The New York City council voted today to co-name two streets in Brooklyn for Detectives Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, both of whom were murdered on December 20, 2014, while on duty in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
"Detective Rafael Ramos Way" will be on Ridgewood Avenue between Shepherd Avenue and Highland Place, and "Detective Wenjian Liu Way will be on West 6th Street, between Avenue S and Avenue T.
In attendance at the ceremony, presided over by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, were both the families of both slain officers, along with Police Commissioner William Bratton, Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch and the voting body of the City Council.
"We as police officers sacrifice every day, but we choose to do it, and quite frankly we love to do it," said Lynch at the ceremony. "Our families? Don't always choose that sacrifice. New York City police officers go out each and every day and do this difficult job. But the reason they have that strength is because of the courage of these families."
"Forever these two streets will bare their names. Forever these workers we will remember, and forever their memory will live," said Mark-Viverito at the ceremony. "To all New Yorkers we ask when you pass these streets, you take a moment to pause and remember these extraordinary men."
Following the ceremony, Councilmember Robert Cornegy, Jr., representative for Bedford-Stuyvesant, the district where the two offers were slain, recognized several rookie officers from his district participating in the NYPD's Community Mentoring Program — an initiative started by the mayor's office and the NYPD aimed at improving community-police relations.
The mentoring program was started soon after the Eric Garner verdict was handed down, a citywide effort aimed at rookies officers to make sure they begin their work in our neighborhoods on the right foot.
"And today, I'm proud to welcome 12 rookie officers from Brooklyn's PSA 3 to this Chamber," said Cornegy.
"These new PSA 3 officers are becoming part of our community. They are not shielded from our struggles and will be required to intervene in many intimate and dangerous situations in the future. I'm glad they're here today to see how much this Council values the sacrifices our police make and the dangers they brave."
