11 BRONX WEEKLY August 30, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
Residents and police march in the Peace and Unity March for the NYPD on Aug. 2 Photo by Jason Cohen
Borough honors 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.
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 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.
Residents and police march in the Peace and Unity March for the NYPD on Aug. 21
Photo by Jason Cohen
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
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