Michael Griffith was born on March 2, 1963. Michael’s family immigrated to the United States from Trinidad in 1973. Once in the United States, the family resided in the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York at 1650 Pacific Street. On the night of Friday, December 20, 1986, a 23-year-old Michael Griffith drove to pick up his paycheck from his construction job. Michael Griffith was accompanied by 36-year old Timothy Grimes, 20-year-old Curtis Sylvester, and 36-year-old Cedric Sandiford in Sylvester’s 1976 Buick, when the car overheated on an isolated stretch of Cross Bay Boulevard near the Far Rockaway neighborhood. Curtis Sylvester, Griffith’s cousin and the driver, stayed in the car while the other three men went to find help. Griffith, Grimes, and Sandiford walked three miles north to Howard Beach, a historically insular, and white-majority neighborhood.
Upon arrival at Howard Beach, the three Black men were met with instant harassment from a group of white residents that shouted anti-Black slurs and urged them to leave the neighborhood. The men made a stop at the New Park Pizzeria located on Cross Bay Boulevard and 157th Street in Howard Beach around 12:30 AM. When the men were denied phone use at the pizzeria, they decided to rest and eat pizza. Police officers from the 106th Precinct received a call about “three suspicious Black men” at the pizzeria. The officers headed to the pizzeria to respond to the call but left with no complaints from the employees. After the three men left the pizzeria around 12:40 AM, a mob of multiple white men that brandished bats, tire irons, and tree branches approached them. The mob of white men shouted several anti-Black epithets at the three men. The three men tried to run away but were eventually caught and beaten by the mob.
After he was struck once, Timothy Grimes was able to escape the white supremacist mob’s violence and fled home. Michael Griffith and Cedric Sandiford unfortunately faced severe beating, but eventually broke from the beating and ran while the mob pursued them. The two men ran north on Cross Bay Boulevard to 158th Avenue, turned west and ran to 84th Street, where they tried to crawl through a three-foot hole in a fence lining the Shore Parkway. Griffith and Sandiford were caught by the mob and subjected to beatings for the second time. The two men were able to escape again by crawling through the hole in the fence. Griffith and Sandiford split up this time as they fled from the violent, white mob. About eight blocks away, at Cross Bay Boulevard, Mr. Griffith tried to cross the busy parkway to the westbound lanes and was struck and killed by a passing car. His body was recovered by officers that responded to a report of the beating at 12:53 AM around 84th Street but found no one at the scene. Around 1:03 AM, officers responded to another report, which led them to Griffith’s body. Sandiford was found farther west on the parkway by officers bruised and dazed. Sandiford was treated at Jamaica Hospital and released home. Ms. Jean Griffith, Michael Griffith’s mother, was notified of Michael’s death at 2 AM. Chris Griffith, Michael Griffith’s brother, was interviewed at the 106th Precinct and confirmed that he was in the area to pick up a check from his construction job. Chris Griffith also stated: ”She doesn’t know anything about prejudice. She just doesn’t understand it.”
The immediate reaction to the news of the anti-Black mob beating and death elicited responses from New York City Mayor Ed Koch, Police Commissioner Benjamin Ward, Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, Howard Beach community leaders and residents, Black residents of New York City, and Black civil rights leaders.
”All crimes are terrible, but crimes involving racial bigotry are the absolute worst,”
New York City Mayor Ed Koch, December 21, 1986
Mayor Koch said at an afternoon news conference at the 106th Precinct station house.
”The survivors were chased like animals through the streets, with one of them being killed on the highway.” Noting that a $10,000 reward had been posted for the capture of the assailants, the Mayor added, ”This incident can only be talked about as rivaling the kind of lynching party that took place in the Deep South – this is the No. 1 case in the city.”
Queens Borough President Claire Shulman gave a public statement after meeting with officers from the 106th Precinct: ”This is a very tragic incident. I am confident the Police Department will investigate the crime fully, and we all look forward to the apprehension of those who are responsible.” Police Commissioner Benjamin Ward described Howard Beach as an “ethnic enclave” of Irish, Italian, and German immigrants. The local residents of Howard Beach hired private security agencies to patrol the neighborhood. The 106th Precinct reported that there have been no major racial incidents, although they’ve admitted to fights between Black and white people in the neighborhood. Joel Mielle, the Chair of Community Board 10 for eight years at the time of Griffith’s death, stated that he knew of one incident of a Black man being stopped, but denied that racist violence was a fabric of daily life in Howard Beach: ”We haven’t had, to my knowledge, any pattern of racial incidents here for as long as I can remember.”
Black community leaders and residents spoke of an entirely different reality of Howard Beach’s anti-Black culture. Black community leaders cited the mob beating as a reflection of the deep-seated racism of Howard Beach’s community. Reverend Mitchell, a Black minister of Flushing neighborhood in Queens, stated “Howard Beach is a place where blacks don’t like to go. They know of the hostility and virulent racism there.”
The sentiment from Reverend Mitchell and other Black residents within New York City were vindicated, when several white residents of Howard Beach and surrounding neighborhoods spoke to reporters in response to the mob beating and death of Michael Griffith, although some white residents acknowledged that Black people were unwelcome to the neighborhood. Many of the angry white residents hired the Pinkerton security guards to patrol the neighborhood after their claims that Black residents are behind robberies and crime in the neighborhood. A white Howard Beach resident by the name of Jimmy stated “It’s very easy to spot a black person in this neighborhood, and whenever I see
one, I know he’s up to no good…They come in the neighborhood and rob everybody. It’s a
known fact. That’s why everybody has a thing about them.”
A few others shared this sentiment and blamed Mayor Koch for the incident: “Koch and Ward jump in and say ‘racism’. Why should they assume it’s racism just because it’s between black and white? The Mayor, better he should jump on his corrupt administration than try to destroy a good community.'” Another resident stated Black people’s alleged crimes in Howard Beach were overlooked: ”Nobody knows the real story of what goes on around here. Before we had private security, there was a lot of that kind of crime. But the Guardian Angels weren’t here for that, the police brass weren’t there for that.”
Ironically, one of the hired Pinkerton security guards that worked to patrol Howard Beach from the alleged crimes committed by Black people is a Black man by the name of “Rob.” He spoke about his experience as he patrolled the neighborhood:
He described racial epithets and said he feared leaving his vehicle to investigate trouble because ‘I don’t want to get mugged by white guys. I patrol the neighborhood for them, meaning the white people,’ and they don’t even want me here. This place is dangerous.’
Over 50 New York City police officers went to different homes in Howard Beach in hopes of names of the perpetrators. Officer James Coleman stated that the investigation was in progress and that it is believed that the suspects indeed were Howard Beach residents. The man that fatally hit Michael Griffith with his car was identified as 24-year old Dominick Blum, a court officer from Brooklyn. Blum claimed that he thought he ran over a tire or animal, but was urged to return to the scene by his father, a New York City Police officer. Police Commissioner Benjamin Ward stated that at the time, there was no evidence to connect Blum to the mob beating, but that it would still be handled at Grand Jury.
On December 21, 1986, three white teenagers were held and charged with second-degree manslaughter in the beating of Grimes, Sandiford, and deceased Griffith. After the officers canvassed different homes, it led to a to a tip-off of one of the suspects, that eventually implicated the others. The suspects were identified as John Lester, 17, of 81-17 149th Street, Ozone Park, and two Howard Beach youths: Jason Ladone, 16, of 161-23 89th Street, and Scott Kern, 17, of 87-14 158th Street. A fourth suspect was arrested, Thomas Gucciardo, 17, of 163-28 90th Street, but assault charges were dropped. The office of Queens District Attorney John J. Santucci, stated that prosecutors would seek “to prove that Mr. Griffith’s death occurred as a result of actions performed ‘with depraved indifference to human life.” The charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.”
According to the police investigation, the suspects were in attendance at a birthday party, but happened to be outside when they saw Griffith and his friends headed to the pizzeria. The three main suspects went back to the party to rile up others, which resulted in about 12 people that left to go terrorize Griffith, Grimes, and Sandiford. Seven other potential suspects were questioned by the 106th Precinct, but it was unclear whether they would be charged. The three main suspects were set to be arraigned in Queens Criminal Court. In the same night of Griffith’s death, a group of white Howard Beach residents attacked two Hispanic men, 19-year old Rafael Gonzales and 15-year old Greg Torres, around 10:45 PM. Upon the arrests of the three main suspects in the beating and death, Mayor Ed Koch held a press conference:
Think what they must have felt as they were running for their lives. To have it happen in New York City- unbelievable. This is the most horrendous incident of violence in the nine years I have been Mayor. We have 1,800 murders a year in this city and they’re all bad, but this was the worst murder I believe has taken place in the modern era.
On December 26, 1986, more than 600 people attended Michael Griffith’s funeral at Our Lady of Charity Catholic Church in Brooklyn, which he was a member of. Friends, relatives, and community members, mostly Black and other people of color, paid respects to Griffith in a two-hour service. Reverend Robert C. Seay delivered a eulogy that condemned the institution of racism and promoted racial self-esteem for Black people:
We wonder why we must continually go through this. Michael is the victim of a system that perpetuates the inferiority of a certain group of people. When young teenagers commit a crime like this, it is not only blame on them, but blame on their parents, on society, on everybody. What Michael would say is honor your race, honor your color, be proud of it, stand strong in it. If you don’t, nobody else will.
Michael Griffith was buried at his resting place at Evergreen Cemetery.
A day after the funeral, 1,200 people marched through the Howard Beach neighborhood to protest the mob beating and death. The protestors were made up of many Black and white New Yorkers that expressed anger and grief, as they marched to New Park Pizzeria for a silent prayer. The protestors were taunted and followed by many young white Howard Beach residents, that shouted at the protestors to go home and yelled pejoratives. About 200 white residents of Howard Beach grouped up to disrupt the protestors along the route. The white residents of Howard Beach still refused to acknowledge the racist reputation of the neighborhood and alluded that all claims were exaggerated. The march was organized by New York’s NAACP and the Southeast Queens Catholic Clergy.
On December 30, 1986, Judge Ernest Bianchi dismissed the murder and manslaughter charges in Michael Griffith’s murder. Queens District Attorney John J. Santucci cited Cedric Sandiford and his attorney, Alton H. Maddox Jr’s refusal to cooperate with the prosecutors as the sole reason for the second-degree murder and manslaughter charges reduction to reckless endangerment. The reaction amongst the Black community in New York City reiterated the lack of faith in the criminal justice system in hate crime cases that involve Black victims, with the dismissal of the charges viewed as “typical” and “predictable.” Black activists and leaders that led protests that supported the victims called for a special prosecutor to cover the case.
Manhattan Borough President David Dinkins stated that “lowering the charges creates the impression that New York City will tolerate the vicious actions of a racist gang.” Dinkins went on to state that Judge Bianchi’s dismissal and reduction of the murder charges was an “appalling act of disregard” for Michael Griffith’s family. Reverend Herbert Daughtry of the African Peoples Christian Organization stated that he believed many Black people did not agree with the DA’s assertion that Alton H. Maddox Jr and Sandiford’s refusal to cooperate weakened the case. Daughtry and other Black leaders agreed with Maddox Jr’s sentiment that past experiences with similar cases have shown that the allegations of a cover-up within the investigation was grounded in reality. Black leaders also agreed that Maddox Jr’s allegations of a cover-up against the prosecutor, NYPD, and Dominick Blum forced investigators to be more open with the investigation. Despite the pressure placed on those that handled the investigation, Black activists stated that many inconsistencies still existed, which left them with more questions. Black leaders planned to meet with Black elected officials to pressure Governor Mario Cuomo into the assignment a special prosecutor. C. Vernon Mason, attorney for Timothy Grimes, supported Maddox Jr’s pursuit for transparency and bid for an assignment of a special prosecutor.
‘There are still too many inconsistencies, but what is clear to me is that if a mob of blacks had killed a white person, we would have seen a different procedure here.
Rev. Calvin O. Butts, the executive pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church
On January 2, 1987, Mayor Ed Koch and Governor Mario Cuomo doubled down on their position about Cedric Sandiford’s lack of cooperation with the prosecutor and investigators. Maddox Jr’s criticism of the police’s handling of Dominick Blum upset Koch and Cuomo. Maddox also stated that Sandiford’s account of the death was in contrast to the police’s account. At a press conference, Governor Cuomo’s press secretary, Martin Steadman, expressed his discontent with Maddox Jr:
I think this man has no credibility, zero credibility. And I answer his reckless charges only
with sorrow because they don’t deserve to be answered. But because of the dimension of the tragedy in Howard Beach, I’m answering them.
Maddox Jr and Mason responded to reports about Santucci possibly turning the case over to federal authorities. Mason responded to the report in a phone interview: “Turning the case over to the Federal authorities is an admission that the State of New York is not prepared to confront one of the most serious racial incidents in the history of this country.” Maddox Jr shared similar sentiment: “It would tell us that we are in the same precarious position as our brothers in the South were in in the 1950’s and 60’s: that is, that the only government that would be willing to protect our civil rights was the Federal Government.” Steadman expressed for Maddox Jr and Mason to bring their grievances of police misconduct to special prosecutor, Charles J. Hynes. Maddox stated that it was not his intention to go to Hynes: “When Mr. Hynes was appointed, the scope of his jurisdiction did not envision racially biased cases, and he does not have the resources or the equipment to deal with those kinds of cases.”
On January 6, 1987, a coalition of Black leaders met at Bedford Stuyvesant’s Boys and Girls High School to plan a citywide-boycott of non-Black-owned business. The boycott was to be modeled after the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, with its date set for January 21, 1987. More than 1,300 people were in attendance of the community meeting, which included Alton Maddox Jr, C. Vernon Mason, Griffith’s brother, Christopher, and Griffith’s mother, Jean. Reporters were barred entrance into the meeting that excited community members into an eruption of “Black Power” chants. Brooklyn Assemblyman Roger Green spoke about the importance of the boycott: “A general boycott would place emphasis on the fact that the loss of Michael Griffith’s life will not go without protest. On January 21st, we are calling on all Afro-Americans to patronize only businesses owned by Afro-Americans.” Over 10 Black leaders expressed angry at the handling at Mayor Koch and Governor Cuomo’s involvement in the case.
A suspect alleged to have participated in the Howard Beach mob was imprisoned in an unrelated case on January 8, 1987. John Lester pleaded guilty to an illegal possession of a handgun charge in November 1986. The conditions given to Lester was that if he avoided an arrest or charge before his sentencing, he would be given five years of probation. Lester was sentenced to one to three years in prison due to his rearrest. The presiding judge granted Lester “protective custody” while in prison, but did not permit for Lester to withdraw his guilty plea in the Howard Beach mob case.
Governor Cuomo finally appointed a special prosecutor to take over the case on January 13, 1987. Special Prosecutor Charles J. Hynes’ assignment was the resolution to move the case forward, after victims refused to cooperate with the Queens District Attorney’s office. C. Vernon Mason and Alton Maddox Jr expressed through a spokesperson that they intended to cooperate fully with Hynes for the investigation. Governor Cuomo commented on his assignment of Hynes to the case: “A refusal of witnesses to cooperate because they feel, rightly or wrongly, that the investigation was being conducted improperly has put the prosecution in this case at an impasse. My concern was to first find a way to assist in the
prosecution.” Queens District Attorney Anthony Santucci accepted the decision and criticized the lawyers for “holding the victims hostage.” Hynes intended to investigate any allegations of misconduct from the District Attorney and police department’s time in the case. Hynes assigned staff workers to the case and planned to gather evidence to present to the Queens Grand Jury: “The first step, obviously, is to talk to Mr. Sandiford – he is the principal witness. The opportunity we’ve all missed is to sit down and interview Mr. Sandiford and Mr. Grimes.” Special Prosecutor Charles J. Hynes presented the evidence to the Queens Grand Jury on January 20, 1987. Hynes’ office stated that no information about the possible testimonies of Sandiford and Grimes would be released until the Grand Jury reached a decision on the indictment of the three alleged suspects.
The Day of Mourning and Outrage took place the following day in Brooklyn. Black protestors and allies in Brooklyn linked arms together in a powerful moment of silence for Michael Griffith. Protestors handed out over 25,000 leaflets to empower Black people to build political and economic power. The coalition of Black religious and political leaders urged Black people to boycott school, work, and white-owned Businesses in a response to Griffith’s death, as well as the beating of Sandiford and Grimes:
People are ready to deal with the issues that affect them. They are tired
of the black community being silent. They know that by not
being involved they can’t deal with the problems facing the
community.Peter Williams, young Brooklyn outreach coordinator
On February 10, 1987, twelve suspects were arraigned in the State Supreme Court in Kew Gardens, after they were named in an unsealed indictment. Special Prosecutor Hynes revealed in court that one of the three youths charged with second-degree murder, 17-year-old Robert D. Riley, cooperated with his office, which led to his release without bail. Hynes requested high bail for all of the other defendants and it was granted by Justice Alfred D. Lerner. Each of the twelve defendants were brought in individually before the court room and plead “not guilty.” Others charged with second-degree murder, in addition to Mr. Riley, were 17-year old Jon L. Lester and 18-year-old, Scott Kern. In addition to the second-degree murder charges, Riley, Kern and Lester were also charged with with second-degree manslaughter and assault. The other defendants included Jason Ladone, Michael Pirone, Thomas Farino, James Povinelli, John Saggese, Salvatore DeSimone, William Bollander, and Harry Buonocore.
A part of the indictment seemed to settle a discrepancy of the published account of where Griffith entered the highway before his final moments. The early account had Griffith climb through a hole in a fence at 86th Street to enter the highway. According to a new version, Griffith and Sandiford split up quickly as they were chased by defendants. Griffith climbed over a two-foot high guard rail at 90th Street. The indictment supported the 90th Street account as Riley, Kern, and Lester ”chased Michael Griffith westward on 156th Avenue, northward on 90th Street, and caused him to run onto the Belt Parkway.” The 90th Street account puts the chase to Griffith’s death at a shorter distance, which carried legal significance that the shorter the distance he covered between his pursuers and the car that hit him, the stronger the basis for a murder charge. Supreme Court Judge Thomas Demakos was assigned to preside over the case on February 11, 1987.
At pre-trial hearings on March 7, 1987, Special Prosecutor Hynes indicated that Robert D. Riley may be able to have his murder charge lessened in exchange for a guilty-plea and testimony. Since Riley’s release due to cooperation with Hynes’ office, he was released with police protection at his home in Howard Beach. Lawyers for defendants Kern and Lester stated that they would make it an issue that cocaine was found in Griffith’s autopsy. Kern’s lawyer, Bryan Levinson, argued that while it was not a large amount of cocaine, it could’ve impaired Griffith’s judgement to cross the highway. Lester’s lawyer, Gabriel Leone, made a bold argument: “We’re saying he was never chased to begin with. But even if he had been, if the victim could have done something else but didn’t because he was drunk or intoxicated by drugs – if there were alternatives he didn’t recognize – you can’t attribute his death to the defendants.” Bryan Levinson stated that he also would raise the cocaine found in Griffith’s autopsy in connection to the start of the encounter between Griffith, Grimes, and Sandiford and the all-white defendants: “Perhaps these weren’t three innocent people walking along who were just stranded motorists, but there may have been some instigation on the part of these three people to cause the confrontation.” Toxicology experts commented that the likelihood of the low amounts of cocaine in Griffith’s system was possible, but it was not definitive:
You can damn near argue either way, depending on what your bias is. ‘You can argue this had little effect, or had significant effect on his behavior. While it was possible that the cocaine had affected Mr. Griffith’s judgment, it is difficult to tell whether, had he not had cocaine, he would have made a different decision.
Dr. S. Joseph Mule, director of the testing and research laboratory of the New
York State Division of Substance Abuse Services
Dr. Rosecan, director of the cocaine abuse treatment program at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, stated ”the case could be made stronger if Mr. Griffith had a toxic level of cocaine. Then it would have been more probable that he had been impaired, but it still would not have been definitive.”
On March 17, 1987, Cedric Sandiford and his attorney, Alton J. Maddox, filed a notice that would allow him to sue New York City for 25 million dollars. Sandiford’s lawsuit asserts the police conducted a bad faith investigation and failed to protect him. A special grand jury cleared Dominic Blum of all criminal charges in connection to the death of Michael Griffith on May 22, 1987. As driver of the car that fatally hit Michael Griffith, he faced a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison. The grand jury deliberated on whether Blum left the scene of the accident knowing Griffith was injured. Hynes reported that “the grand jury heard all of the evidence that was legally sufficient and made a determination.” Sandiford’s attorney, Maddox, questioned why his client was not called to testify against Blum.
The appointed judge, Justice Thomas A. Demakos, divided the case into two separate trials by request of special prosecutor, Charles J. Hynes on June 19, 1987. Hynes stated that it would make more sense to try the defendants associated with the most serious aspect of the case together. Various lawyers for the defendants also asked for the separation of the cases to avoid discrimination for their clients charged with lesser crimes, such as inciting to riot. Justice Demakos set the murder and manslaughter charge trial for defendants Kern, Lester, Ladone, and Pirone for September 8, 1987. The defendants in the second trial, charged with crimes ranging from attempted murder to inciting to riot include Gucciardo, Bollander, Farino, Buonocore, Povinelli, DeSimone, and Saggese would have to wait for the trial date to be set.
Special prosecutor Hynes revealed that victim Timothy Grimes admitted that he flashed a knife while he, Sandiford, and Griffith were followed and menaced by the defendants with a baseball bat. This revelation was made on August 18, 1987. Hynes stated that it would not have a significant impact on the case as Grimes brandished it in a “defensive way.” Defense lawyers stated that it was significant and proved that the three Black men were the initial aggressors. Grimes’ lawyer, C. Vernon Mason, stated that he did not believe the new information “has any significance at all – the initial aggressors and the continuing aggressors, legally, was that mob.” Ronald Rubenstein, attorney for Ladone, filed a motion for a dismissal of the indictment in light of Timothy Grimes admitting that he had a knife during the night at Howard Beach. The motion argued that Grimes’ failure to admit he had a knife during the encounter in his grand jury testimony was perjury and rendered the grand jury proceedings as defective. Judge Justice Demakos rejected the defense motion on August 27, 1987: “There was other sufficient evidence existing before the grand jury to support the indictment.”
On September 8, 1987, the first trial of the Howard Beach assault case officially began with Judge Demakos’ juror selection process. No jurors were selected on the first day as the extensive national attention to the case made selection difficult. Special Prosecutor Hynes retained the help of Jay Schulman, a sociologist previously involved in the anti-war movement. Schulman was dismissed from his Cornell University teaching position as a result of his involvement in the anti-war protests, but went on to support the Black and brown students activists at CUNY’s City College in their fight against racist admission changes. Schulman’s experience and commitment to social justice led him to offer advisement for juror selection to Hynes free-of-charge since his appointment to the Howard Beach case. The first six jurors were selected on September 14, 1987, with none of them being Black. The few prospective Black jurors were eliminated by the defense team. Prospective jurors stated they were eliminated as defense exercised peremptory challenges.
Prosecution and the defense lawyers accused each other of “seeking to stack the jury on a racial bias.” Special prosecutor Hynes stated the defense team abused peremptory challenges to exclude prospective Black jurors and urged Judge Demakos to apply to the defense a 1986 United States Supreme Court decision that prohibits prosecutors from doing this. The defense team accused prosecution of racial discrimination against white homeowners with the peremptory challenges. On September 21, 1987, Judge Demakos eventually ruled that the defense team used their peremptory challenges to exclude Black jurors and stated he would curb the lawyers’ use of the challenge on prospective Black jurors. Judge Demakos stated the defense lawyers would have to give non-racial explanations whenever there were ”any further allegations that they are exercising peremptory challenges against black jurors on the ground of group bias alone.” The first Black juror was selected on September 28, 1987. By October 1, 1987, all twelve jurors were selected for the Howard Beach case to begin. The jury was composed of six non-Hispanic whites, one Black woman, two people of Puerto Rican background, two Asian-Americans and a Guyanese man of Indian descent.
A few days after the jury selection was completed, lawyers received copies of the grand jury testimonies, which included defendant Robert Riley’s admission that he’d taken a baseball bat from defendant Scott Kern to attack the three Black victims. In his admission. Riley stated that he wanted the bat, but the bat was eventually taken by defendant Jon Lester. Riley’s admission was given in exchange for the dismissal of his murder charge.
Timothy Grimes testified about the night of the Howard Beach assault in front of jury on October 15, 1987. His account detailed that ten white men confronted himself, Michael Griffith, and Cedric Sandiford with a baseball bat and other weapons. Grimes stated that he pulled out a knife, after one of the white attackers hit the ground with the bat several times outside of New Park Pizza and announced “Get the nigger!” Grimes revealed that the attackers froze when they witnessed the knife, and he used that moment to run from the scene while a stick was thrown at his back. He testified that he did not see where Griffith and Sandiford ran to, but it was the last time he was Griffith alive. He saw Sandiford the following morning at the precinct with “black eyes, puffed face, stitches in his head, bruised up bad.” Grimes was cross-examined about his criminal history, reasons for being in Howard Beach, and drug use. Grimes admitted to prior criminal history, stated that Curtis Sylvester’s car was not able to make it to a gas station, and admitted to personal drug use, but stated that none of the victims used drugs prior to the assault.
A bank security guard, Alex Rios, testified that he witnessed the white mob chase one of the victims “like a posse” through the window of the closed Citibank branch, as he was there for an early morning shift. Rios saw the mob return back to New Park Pizzeria and overhead them say “we couldn’t catch him.”
On October 22, 1987, attacker turned prosecutor’s key witness, Robert Riley, took the stand to testify about the night of the encounter and death of Michael Griffith. While cross-examined by defense lawyers, Riley testified that attackers pursuing Griffith did not chase him to the edge of the traffic lanes of the Belt Parkway. Riley stated that the attackers chased Griffith up to 60 feet away from the traffic lanes, which was the start of a grass-like turf area that runs alongside the Belt Parkway. Riley testified about Griffith’s death while prosecutors asked him to describe the and sights of his final moments.
He ran across the first side and jumped over the middle. He put his hands on it and pulled himself over, then got hit by a car. I saw his body go up a couple of feet in the air, above the car. It was like a thud, a thump.
Special Prosecutor Charles J. Hynes stated that Griffith had no choice but to cross the Belt Parkway to escape from the white mob.
Riley’s testimony went on to state that the encounter began when John Lester left with others and returned to a birthday party in Howard Beach that all of the accused attackers were in attendance for. Upon his return, Lester told the attendees “there are some niggers on the boulevard – let’s go up there and kill them!” Riley stated that after an estimate of 10 beers, he and a dozen of other attendees at the party drove in three cars to confront the Black men at the intersection. Once at the scene, the attackers began to confront the Black men. He said that John Kern was hitting a bat on the floor, which led to two of the Black men to display knives, while the attackers yelled “Niggers, get the fuck out of the neighborhood!” Riley stated that victims took off running while the mob chased them on foot and by car as they yelled, “niggers, get the fuck out of the neighborhood.” Griffith was chased by Riley, Lester, Ladone, and Pirone on foot, when he eventually turned up 90th Street, then crossed the Belt Parkway to his death.
Another witness took the stand for the Howard Beach trial on October 28, 1987. The witness was a police officer that testified an imitation gun found at the scene of Michael Griffith’s death looked so real, it was sent for ballistics examination. Prosecution noted the lack of evidence to connect the imitation gun to Griffith or any other mob attack victims.
On November 2, 1987, Dominic Blum, the driver of the car that fatally hit Michael Griffith, took the stand in the Howard Beach trial. Over 300 Black New Yorkers came to support Griffith’s family and witness the testimony. Blum, a New York City court officer, maintained he was unaware that his car hit Griffith as he fled from the defendants on the Belt Parkway. He stated he only became aware that his car hit Griffith when he returned to the scene with his father and brother two hours later. Blum was not charged with the murder of Griffith. The defense attorneys sought to frame Blum as a hit-and-run driver primarily responsible for Griffith’s death. During the testimony, Blum revealed he and his girlfriend were returning to their home in Brooklyn when the accident occurred. His girlfriend, Ms. Channon, was asleep in the front seat.
”I was driving in the extreme left-hand lane and the car in front of me started slowing down,” Mr. Blum said under questioning by a prosecutor, Edward Boyar. He said that ”rather than hit the brakes,” he turned his head to his right to see whether he had clearance to get into the middle lane and then ”I heard a big bang.” He tried to get to the right shoulder and stop, he said, but it was 100 yards or so before he could do this. He said he told Ms. Channon, who had awakened, that he did not know what had happened but that he thought that ”someone threw something at the car.”
Blum stated that he put his head out the window to look back and saw traffic flowing normally. After he reached home, he spoke to his father about what happened, which eventually led to his return to the scene. While cross-examined by defense, Blum stated that he did not tell his father that he struck a person, as he claimed defense misquoted his signed police report.
Days after Dominic Blum’s testimony, defense lawyers harped on drug use as a sole reason for Griffith’s decision to run onto the Belt Parkway, rather than to escape the violent mob. On November 13, 1987, prosecution called Dr. Kenneth Tariff to dispute the defense contention that cocaine influenced Griffith’s decision. An associate professor of psychiatry and of public health at Cornell University Medical College, Dr. Tariff based his conclusions on toxicological reports from the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office, which included analyses from specimens of Griffith’s organs and fluids. Dr. Tariff stated he could not conclude how much was ingested, but the amount of time the effects may have lasted. He estimated Griffith used up to 18 hours before his death: “My opinion is that he was not under the influence of cocaine at the time of his death.” According to Dr. Tariff’s expertise, the effects would have lasted for only 6 hours with continued metabolization taken into account.
On November 16, 1987, one of the most important witnesses, Cedric Sandiford, testified about the beating he endured at the hands of the white mob in Howard Beach. On the stand, Sandiford recalled the night of the beating and Griffith’s death with vivid descriptions. Sandiford stated he was brazenly beaten with bats and tree limbs: “They were beating me all over my body, my back, my legs, my stomach, everywhere.” Sandiford stated he begged one of the young assailants for his life: “Please! Oh, God, don’t kill me! I have a son as old as you.” Cedric stated that soon after as he begged for his life, the youth “lashed me in my head and busted my head open and blood is running down the back of my neck.” Special Prosecutor Hynes asked Sandiford if he saw the assailant in the courtroom during his testimony. Sandiford stepped down and stared Jon Lester in his eyes. Sandiford returned to the stand and identified Jon Lester as the youth that attacked him with the bat. Hynes continued to question Sandiford about the following moments of the attack. Sandiford heard the mob yell “Niggers, get the fuck out of the neighborhood,” then was hit yet again with a bat. Sandiford clarified that neither himself, Michael Griffith, or Timothy Grimes carried weapons on them the night of the mob beating.
Sandiford stated that himself, Grimes, and Griffith ran from the mob, but soon separated. Sandiford said he continued to hit by bats, tree limbs, and called racial epithets. Sandiford stated that the assailants stopped their attack, and he fled through a hole in a fence onto the Belt Parkway, where he saw Griffith’s body: “His brains were scattered all over the street.” On November 19, 1987, a detective testified that Jason Ladone admitted to his participation in the mob beating of at least one of the victims, with two other assailants. On November 20, 1987, the prosecution rested its case after six weeks of testimony from 60 witnesses. Prosecution’s final witness was Dr. John Mitchell, an ophthalmologist, testified that Cedric Sandiford suffered a severe contusion in his right eye, that was “consistent with having been struck with a blunt instrument.” Dr. Mitchell stated that blunt force could have ranged from a baseball bat to a finger.
The defense went on to raise their case with thirteen witnesses, which included their own expert drug toxicologist. The defense continued to cite the victims as the initiators of the incident to deny the racial basis of the mob assault. As the defense rested their case on December 2, 1987, the jury began their deliberations on December 9, 1987.
On December 21, 1987, the Howard Beach trial jury found Scott Kern, Jon Lester, and Jason Ladone guilty of first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter. Jon Lester was sentenced to a maximum sentence of 10 to 30 years in prison. on January 22, 1988, then Scott Kern was sentenced to 6 to 18 years on February 5, 1988, followed by Jason Ladone’s sentencing to 5 to 15 years on February 11, 1988. Dominic Blum was ruled guilty of state motor vehicles violations in death of Michael Griffith and was scheduled to lose his license for 30 days on February 25, 1988. Several of the other defendants from the Deceomber 29, 1986 mob assault were given lesser charges or cleared altogether.
Michael Griffith’s life has been memorialized with Spike Lee’s dedication to his family for the classic film, Do The Right Thing, released in 1989. On November 22, 1999, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani signed a bill to dedicate several blocks across Pacific Street in Brooklyn, after Michael Griffith: “In view of the tragic death of Michael Griffith, in a hate related assault, it is fitting that Pacific Street, between Albany Avenue and Ralph Avenue, be renamed “Michael Griffith Street.”
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