Transcript: Mayor de Blasio, Commissioner O'Neill Delivers Remarks at Street Naming Ceremony in Honor of NYPD Detective Steven McDonald

October 4, 2017

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you. We’re gathered today to do something very, very important. To honor a man who was one of the very best amongst us. I have never met a better New Yorker than Detective Steven McDonald, never met a better human being. I never met someone who lived his values more. And you know there are many people of faith but it’s – it’s an everyday challenge to put faith into action. Steven McDonald put his faith into action every single day without fail, and that is something to honor, that is something to celebrate.

I want to thank all the leadership of the NYPD who are here, Commissioner O’Neill, and First Deputy Commissioner Tucker, and Chief of Department Gomez, and all the other leaders and members of the NYPD who are here. I know this is both a solemn moment and a moment of deep, deep appreciation, for a man everyone looked up to.

And I want to thank the City Council for making this street renaming possible, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Helen Rosenthal, thank you for your commitment for honoring this man.

And I am going to talk about, in a moment, a few members of the family but I’d just like to ask everyone, this whole extended family, the McDonald family, has been not only extraordinary in the way they supported Steven over the years, the love and commitment to him, but they became examples to all of us, they became a light and a beacon to all of us. Could we have a rousing round of applause for the McDonald family please?

[Applause]

We all know that Steven’s journey was not an easy one, it was a challenge, and there was pain every step along the way, but I don’t think we have ever see anyone handle the challenge better. And there’s many people who are blessed to have all of their abilities fully intact and try and get ideas across and a message across, but Steven McDonald, even with some of the physical limitations he faced, had the clearest voice of everyone.

Sometimes his speech might have been halting but his voice was as clear as could be. And everyone felt it. Everyone felt it. You could not be in his presence without feeling his truth. And what is so extraordinary is his devotion to giving us all a simple and straightforward message of love and forgiveness every single day, because it is a message the city needs and this world needs. He understood that he got to be that messenger, he didn’t bemoan his fate, he saw it, somehow, as a blessing, and that alone took a strength that’s hard for most of us to possibly imagine. But you could see his sense of mission and it was inspiring every single time, literally every single time you could not be in his presence, hear his voice, hear his story, without being moved yet again.

And he particularly loved to talk to his fellow officers, he had a special feeling for new officers as they started on their journey to help them understand how important their work was, how precious their mission was, how extraordinary the calling was, and he imparted that wisdom in generation after generation. That’s part of why the NYPD is as great as it is today, we cannot underestimate his influence, this department is renown and respected all over this country, all over this world, for many reasons, including its ability to continue to grow and get better, to heal the wounds of our society, to reach people in need.

This department has become the model. Everyone comes here to learn about the NYPD. Well the NYPD became greater and greater in no small measure due to the influence of Steven McDonald and his incessant belief that we could all draw closer together and our police and our community could become one.

And his message, his ideals, live out every single day across neighborhoods in this city, every time one of our officers builds a relationship with a community member, every time a community member steps forward to aid an officer, to thank them, to work with them, that is a small example of living up to the ideals of Detective Steven McDonald.

We’re going to have another reason to remember him, because this street crosses our greatest park, it is literally the center, the heart of this city, it will be named for him. It had before a name that probably didn’t inspire us much, the 86th Street Transverse, but now it is going to have a name that will stir us. Move us. Guide us. Detective Steven McDonald Way, doesn’t that sound good?

[Applause]

And this precinct, where he served the duty he loved to perform the mission he was so honored to undertake, the uniform he cared for so much – it’s obviously also the place where he was so grievously injured. But we know, again, he did not bemoan his fate. He simply saw it as another step in the journey. And the forgiveness he expressed is like a clarion call today. It’s still almost unimaginable that someone could summon that level of faith and charity. And yet he did it for all of us to see.

I was in the hospital with the family a few days before Steven passed away. And this very faithful family, they all stood together to pray. And the love and the faith that animates this family is just overwhelming. It’s beautiful. It’s powerful. And it became clear to me over years but particularly in that moment that Steven’s faith made his family strong, but his family’s faith made Steven strong.

It all went together in such a powerful way. There’s no way he could have done so much good and been not only a hero to New Yorkers but to Americans and to people all over the world, and certainly to police officers all over the world. He could not have done that alone.

So, Patti, I want to say to you – you never sought the acclaim or the credit. I know that’s not what you’re about. I know you just loved him deeply and shared his faith. But every time we think about his greatness and his contribution, we have to thank you too. God bless you, Patti, for all you have done.

[Applause]

And Conor, this is, today, another example of what you and I spoke about a long time ago – not only keeping his name alive but celebrating him everywhere we go and using him as an example that makes everyone else better.

Conor, I want to say to you, I can only imagine the depth of pride your dad had for you. It’s one thing to just be a good, loving, caring son – that, you are – it’s another thing to put on the uniform and follow in his footsteps which made him immensely proud. But you also are carrying on his mission in every way.

I’ve heard your voice. I know how much you believe just as deeply as your dad did. And I know that your presence in our police department is not only helping New Yorkers every day, it’s reminding everyone to live up to the example of your father.

So, God bless you for all you are doing for the people of New York City.

[Applause]

And I learned some news today that we should all be happy about, and certainly something Steven looked forward to. But there’s not more beautiful than a wonderful family continuing to grow, and thinking about the great generations ahead.

So, I heard today from Conor that he and Katie are now engaged. Congratulations to you both. What a wonderful couple.

[Applause]

So, this day, we’re not for a moment going to forget all that Detective Steven McDonald went through. We’re not for a moment going to minimize his sacrifice which was extraordinary and deep. But I think he would have wanted us to remember the hope that he tried to every day engender, and every day live, and remind us of.

You know, I had a conversation after an NYPD ceremony with Detective McDonald. And he really expressed a belief in just those few moments that we could bring everyone together, and that the idea of healing was real. It wasn’t just a dream, it was something we could make real. And he saw – he saw the good things happening.

He saw police and community starting to grow closer. It was something he believed in so deeply.

It’s never easy to make ourselves better. It’s never easy to learn the lessons we have to learn. But I’ll tell you something, when someone has lit the way for us the way Steven McDonald did, well, it lightens the burden. It gives us the energy. It’s humbling. I hope everyone here who was ever in presence felt as I did – it was a humbling experience to wonder if you could ever be as great as that man in any way.

But I don’t think we wanted us to be humbled. I think he just wanted us to believe. He wanted us to believe that that love, that forgiveness, that healing was possible on this Earth.

He lived it. He showed it. I don’t think he could have done anything more to show us what could be.

We will remember him every single day and we will do everything we can to be as good on this Earth as Detective Steven McDonald was. Thank you. God bless you all.

[Applause]

Lieutenant Tony Giorgio: Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor. I also want to acknowledge the presence of New York City Council Member and Chair of the Public Safety Committee, the Honorable Vanessa Gibson. Thank you so much for joining us today, Council Member.

[Applause]

It is indeed my pleasure and personal pride to introduce the Police Commissioner of the City of New York, the Honorable James P. O’Neill.

[Applause]

Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill: Good morning, everyone. And welcome to Detective Steven D. McDonald Way. I’m assuming the other transverses will be very jealous.

[Laughter]

Thank you, Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito, Vanessa, Helen. Thank you for all the hard work to get this done. It’s important that we got it done. Members of the Central Park Precinct, and of course, Patti, Conor, Katie, the rest of the McDonald family. Thank you all for coming here to honor Steven and to celebrate his incredible life and career.

I call Steven’s life incredible and it certainly was. It was also so much more than that. In the three decades since he was shot, Steven affected countless people including myself. The first time I met him was a few short yards from here back in 1998.

He affected people in countless ways all around the world. And for everything he did for this police department and the city alone, we could dedicate hundreds of streets to him from the Bronx to Staten Island to Long Island in his honor.

But today it’s important that we’re here. We’re here at the precinct where Steven worked, where the course of his life changed in an instant. This is where Steven first transformed that senseless act of violence more than 31 years ago into an overpowering message of hope, forgiveness, and love.

His life was truly remarkable and his death left us all with an emptiness that no memorial could ever fill. Today’s street dedication or other ceremonies like it will never ease the pain of his passing but that’s not the point of it, is it?

No, instead this is an opportunity to celebrate how Steven chose to live and to fully appreciate how he made every one of our lives better and how every person who traverses this most beautiful part of our city – and it is, I got to work here and see all 843-acres for two years – will see Steven’s name.

For generations to come, people from all over the world will read his name, see Steven McDonald Way. And each time that happens, it’ll be another opportunity for the people who work in this place to tell Steven’s story, to continue his work, and to spread further his amazing message of compassion, empathy, and self-sacrifice.

This city will never be able to repay the debt it owes Steven and his family because he wasn’t just called to serve us, he was called to serve all people in word, in deed, and in spirit.

The best we can do, and all he ever asked of us, was to honor Steven’s legacy by trying to emulate his example.

So, when we face adversity, when life seems so unfair, so unjust, and unreasonable – we remember Steven.

When we endure hardship and suffer pain that makes us want to lash out and just give up, we’ll remember Steven.

It won’t be easy but if we can think of him, we just might see that miracle happen. We might find the strength that Steven saw in all of us, and we might face each day with his optimism, his understanding, and determination.

That would do more than any plaque, memorial wall, or street dedication ever could. And although there will never be another Steven McDonald we are so fortunate that his inspirational life continues to motivate us forward, no matter the obstacles, towards the best version of ourselves.

Finally, I want to thank all the men and women of the New York City Police Department who put on that uniform each and every day and fulfill the oath they took to the people of our great city.

They do so in the footsteps of giants like Steven McDonald and all the other heroes we’ve lost over the years. We’ll never forget them. We’ll never forget Steven McDonald.

Patti Ann, Conor – thank you for everything that you do. You embody Steven’s creed and you live up to his example every day. He loved you both dearly and thought the world of you, and so do we.

And you know that NYPD will be here for you always. Steven McDonald was a New York City cop, a husband, father, son, and brother. He was a hero to millions around the globe.

Thank you all for coming to Detective Steven D. McDonald Way today and every day to celebrate and honor this extraordinary man.

I just have one final ask of Steven – I think tomorrow night is the opening night for the Rangers.

[Laughter]

I think Adam’s here. So, Steven, a little help would be appreciated. Go Rangers.

Thank you, everybody.