Deborah Terrell Family and Supporters Continue the Fight for Justice – Criticize Pastor’s Eulogy Collab w/ City of New B
After weeks of fighting for justice for the death inflicted by New Brunswick police of the 68 year old Deborah Terrell, the family learned in a partial release of body cam video that 4 New Brunswick police dragged Deborah Terrell down the hall after they shot her twice. It is very likely that such dragging of the body increased the injuries from the gun shot wounds and contributed to her death. Any excuse the police have offered for shooting the 68 year old woman is absurd. However, she was obviously restrained after the shots and there is no police reason then to drag her down the hall – the only reasons could be to change the scene of the event and to cause her additional injury and death. The dragging was premeditated – an obvious decision was made to carry it out. She needed medical attention immediately and the 4 cops decided to exacerbate her injuries instead apparently by dragging her injured and bleeding down the hall.
The family and supporters have led several rallies and marches through New Brunswick, including a march and traffic blockage on Route 18, they led a protest at Attorney General Platkin’s office in Trenton demanding complete video body cam release and a vigil outside the church that held a funeral service for Deborah Terrell. Family members have criticized the Pastor and Church for speaking negatively of Deborah Terrell at the funeral service. The pastor admitted in a letter to family that he coordinated with the Mayor and City of New Brunswick in developing the Eulogy – entities whose interest is 180 degrees opposed to that of the demand for justice for Deborah Terrell and the family!
The following are two statements from family members that have been posted on Facebook, one announcing going forward efforts and the other explaining the criticism of the Pastor’s eulogy service.
Power to the family and the community as it continues to fight for justice. The problems New Bruswick faces are exacerbated in the time of Trump inspired lawless fascism but they have also existed for decades – this editor has been marching with the New Brunswick community since the 90s against police brutality and murder of New Brunswick residents by police. Steadfast support is needed from all of us to address the ongoing fascist police impunity for murder of citizens as well as the escalation of a climate of terror from the Trump regime.
THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE FOR DEBORAH TERRELL CONTINUES – NEXT STEPS:
The following is from a statement posted on Facebook be a family member of deceased Deborah Terrell:
Justice for Deborah Terrell – A Call to Action
New Brunswick, NJ
My name is Rahaman, and I’m here today not just as a voice for Deborah Terrell—my mother—but as a voice for justice, for humanity, and for all of us who are tired of the same headlines, the same tragedies, and the same silence from the people in power.
Deborah Terrell was a mother. A woman. A human being. And she was in crisis. What she needed was care. What she needed was compassion. What she needed was help.
What she got was a bullet.
Let that sink in.
In the state of New Jersey, in the city of New Brunswick, a woman going through a mental health crisis was met with violence by the very people who are supposed to protect and serve. This is not just about one officer or one department—this is about a broken system that sees Black lives, vulnerable lives, mentally ill lives, as expendable.
But we are here today to say: no more.
We are here to demand justice—not just for Deborah Terrell, but for every person who has been met with force when they needed support. For every family shattered by police violence. For every name that has become a hashtag when they should still be here, living their lives.
This is not going to end until there is accountability.
This is not going to end until we see action.
We are not going to be pacified with vague promises and empty words. We demand:
A full, independent investigation into the shooting of Deborah Terrell.
Public transparency from the New Brunswick Police Department.
Changes in how police respond to mental health crises—because a badge is not a license to kill.
And justice—not just in word, but in policy, prosecution, and real consequences.
To everyone who hears this message: don’t wait for a rally to protest. If you have a voice, use it. If you have a platform, speak out. Protest in the streets, protest on social media, protest at city hall, protest from your porch if you have to—but don’t stay silent.
Because silence is complicity. And we are done being complicit in our own pain.
This is bigger than just my mother. This is bigger than my family. This is about a system that needs to be changed, and a community that refuses to stop fighting until it is.
To those in power—on every level of government in New Jersey: we see you. We hear your silence. And we will be here every day, every week, every month until justice is served. You don’t get to ignore us. You don’t get to move on.
We will keep the pressure on. And we will not stop.
Let Deborah’s name ring out in every corner of this state and nation until justice is not just a word, but a reality.
Say her name: Deborah Terrell.
Justice for Deborah. Justice for all.
Thank you.
FAMILY SPEAKS OUT TO CRITICIZE PASTOR EULOGY THAT SOUGHT INPUT FROM CITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK WHICH HAS A 180 DEGREE ADVERSARIAL POSITION WITH THE FAMILY
The following is from a statement posted on Facebook be a family member of deceased Deborah Terrell:
Why I’m Protesting in Front of Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church (New Brunswick, NJ) from police to preachers!!
The corruption starts in some of these black churches!! If you disrespect my aunt or try to stand in the way with justice, im coming for your neck!!
Family, friends, and community — I want to share the truth about why I am standing today in peaceful protest outside Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church in New Brunswick.
My beloved aunt, Deborah McCalla Terrell, was shot and killed by New Brunswick police inside her senior building while experiencing a mental health crisis. She was a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend — a woman deeply loved by all who knew her. Her death was tragic, unnecessary, and has left a permanent hole in our hearts.
When it came time to lay her to rest, our family turned to Mt. Zion Church — believing her pastor, Rev. Dr. W. Golden Carmon, Sr., would honor her memory with compassion and respect. Instead, what we received was a eulogy that disrespected her life and hurt our grieving family even more.
The pastor described my aunt as “an acquired taste,” admitted that he “barely knew her,” and made comments that seemed to shift blame toward her rather than the police who took her life. He failed to highlight her strength, love, and the positive impact she had on her family and community. Even more painful — he did not attend her burial to offer the final prayer or the “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” blessing at her gravesite. That left our family without the spiritual closure we desperately needed.
I reached out privately to express my pain and disappointment. His written response was even more troubling. Instead of focusing on how to make this right, he explained that he had been working closely with the mayor, local and county councilpersons, and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office regarding the incident. He said his words during the funeral reflected that engagement and his “church press release.”
Let me be clear: my aunt’s funeral was not the place for political positioning, public relations, or damage control. It was a sacred space meant to honor her life and comfort her family. By saying he was “working with public officials,” the pastor made it seem as though his message was shaped more by his relationship with city leaders than by the Spirit of God or compassion for a grieving family.
This is why I am protesting — not against God, not against faith, but against hypocrisy, insensitivity, and the misuse of the pulpit.
The church should have stood beside the family in truth and courage — not beside those who represent the same system that killed her. My aunt deserved better. Our family deserved better.
I forgive the pastor as a man and a fellow child of God, but I will not be silent. I will continue to stand here, peacefully and prayerfully, to remind New Brunswick and Mt. Zion Church that Deborah McCalla Terrell’s life mattered.
Her death deserves justice, her name deserves honor, and her spirit deserves peace.
“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” — Isaiah 1:17
#JusticeForDeborah#SayHerName#MtZionProtest#FaithAndJustice#NewBrunswick#DupreeMcCalla#NoMoreSilence
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