Saturday December 20, 2014 National Public Radio reported the following:
Two New York police officers were ambushed and fatally shot while sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood Saturday. The suspected gunman has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In a press conference, New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton said the officers, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, were killed with "no warning, no provocation."...
While "Social Media" was abuzz with this terrifying news and support began to pour out for the families of the slain officers, "Rev." Al Sharpton released a statement decrying the linking of this senseless act to the recent unrest in New York City and Ferguson, MO. He stated that he is "outraged" that anyone would try and link this incident to those. In his statement, there was no message of sympathy for the families of the slain police officers. There was no call to action. The outrage was not that two officers who were doing nothing but sitting in their patrol vehicle were gunned down without warning or provocation of any kind. The good "Reverend" made a political statement.
What is going on in our Country? Has the world turned on it's side? I feel like we have gone back in time 50 years to a time where a person's skin color defines them and their role in society. I don't like this at all.
I have friends of all colors, faiths, orientations, genders. You name it, I've probably got a friend who is in that group. You see, we are not supposed to label people. I thought we were supposed to take people as individuals and receive them as they come to us.
I was moved to write this piece today because I have a friend who comes from an immigrant family (as I do), who was so upset by the events of last evening that she posted that she wanted to take her husband and children and go back to the Dominican Republic! Her family came here for security and opportunity and now she feels that she would be safer in the "DR"?
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to be free..."
I guess that's just a pie in the sky idea now. Have we degraded to a point that we must wear body armor at all times and walk about in the cities heavily armed? Is that freedom? I think not.
Realizing that the shooter of our two brave Police Officers killed himself after his dastardly act, it may take some time before the investigation into his life and motivations is complete. Hopefully, at that time we will learn what motivated this person to act as he did. We may never know.
But, knowledge of the killer's motivation will not bring the Officers back from the dead. It will not bring them home to their families, wives, children. That knowledge will never bring them home to their Mothers and Fathers.
You see, the New York City Police Department were not the only ones to lose two selfless Officers yesterday. The City, State and in fact the entire Country lost two examples of what makes this Country great.
Selfless service is what these two officers were performing when they died. They died needlessly at the hands of a crazed person.
For New York City Police Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos: End of Tour: 12/20/2014. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.
As always...
Selfless service is what these two officers were performing when they died. They died needlessly at the hands of a crazed person.
For New York City Police Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos: End of Tour: 12/20/2014. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.
As always...
