Page 8 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
U.S.A.
January 5, 2015
New York governor Cuomo attends NYPD officer
Wenjian Liu’s wake two days after his father’s death
By Mike Balsamo
The Associated Press
EW YORK — Hundreds of police officers from
across the country streamed into the wake of a
slain New York City officer this past weekend,
and New York governor Andrew Cuomo said his late
father would have wanted him there after “really
pointless” killings.
The uniformed police officers showed respect rather
than disdain for New York mayor Bill de Blasio when he
arrived with police commissioner William Bratton, with
some saluting as the men entered at the start of the
daylong event for officer Wenjian Liu.
“This is a really tragic story,” said Cuomo, who attended
the wake two days after the death of his father — former
New York governor Mario Cuomo.
He noted that Liu and his wife were newlyweds who had
just moved into a home months into their marriage.
“She’s now a widow,” he said. “This is really pointless. It
had nothing to do with them. They did nothing wrong. It
wasn’t about them. It was pure and random hatred.”
Cuomo also expressed his own sorrow.
“Today is not the day for my dad, but I can say I miss
him already. There’s a hole in my heart,” he said.
Liu was shot to death in his patrol car December 20
along with officer Rafael Ramos, whose funeral was held
December 28. Their killer committed suicide soon after
the shooting.
N
GOD BLESS NYPD. A police officer (left photo) helps a mourner place a candle at a makeshift memorial near the site where NYPD officers Rafael
Ramos and Wenjian Liu were murdered December 20 in the Brooklyn borough of New York. In the photo on the right, mourners stand at a barricade
in the Glendale section of Queens in New York on December 26, 2014. Officer Ramos was buried December 28 and officer Liu was buried January 4.
(AP Photos/John Minchillo)
For de Blasio, the gesture of respect during the wake
contrasted with the back-turning insults hundreds of
officers displayed toward video screens showing the
mayor speaking at Ramos’ funeral. Bratton had urged
rank-and-file officers to refrain from making political
statements at Liu’s wake and funeral.
“A hero’s funeral is about grieving, not grievance,”
Bratton said in a memo read to all commands at roll calls
on January 2 and 3. “I issue no mandates, and I make no
threats of discipline, but I remind you that when you don
the uniform of this department, you are bound by the
tradition, honor, and decency that go with it.”
Police union officials, who are negotiating a contract
with the city, had accused de Blasio of helping foster an
anti-police atmosphere by supporting demonstrations
following the chokehold death of an unarmed black man
who resisted arrest on Staten Island.
The back-turning at Ramos’ funeral mimicked what
some police union officials did outside a hospital when the
officers were killed. As de Blasio eulogized Liu during the
funeral, however, hundreds of police officers turned their
backs.
Liu and Ramos were ambushed in their patrol car on a
Brooklyn street by Ismaaiyl Brinsley. Brinsley had made
references online to the killings of unarmed black men at
the hands of white police officers, vowing to put “wings on
pigs.”
Investigators say Brinsley was an emotionally
disturbed loner who started off his rampage by shooting
and wounding an ex-girlfriend in Baltimore.
The police killings ramped up emotions in the already-
tense national debate over police conduct. Since Ramos
and Liu were killed, police in New York have investigated
at least 70 threats made against officers, and more than a
dozen people have been arrested.
Liu’s funeral took place January 4 with a Chinese cere-
mony led by Buddhist monks, followed by a traditional
police ceremony with eulogies led by a chaplain. His burial
took place at Cypress Hills Cemetery.
Continued on page 15
THE DOCTOR IS IN. President Barack Obama says Dr. Vivek
Hallegere Murthy’s confirmation to serve as U.S. surgeon general will
better position the nation to save lives abroad and protect Americans at
home. Pictured is Dr. Murthy testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington on
February 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
New surgeon general
will help U.S. save lives
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says
Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy’s confirmation to serve as
U.S. surgeon general will better position the nation to
save lives abroad and protect Americans at home.
Obama says Murthy has a lifetime of public health
experience dealing with diseases and health promotion
that he’ll bring to the job. He says Murthy’s confirmation
also helps the U.S. continue to combat Ebola in the U.S.
and in West Africa. Obama says Murthy will start right
away to ensure every American has necessary informa-
tion to keep their families safe.
The senate approved Murthy’s nomination despite
longstanding opposition from some lawmakers over his
public support for gun control. Murthy is a 37-year-old
physician and Harvard Medical School instructor.