Bedford-Stuyvesant

Brooklyn mourns slain cops with vigils, blue ribbons

December 22, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Police officers gather near a makeshift memorial near the site where fellow officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were murdered. Police say Ismaaiyl Brinsley ambushed the two officers in their patrol car in broad daylight Saturday, fatally shooting them before killing himself inside a subway station. AP Photo/Seth Wenig
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As the shock of the assassination of NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu continued to hang over the city like a dark cloud, residents and elected officials from all corners of Brooklyn paid tribute to the two slain cops with candlelight vigils, blue ribbons and statements expressing sorrow.   

A vigil will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday in front of the 66th Precinct at 16th Avenue and 59th Street in Brooklyn, according to Councilmember David Greenfield.  

Additionally, Penney Santo, a civic activist in the Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights area, told the Brooklyn Eagle in an email that she is organizing a candlelight vigil to take place on Dec. 26 in front of the 68th Precinct (333 65th St.) starting at 3 p.m.

Santo said the vigil is designed to “mourn the loss and show support for police officers at the 68th Precinct and for all police officers in our country.”

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Also in Bay Ridge, Councilmember Vincent Gentile is calling on all New Yorkers to come together and show support for police by wearing blue ribbons, tying blue ribbons around trees and displaying blue lights in their windows.

“Just a few days before Christmas, let us come together as New Yorkers and show the men and women who put their lives on the line for us each and every day that we have their backs and that we appreciate the risks they take without question or hesitation,” said Gentile (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Bensonhurst), who is offering free blue ribbons, bows and signs at his district office at 8018 Fifth Ave. 

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson issued a statement expressing his condolences.

“As we continue to investigate these senseless acts of violence against two of our city’s heroes, we pray for peace, support the men and women who bravely patrol our streets every day, and mourn for the loss of these two police officers who gave their lives to keep us safe,” he said.

Assemblymember William Colton (D-Gravesend-Bensonhurst) said the city has lost two heroes and that the victims’ families have suffered “the unthinkable tragedy of the loss of a loved one.”

U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-Central Brooklyn) said “murderous and violent attacks on the public servants who are charged with the duty of protecting our public safety are a threat to all of us.” Clarke called the cold-blooded execution of the two officers a heinous act that was “despicable and inexcusable.”

But in the midst of the mourning there were also calls for Mayor Bill de Blasio to demonstrate support for the NYPD.

“It’s unfortunate that our city has backtracked on 40 years of police relations,” said state Sen. Marty Golden, who is a retired police officer. “Our NYPD have become targets of violence, and this cannot be allowed to go unanswered. The mayor needs to act swiftly to ensure that members of the NYPD are safe on the job,” said Golden (R-C-Bay Ridge-southwest Brooklyn).

Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis (R-C-Bay Ridge-Staten Island) also called on the mayor to act. “It is well past the time for our mayor and citywide leaders to call for a return to order in our streets and take a hard stance that lawlessness and aggression towards police officers will not be tolerated.  Extreme anti-police sentiment and public unruliness have been permitted to fester for far too long,” she said, referring to protests against a grand jury’s decision not to indict Police Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner on Staten Island. 

 

 


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