The brave men and women in blue were honored for their service to the community on Thurs., Jan. 24 at Park Asia, 6521 Eighth Ave. in Sunset Park. The Chinese New Year celebration and NYPD Brooklyn South appreciation luncheon was hosted by the Brooklyn Community Improvement Association (BCIA).
Attending the event were elected officials, Asian community leaders and NYPD representatives from police precincts throughout the borough. Brooklyn Asian-American Civilian Observation Patrol (COP) Chair Louie Liu hosted the event; guests included Assemblymembers Peter Abbate and William Colton, and Democratic District Leader Nancy Tong.
“It is so important that we show appreciation for the NYPD because when there is danger people generally run away from it,” Tong told this paper. “But the police officers run toward it and we must let them know that we appreciate all they do.
“I always wear a blue ribbon to show my support for them,” Tong continued. “In fact, in Assemblymember Colton’s office, we give them out to show our support for the police.”
According to Liu, the annual event is sponsored by the Asian-American community in conjunction with Lunar New Year. “We work closely with the NYPD and this is our way to thank them for their service and dedication,” Liu told this paper.
The NYPD was well-represented by Capt. Robert Conwell, commanding officer of the 68th Precinct; Deputy Inspector Joseph Hayward, commanding officer of the 60th Precinct; Capt. Emmanuel Gonzalez, commanding officer of the 72nd Precinct; Deputy Inspector David Wall, commanding officer of the 66th Precinct; Capt. Anthony Longobardi, commanding officer of the 62nd Precinct; and Brooklyn South NYPD Deputy Chief Charles Scholl.
The honorees were Chief Brian Conroy, commanding officer, Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, and Capt. Tao Chen, executive officer of the 71st Precinct. Msgr. Robert Romano, chaplain of the New York City Police Department offered the blessing, thanking the NYPD for keeping us all safe. The Hui’ Lion Dance Team performed the traditional Chinese lion dance and everyone was treated to a traditional Chinese luncheon.
Also attending were Wei Tang Liu and Xiu Yan Li, the parents of Wenjian Liu, the 32-year-old immigrant police officer who was gunned down in the line of duty while in his squad car in 2015.
“It is very important that a community appreciate and support the police officers that protect them and keep them safe,” Colton told this paper. “It was a tremendous outpouring of people from the community who showed their support for the NYPD police officers who always work so diligently to protect our community.”
Abbate was also quick to praise the NYPD. “It’s a touching to see how much the community appreciates all the men and women in blue for all their hard work, and for our keeping our community safe,” Abbate added.
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