Iris Baez, a prominent activist who became a leading voice against police brutality after the death of her son in New York City, died on September 10 in Orlando, Florida. She was 80 years old. Baez’s daughter, Linda Baez, reported that the cause of death was uveal melanoma, a type of eye cancer.

Baez’s activism was ignited by the 1994 death of her son, Anthony Baez, who died as a result of an illegal chokehold applied by a New York City police officer, Francis X. Livoti. Anthony Baez, 29, was playing touch football with his brothers outside their Bronx home when the football inadvertently hit two police vehicles in separate incidents. Police officers attempted to arrest the group for disorderly conduct, and during the encounter, Livoti applied the chokehold that led to Anthony’s death. Initially, the police claimed Anthony Baez had died from an asthma attack.

Baez became a steadfast advocate for police accountability over the next three decades, speaking out at demonstrations, lobbying for legislative change, and supporting other families grieving the loss of loved ones due to police violence. She was known for her immediate response to incidents, often asking for the addresses of vigils and funerals to provide direct support to affected families.

In 1999, Baez offered comfort and solidarity to Kadiatou Diallo, whose son Amadou Diallo was shot and killed by police in the Bronx. Baez and Diallo became close allies in the fight against police violence, and their activism was documented in the 2004 film “Every Mother’s Son,” alongside Doris Busch Boskey, whose son Gidone also died at the hands of police that same year.

Baez played a key role in political efforts to increase police oversight. In 2015, she helped pressure then-Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to implement an executive order mandating a special prosecutor, appointed by the state attorney general, for investigating deaths of unarmed civilians at the hands of police. Baez’s influence was also evident in the 2020 repeal of a New York State law that had kept police officers’ disciplinary records confidential, legislation she and other families had long championed.

Legal proceedings following Anthony Baez’s death were protracted and contentious. An initial indictment of Officer Livoti was dismissed, prompting Baez to lead a protest demanding re-indictment. Livoti was later acquitted in criminal court, though a police trial found him guilty of using an illegal chokehold, leading to his dismissal. In 1998, Livoti was convicted in federal court of civil rights violations related to Baez’s death and sentenced to prison. The Baez family also received a $3 million settlement from the city.

Baez sought to influence change both outside and inside the system. She ran unsuccessfully for Bronx borough president in 1997 and City Council in 2003. In 2001, she was nominated to the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board but was blocked by then-Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who questioned her impartiality due to her activism.

Born Iris Maria Rivera Lopez on October 21, 1945, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, she moved to the Bronx with her mother as a young child. She was married to Ramon Baez from 1980 until his death in 2017 and is survived by 11 children, numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and a sister.

Throughout her life, Iris Baez remained a resilient and compassionate figure in the movement against police violence, using her personal tragedy to fuel a broader fight for justice and accountability.