Victor Dempsey serves as a Community Organizer at the LDF. Prior to joining LDF, Mr. Dempsey was a Community Organizer for the Legal Aid Society’s Community Justice Unit. At the heart of Mr. Dempsey’s advocacy and activism is the tragic loss of his brother, Delrawn Small, who was killed at the hands of an off-duty police officer in Brooklyn, New York on July 4, 2016. As victims of police brutality, Mr. Dempsey and his family found themselves in a fearless pursuit of justice. They began working with organizations devoted to ending police violence, speaking out at public events and demonstrations to help raise awareness to Delrawn’s case while also shining a light on the underlying social injustices plaguing this country. Mr. Dempsey and his family are still fighting for justice in Delrawn’s case but believes that “standing in solidarity with other families who had suffered police brutality helps strengthen their collective call for justice.”
Mr. Dempsey’s advocacy has a national scope as he continues to assist and support other families and their communities impacted by police violence. To this end, he founded Families Are The Frontlines, a support and advocacy group composed of families impacted by police brutality. He is devoted to telling his life story to inspire positive structural change for all people. Mr. Dempsey’s activism extends beyond police brutality and includes building and/or supporting numerous coalition such as the dismantling of the NYPD gang database, Automatic Expungement (Clean Slate New York), and the Safer New York Act.
