Malcolm X famously said, “I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against.” Today, 58 years to the date of Malcolm X’s assassination when he was brutally felled by a barrage of bullets while delivering remarks at the Audubon Ballroom, his family seems to be heeding his words, seeking justice in the form of a lawsuit.
Aided by renowned civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, Qubilah Shabazz alongside her sister Ilyasah Shabazz, both daughters of Malcolm X, held a news conference Tuesday about their wrongful death lawsuit against “the city of New York, the state of New York, the NYPD, the district attorney’s office and various federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI and the CIA,” seeking damages in the amount of $100 million.
Per protocol, notice of their intent to sue was filed, due to the fact that “New York law requires [notices of claims] be served on certain government agencies before a lawsuit can be filed.”
When asked for statements, Reuters reports “[t]he New York Police Department said it would not comment on pending litigation. The FBI and the CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.”
Approximately a year and a half ago, a New York state judge exonerated the two men who had been convicted and spent decades in prison for killing Malcolm X, stating that this was a great “miscarriage of justice.”
Today, Crump asserted that the agencies “had factual evidence and exculpatory evidence that they fraudulently concealed from the men who were wrongfully convicted for the assassination of Malcolm X,” adding that “[t]he 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?”
“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,” said Crump, continuing, “It’s not just about the trigger men, it’s about those who conspired with the trigger men to do this dastardly deed.”
Ilyasah Shabazz also spoke at the press conference, stating “[they] conspired to and executed their plan to assassinate Malcolm X…For years, our family has fought for the truth to come to light concerning his murder.”