National Urban League Statement on the Death of Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson #ProgressiveDA

National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial has issued the following statement on the death of Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson:

“We at the National Urban League are shocked and saddened by the untimely death of Brooklyn’s first African-American District Attorney, Ken Thompson.

“We were disappointed that his failing health prevented him from accepting our invitation to share his expertise and professional insight as a criminal justice panelist at our Conference in Baltimore this summer. His thoughtfulness, knowledge and passion for justice impressed all who knew him.

“Ken was a rising star who set a model for progressive prosecutors nationwide. We share our deepest condolences with his wife, Lu-Shawn Thompson; his children, Kennedy and Kenny; and the rest of his family and colleagues. His death represents an enormous loss for the City of New York and the entire legal justice community.”