Borough Park rallies in support of police

Greenfield organizes gathering outside 66th Precinct

December 24, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

At the rally organized by Councilmember David Greenfield (in rear holding microphone), elected officials, community leaders, and religious leaders praised the work done by police to protect the public. Photo courtesy Greenfield’s office

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More than 100 people turned out in the pouring rain in Borough Park on Tuesday to rally in support of the New York Police Department and to mourn the deaths of police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, who were assassinated by a gunman in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Dec. 20.

Councilmember David Greenfield (D-Borough Park-Midwood-Bensonhurst), who organized the rally in front of the 66th Precinct on 16th Avenue, handed out fliers of a NYPD badge with a black mourning band to people attending the rally and asked them to place the fliers in their windows.

The 66th Precinct covers Borough Park and Midwood. Greenfield praised the precinct for working with the Borough Park Shomrim, a citizens patrol group, and other community organizations to tackle crime and quality of life issues

“Police are our family. I tell my kids, if you are ever lost, if you ever have a problem you can go to a relative or a police officer,” Greenfield said. “I don’t know every one of the 35,000 police officers in New York, but I do know that when they put on the uniform every day they are risking their lives to protect us.”

Among those attending the rally were state Sen. Simcha Felder (D-Borough Park-Midwood), council members Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park-Red Hook) and Brad Lander (D-Park Slope), Community Board 12 Chairman Yidel Perlstein and Board 12 District Manager Barry Spitzer.

Leaders of non-profit groups, school administrators, community board members and religious leaders also braved the rain to rally in support of the police.

Dep. Insp. Michael Deddo, the commanding officer of the 66th Precinct, spoke at the rally, thanking all of those who gathered for their overwhelming outpouring of support. Deddo also noted the diversity of the crowd and the diversity of the community that the precinct serves.

Perlstein said he wanted to publicly thank the police. “It’s all too easy to complain when something goes wrong, but it’s important to remember to give thanks as well. My thanks to everyone who came out this afternoon to show support for the work our police do to keep the neighborhood safe,” he said.

“When something happens to a family member, the family comes together to lean on each other for support. Our community, and the police department that protects us, are one family. So we gather here to lean on each other, comfort each other and help each other move forward in this difficult time,” Spitzer said.

The public deeply feels the loss of the two officers who were killed, according to Felder. “We all mourn the loss of two of New York City’s Finest who were killed in the line of duty. Police Officers Liu and Ramos made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.

The communities of Borough Park and Midwood have an excellent relationship with the local precinct, according to Greenfield. The councilmember hosts an annual softball game called the “Greenfield Classic” featuring a friendly game between the NYPD and the Borough Park Shomrim Safety Patrol.

Residents interested in receiving a support the police flier can call Greenfield’s office at 718-853-2704. The flier is free.