Somber Christmas At Brooklyn Shrine To Slain Cops
Thursday, December 25, 2014
WNYC
Mourners at site in Brooklyn where two police officers were killed, paying respects on Christmas day. (Beth Fertig/WNYC)
A constant stream of mourners came to the corner in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Wednesday where a makeshift shine had gone up to honor police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. Many said it was important to pay their respects on Christmas Day for two men who had died in such a senseless act of violence.
"These guys were taken way too soon, too young," said Detective James Morales, who lit candles for the slain officers. "The least you can do is come out on Christmas Day. These guys would wish they would be with their families on Christmas Day."
The flowers, wreaths, candles and notes that covered the sidewalk were surrounded by barricades. Several police officers in uniform stood by as people came to visit.
Reverend Gabriel Salguero from the Lamb's Church of the Nazarene in Chinatown came with about 50 Hispanic church leaders to lay a gigantic wreath. He said he wanted to send a message of peace and non-violence.
"It's heartbreaking," he said. "I have police officers in my church, I have young kids who their parents are police officers. You feel lament, but you also feel a kind of overwhelming compassion of New Yorkers."
Liu and Ramos were shot in their patrol car on Saturday by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who then fled into a subway station and committed suicide. He had posted messages on social media suggesting the assault was revenge for deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of authorities in Staten Island and Ferguson, Missouri.
The NYPD says it's investigated about 40 threats made to police since the shooting, by assessing hundreds of online postings and calls to 9-1-1 and 3-1-1. As of Wednesday afternoon, seven people had been arrested following those investigations. The NYPD is advising its members to be vigilant and asking the public to immediately report any information to the police.
In Bed-Stuy, Barry Price, an Atlanta resident who said he grew up in the neighborhood, was visiting relatives for the holiday and decided to visit the shrine. He called the shooting "an act of cowardice" and shook hands with some of the officers as he left.
"I know they are all hurting on the inside," he said. "But they don't know that a lot of regular civilians are hurting also."
Pastor Evelyn Pacheco of My Father’s House International Church in East Harlem said a prayer with Charlene Torres, an officer with the NYPD's housing bureau in the Bronx. Pacheco said she believed the spirit of the Lord could give comfort.
Torres was dressed in civilian clothes with her badge hanging around her neck. She wiped her eyes and said she came with her 11-year-old son and her 15-year-old nephew.
"They see us as heroes," she said. "Not everyone does. And it is unfortunate we are divided the way we are. But no matter what, we are always blue. We're always cops, we always get dressed and we go out and do our jobs."
Clifton Hollingsworth, a retired police officer and member of the group 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, said the recent controversy over police shootings and the subsequent killing of the two officers makes it urgent for people to come together.
"The police union has to put their politics aside, the mayor has to put his politics aside, the police commissioner has to put his," he said. "They have to go into the communities and find people who understand both how it is to be a police officer and how it is to be a citizen in the streets, and have an ear for what’s going on in the streets and how our young folks are treated in the street. Then you can try to find peace."
A wake will be held for Ramos on Friday in Glendale, Queens, and his funeral is scheduled for Saturday. No funeral arrangements have yet been announced for Liu.
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BETH FERTIG
Beth Fertig is the contributing editor for education, covering the New York City public school system for WNYC on air and online at SchoolBook.org. She has covered education in the city for more than 15 years. Beth is the author of Why cant u teach me 2 read? Three Students and a Mayor Put Our Schools to the Test (FSG Books) which grew out of a radio series on the low graduation rate for special education students. Follow her @bethfertig.
DAVID L. LEWIS, WNYC Metro Editor
David L. Lewis is a veteran New York City journalist with 30 years of experience in print and broadcast media. His feature-length documentary, The Pleasures of Being Out of Step, a profile of the legendary ...
