By Bill Parry
More than 20,000 police officers from as far away as Pearl, Miss., and San Francisco gathered outside Christ Tabernacle Church in Glendale Saturday for the funeral of Rafael Ramos, one of the two NYPD officers who were assassinated as they sat in their squad car a week earlier. They came to stand with their brothers and sisters in the NYPD as a show of unity that even extended to joining the thousands in blue who turned their backs as Mayor Bill de Blasio eulogized their slain colleague.
NYPD Chief of Transportation Thomas Chan was inside during the funeral but was fully aware of the protest that threatens to deepen the tensions between the rank-and-file and the mayor.
“It is disappointing because today is all about Officer Ramos,” he said. “We’ll hash all that out at a later time, but right now this is about celebrating the officers and their families.”
Ramos’ wife and two sons joined the widow of his fallen partner, Wenjian Liu, to hear remarks from Vice President Joe Biden, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton and the mayor. Biden was eloquent, saying, “I’m sure I speak for the whole nation when I say to you that our hearts ache for you.”
He spoke of his own life tragedies, specifically the loss of his wife and daughter in a 1972 car crash. “I know from personal experience that there is little anyone can say or do to ease the pain,” Biden told the family.
He was followed by the governor, who denounced the recent threats against the NYPD, saying that “an attack on the NYPD is an attack on all of us.” Cuomo followed with a vow of support and pointed out that “75,000 police officers and National Guardsmen statewide have your back every step of the way.”
When it was de Blasio’s turn to speak, he kept his comments short but to the point. “Officer Ramos put his life on the line every day so other New Yorkers could live in peace, so they could live in safety,” he said. “That is what he believed in. His life was tragically cut short, but his memory will live on in the hearts of his family, his congregation, his brothers and sisters of the NYPD, and literally millions of New Yorkers. We will not forget.”
The mayor was about a minute into his remarks when the first of the officers quietly turned their backs to a video screen that was set up outside the church for the overflow crowd. Others officers began to notice and followed suit until nearly the majority of those in uniform had joined in the protest.
It was a repeat of what occurred last Saturday when dozens of officers turned their backs on the mayor as he made his way down a hallway at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn. That was where Ramos and Liu were taken after they were shot and killed by Ismaaiyl Brinsley in retaliation for the shooting of two unarmed black men by police. The gunman later killed himself.
The casket of Rafael Ramos was then taken outside the Christ Tabernacle Church, where he was an usher, for full honors including a fly-over by a dozen helicopters. A motorcade led by 300 motorcycles made its way towards Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn for burial.
Deputy Chief Steven Silks, the executive officer of Patrol Borough Queens North, was overwhelmed by the scene following the funeral.
“This is unprecedented, wow,” he said. surveying the crowd of officers from all over the country. “They’re here from L.A. and Texas and a lot of those motorcycles are from New Orleans. They are from coast to coast and Canada and it’s greatly appreciated that they came.”
Many in the crowd came by bus caravan from Boston, explained Sergeant Steven Dearth of the Hingham. Mass. Police Department. “We had our own experience with domestic terrorism with the Marathon Bombing but assassinating police officers is a whole different animal,” he said adding, “I’ve got to say I’ve been to too many of these funerals.”
The huge throng of law enforcement personnel was slow to break up, many of the cops exchanging unit patches as they made their way to waiting buses. Meanwhile, the residents of Glendale were getting their town back.
Warren Isaksen sat on the front steps of his home, at 71-06 67th St., enjoying a cigar while watching the outgoing traffic jam on Central Avenue. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the NYPD, but we’ve been on lockdown for two whole days,” Isaksen said. “A lot of our residents are really fed up that we couldn’t use our cars to go grocery shopping. We had helicopters all night long with searchlights lighting up our bedrooms. We love them, but we’re glad it’s over.”
Sean Teng and Long Chen, two workers at the Manna Deli, at 65-04 Central Ave., were sorry it was over.
“We’ve never had a morning quite like this,” Teng said.
As the only deli for several blocks, it was jammed, according to Chen. “It was unbelievable, we had to resupply several times this morning,” he said. “And it was fun to meet those guys. The amount of support they showed for each other was truly remarkable. And I’ve never felt safer in my life.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.
