Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks at Dedication Ceremony for Battery Park Police Memorial

October 13, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you, lieutenant. I’d also like to thank Commissioner Bratton, and First Deputy Commissioner Tucker, and Chief of Department O’Neill for their leadership. I’d like to thank the labor leaders with us here today. President Mike Palladino of the Detective’s Endowment Association – thank you for your leadership.

And I want to note that this is an occasion that causes us a lot of reflection. I know for every family member here, this is a moment when you’re replaying so many scenes, so many times you were together with the one you loved. This is a moment to reflect very humanly, and it’s a moment to reflect on service and commitment and valor. And as monsignor said, we remember well. And that’s how we keep people’s lives in our hearts at all times.

We stand in the shadow of where the Twin Towers once stood, and this city never forgets that day. It’s a painful day and a terrible day. Our memories often go back to that day and we feel it again. We feel moments that are just seared into our consciousness. It was one of our toughest days – it was one of the nation’s toughest days but it was also a testament to our strength and our humanity and our resiliency.

We saw the limitless depths of human compassion that day, the boundless courage that some among us possess – the first responders of 9/11 and so many everyday people who also did acts of courage and compassion to help their fellow New Yorkers, to help people they didn’t even know. As we look at this wall, we look at the names now etched in granite, we feel pain. We feel sorrow but we also have to feel inspiration because these individuals reached a level of bravery and courage that few reach and they did in the service of others. We feel, at this moment, the full weight of the mission of this department, to keep people safe, no matter what it takes – the sacrifice that that can entail – the strength it takes every single day. Each name on the wall reflects a story of an individual who did something extraordinary – an individual who made the decision to begin with, to serve, and then carried through their service in such a fashion that few ever reach.

I want to name the names that today we add to the wall. Detective William Titus Jr. – Oh, I’m sorry, let me – let me skip this back, my apologies. Today, 18 brave members of the NYPD join this pantheon of heroes. 14 who served at Ground Zero – Captain Ronald Peifer, Sergeant Paul Ferrara, Sergeant Donald O’Leary, Jr., Detective Angel Creagh, Detective Michael Henry, Detective Steven Hom, Detective John Marshall, Detective Robert Montanez, and Detective Christopher Strucker. And five additional names of people who gave so much – Detective William Titus Jr., Officer Anthony DeJesus, Officer Nicholas Finelli, Officer Allison Palmer, and Officer Perry Villani.

That day, these brave individuals struggled and fought. They searched for survivals – survivors. They aided in recovery. It was such a difficult circumstance, but they pressed on. And they define the heroism and a sense of standing up for those in need. And sadly, these acts of heroism made them later ill – and the illness they fought with courage, before they sacrificed their lives and lost their lives.

They were there for us. They were there for us, and they did extraordinary things. And we have a moral obligation to be there for them, both here in this city and in our national work as well, of our national government. Remember, there are still so many first responders fighting these illnesses, and it’s the obligation of all levels of government, and all of us, to be there for them.

These names are joined by four others who fell in the line of duty. They showed valor. They showed commitment. They lived up to all the ideals of the NYPD. Detective Dennis Guerra, who rushed into a fire in a public housing high-rise; Officer Michael Williams, who was lost in a tragic traffic accident; Detective Rafael Ramos, who always dreamed of being an NYPD officer – entered the academy at the age of 37 years old, and at the same time, studied to be a chaplain, because he wanted to serve people spiritually as well; Detective Wenjian Liu, who had planned on being an accountant, but after that horrible day of 9/11, joined the NYPD to serve and protect the city and the people he loved so much.

While they’re no longer with us, their legacy continues. It continues, in so many ways, to inspire, to show us the right way to live. We were reminded of so many lessons by someone that graced this city with his presence a few weeks ago – one of the most extraordinary moments this city has had in recent memory. Pope Francis spoke just a short way from here, and he referred to what 9/11 meant, and how we have to take lessons from that terrible day. He said, “Here, amid pain and grief, we also have a palpable sense of the heroic goodness which people are capable of, those hidden reserves of strength from which we can draw.”

His Holiness was right. And today, we remember these heroes, and we draw strength from them, and we carry on their example and their legacy.

God bless you all.