New York’s Bravest
Bronx residents and organizations hold
peace and unity march for NYPD
BY JASON COHEN
Last week, Bronx residents
got together to publicly show
their respect for the NYPD.
On Aug. 21, the brothers
in blue and residents came together
in solidarity as a peace
march was held so support the
NYPD. People walked from
236th Street and Broadway to
Van Cortlandt Park, chanting
“fund the police” and “violence
must stop.”
The event was organized
by retired Lieutenant and former
Congressional Candidate
Sammy Ravelo. Ravelo explained
there were over 2,000
murders in NYC in 1990, but
just 254 in 2018. However, these
past fi ve or six months are
reminiscent of the 90s.
Ravelo told the Bronx Times
that just because cops in Minneapolis
and Louisville committed
crimes, it does not mean
all police are bad.
“You can’t use what happened
in other states and compare
it to what happened in
NYC,” he explained. “If somebody
does something down
south and it’s bad, they want to
guilt the NYPD.”
Ravelo stressed the city
wants to hold police accountable,
but by eliminating cash
bail and defunding the police,
he questioned how cops can
properly do their jobs.
“Right now the biggest misconception
is that Bronx residents
want to defund the police,”
Ravelo stated. “They want
to feel safe.”
Among the speakers that
morning were Darrin Pircher,
retried NYPD detective, PBA
President Patrick Lynch, SBA
President Ed Mullins Joseph
Imperatrice, Blue Live Matters-
NYC founder, Marcos Miranda,
president of NYS Chaplain Task
Force, Luis Paniagua Alianza
Internacional de Capellanes,
Raysa Galvez, president of NY
Dominican Offi cers, Jorge
Leon, president of National Latino
Peace Offi cers Association
Bronx Chapter, Johnny
Nunez, president of Global Alliance
Latino Law Enforcement
Professionals and Rabbi Levi
Shemtov, Chabad Lubavitch
of Riverdale.
BRONX TIMES R 36 EPORTER, AUG. 28-SEPT. 3, 2020 BTR
Pircher, who often speaks
to the news about criminal justice,
is angry at how the city is
being run. He said that while
the George Floyd murder was
horrifi c, it does not mean there
should be sweeping police reform
in the NYPD.
He said that New York City,
which has the largest police
force in the country, has “no
support.” Pircher added that
those with liberal beliefs and
numerous politicians have this
city “under siege.”
“This is the time we need
to band together for NYC,” he
stressed. “We have a complete
lunatic that runs this city in
Mayor de Blasio. We have another
lunatic at the head of the
City Council, Corey Johnson.
These are individuals that are
destroying our safety. We are
going to be the people who take
Residents and police march in the Peace and Unity March for the NYPD on
Aug. 21 Photo by Jason Cohen
back our city.”
Rabbi Levi Shemtov said he
prays everyday for the safety of
the police. The rabbi noted how
people can hate the police, yet
if they are in trouble call cops
for help.
Shemtov told the attendees
how his father grew up in
Crown Heights and once saved
the life of a Black woman who
got shot. It was those types of
actions that led the rabbi to realize
every life matters.
He is sick of hatred towards
the police. In fact, the rebbe
said he would paint over the
Black Lives Matter mural in
front of Trump Tower with
Blue Lives Matter.
Lynch, who has been quite
vocal of this administration,
didn’t hold back his disdain
of the mayor and other politicians.
He stressed that in
times like these, the city must
come together and support
the police.
“It’s never been more diffi
cult to be a police offi cer
right now,” he said. “We have
leaders in the city who quite
frankly, I don’t know who
they are speaking for. They’re
not speaking for the folks in
the neighborhood.”
According Lynch, the Council
and mayor need to realize
they made a mistake with
defunding the police. He asserted
that this move would
make crime continue to rise
and would “have blood on the
streets” every day.
“Shootings in our city
now are at a 1990 level,” he remarked.
“The tragedies are
coming so fast we’re getting
immune to it. It’s up to us as police
offi cers to go out there and
do the job we know so well, but
we need support.”
Residents and police march in the Peace and Unity March for the NYPD on
Aug. 21 Photo by Jason Cohen
Residents and police march in the Peace and Unity March for the NYPD on Aug. 21 Photo by Jason Cohen