seabrooks-Washington Bill, this law was created after sustained calls for non-police responses to mental health emergencies. It established a pilot program in several counties, including Middlesex County, where New Brunswick is located, to deploy trained crisis teams that could de-escalate situations and preserve life without relying on police force. But in Middlesex, the program has not yet been implemented. This means the community has never seen the alternative crisis response the law was designed to provide.
The police killing of Deborah Terrell is not an isolated incident. It reflects patterns of systemic racism and discrimination that international human rights mechanisms have consistently flagged. The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent states: “The persistence of the unlawful or excessive use of force against people of African descent by the police, border control authorities, security forces and other law enforcement agencies extends across regions.” “The persistence of police impunity for violence against people of African descent across borders … reflects the transnational roots of the social construct of race and racism as mechanisms to control Black bodies.” Former Chair of The Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, Epsy Campbell Barr, stated in 2023: “the legacies of colonialism, enslavement and apartheid are still alive today.” She added that these legacies result in greater vulnerability: “more [people of African Descent are] exposed to violence and death as a result of encounters with law enforcement officials.” The Beijing Platform states: “Adopt laws, where necessary, and reinforce existing laws that punish police, security forces or any other agents of the State who engage in acts of violence against women in the course of the performance of their duties; review existing legislation and take effective measures against the perpetrators of such violence.” Together, these reports, forums and declarations underscore the global recognition that policing, as it currently exists, often reproduces systemic injustices against communities of African descent. The international community is therefore called not only to respond to individual violations by supporting families and local communities in their pursuit of justice, but to eradicate racist governing ideologies and frameworks and to align structures and institutions with human rights–centered values of dignity and equity. The Demands are clear and urgent: • The City of New Brunswick must provide full transparency and accountability regarding the police officers involved in the killing of Deborah Terrell. Release clear, accessible information to the public. • The Attorney General of New Jersey must deliver on the Seabrooks-Washington Community-Led Crisis Response Act in Middlesex County, where it has not yet been operationalized. The Act establishes a pilot program in several counties, including Middlesex, to deploy trained crisis teams who can de-escalate situations without resorting to deadly force. The failure to have this program in place in Middlesex County meant that Deborah Terrell did not receive the alternative, life-preserving response that the law was designed to provide. • The State of New Jersey must establish independent Civilian Police Review Boards with full investigatory and subpoena powers to provide meaningful community oversight. Senate Bill S1551 (2024–2025 Session) was withdrawn from consideration on February 5, 2024, and is therefore no longer active. Assembly Bill A3441 (2024–2025 Session), introduced February 1, 2024, is pending in the Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee. It proposes establishing civilian review boards with subpoena power and the ability to investigate Police conduct concurrently with internal affairs units. • Continue providing love and support to the family Mrs. Terrell and her family are the latest victims of disproportionate violence rooted in the enduring legacies of slavery and colonialism. Too often downplayed in regions of power and affluence such as the United States and Europe—where the appearance of progress masks ongoing harm—this history continues to shape the lived realities of people of African descent worldwide. Across Africa, Europe, the Americas, and other regions, people of African descent remain disproportionately subjected to police violence, underscoring systemic racism and the urgent need for accountability. Guided by the Durban Declaration and UN mandates on racial and gender justice, the international community must recognize these killings as a global human rights crisis and advance solutions rooted in SDG 16, which calls for access to justice and inclusive institutions at all levels, ensuring justice for victims and structural transformation to end impunity. Submitted by: Barbara Horne New Brunswick Coalition Against Police Brutality (organization no longer active) Board Member - Athletes United For Peace – NGO in Consultative Status with the UN ECOSOC Reverend Lori Baynard CEO, African American Public Policy & Advocacy Group Member - Athletes United For Peace : Video - Will Foskey and Barbara Horne • Tormel Pittman – Nephew • Zayid Muhammad –New Jersey Communities for Accountable Policing (NJ-CAP)
For more information about the work of NJCAP - New Jersey Communities for Accountable Policing, call or text 973-202-0745
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sources: New Brunswick Cop Shoots and Kills 68-Year-Old Woman in Senior Building https://newbrunswicktoday.com/2025/08/new-brunswick-cop-shoots-and-kills-68-year-old-woman-in-senior-building/ United Nations Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent: Facilitating the journey from rhetoric to reality, A/HRC/54/71, 17 August 2023, para. 83 United Nations Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent: Facilitating the journey from rhetoric to reality, A/HRC/54/71, 17 August 2023, para. 95 Morning Star. “Legacies of colonialism still alive and causing harm today, UN body warns.” November 1, 2023. https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/legacies-colonialism-still-alive-and-causing-harm-today-un-body-warns The Gleaner. “UN forum says people of African descent still face discrimination and calls for reparations.” November 1, 2023. https://web5.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/world-news/20231101/un-forum-says-people-african-descent-still-face-discrimination-and BET (Associated Press). “UN body urges reparations for people of African descent.” November 2, 2023. https://www.bet.com/article/t5h920/un-body-urges-reparations-people-african-descent New Brunswick Facing Statewide Calls for Justice For Deborah Terrell Wednesday https://www.tapinto.net/towns/newark/articles/new-brunswick-facing-statewide-calls-for-justice-for-deborah-terrell-wednesday
https://newjersey.news12.com/woman-suffering-from-mental-health-episode-fatally-shot-by-new-brunswick-police