Justice for Saniyah Cheatham: 

The Tragic Death of an 18-Year-Old Black Woman in Police Custody

Her name was Saniyah Cheatham. She was only 18 years old. A young Black woman with her whole life ahead of her — dreams, hopes, and a future waiting to unfold. Instead, she was found dead, hanging inside a police precinct. And once again, the system is silent while our community demands answers.

Saniyah wasn’t just a statistic. She was someone’s daughter, someone’s friend, a teenager who should have been protected — not left to die behind cold, cinder-block walls under the watch of those who are supposed to serve and protect. The circumstances of her death raise the same haunting questions we’ve been asking for years: How does a young Black woman, in the custody of law enforcement, end up dead — and the official story is still shrouded in silence?

Police departments across this country have a history that cannot be separated from violence, control, and suppression — particularly when it comes to Black lives. From Sandra Bland to Kendra James to now, Saniyah Cheatham, we keep burying our women while the world shrugs.

We are told to be patient. We are told to wait for investigations. But how long must we wait while mothers are left without daughters, and communities without justice? When will accountability be more than a press release and a paid suspension?

The fact that Saniyah’s death occurred inside a precinct isn’t just tragic — it's a condemnation. A young woman died on the inside, while officers stood just feet away. Whether it was neglect, abuse, or worse — this was preventable. This was institutional failure. And this was violence.

We demand the full release of all footage, all reports, and a transparent, independent investigation — not handled by the same system that continues to fail us. We will not let them sweep this under a rug with vague statements and media spin. Saniyah's life mattered. Her death demands justice.

Let this be the last time we say “never again” while watching it happen again and again. Let this be the spark that refuses to go out until the system itself is re-imagined, restructured, and held to account.

Say her name. Saniyah Cheatham. And don’t stop saying it.