A sea of dark blue and badges is expected to find its way to a New York funeral home this weekend to pay respects to the second police officer killed in an ambush by a single gunman in December.
Fellow officers say goodbye to Detective Wenjian Liu at the Aievoli Funeral Home in Brooklyn. His wake begins at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, and at his funeral the next day at 11:00 a.m. ET.
When his NYPD colleagues gather there, their boss has an urgent request of them: Please remain completely reverent throughout the services.
Don’t carry out an “act of disrespect” against anyone, Police Commissioner William Bratton said in a memorandum obtained by CNN.
Turning their backs
The message was directed at a large group that attended the funeral for Liu’s partner, Rafael Ramos, last week and turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio as he gave his eulogy.
It was a repeat protest. They had done it before, the night after the two men were shot dead in their car, when de Blasio entered the hospital to condemn the killing.
Some officers accused the mayor of encouraging anti-police fervor due to his support of protests against police brutality. Tens of thousands had taken to the streets in the wake of the death of African-American Eric Garner during an encounter with white officers.
Pat Lynch, head of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, has taken aim at de Blasio, even saying the mayor’s office was stained with the officers’ blood. He has called for searing protest by police officers, and some have heeded that call.
But for Sunday’s funeral, Bratton is putting his foot down at a potential repeat by some officers.
‘Grieving, not grievance’
“A hero’s funeral is about grieving, not grievance,” he said. The last display put all NYPD officers in a bad light, he said.
“It stole the valor, honor, and attention that rightfully belonged to the memory of detective Rafael Ramos’s life and sacrifice,” his memo read.
But he commiserated with the sentiments of many officers.
“As a cop, one who lived and worked through the assassination threats of the 1970s, I understand that emotions are high,” he said.
Still the message was clear: Respect the fallen; honor of the uniform.
He expressly said there’d be no punishment for non-compliance at Liu’s funeral, but made sure the request was heard by all. His memo was to be read or displayed at police roll calls from Friday through Sunday.
The ambush
Officers Ramos and Liu were sitting in their squad car in Brooklyn, when Ismaaiyl Brinsley ambushed them with a gun on December 20. He subsequently shot himself to death in a nearby subway station.
Brinsley had a lengthy rap sheet including gun crimes. Before killing the two men, he had tweeted messages that he would kill police officers in the wake of the deaths of Garner and Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
Bratton promoted Liu and Ramos to the rank of detective first grade during Ramos’ funeral to rousing applause.
Wenchian Liu
Liu was 12 when his parents emigrated with him in 1994, coming to the United States from Canton, China, in search of a better life.
He majored in accounting in college, but he opted for a different path, joining the New York Police Department in 2007. He was proud to serve as an officer, his family said, using his Chinese language skills whenever they were needed.
He got married in September and had been looking forward to having his own family.
Liu’s family described him as selfless and kind, in an interview given to the New York Daily News.
Holding back tears, his father said as a young officer, Liu once bought a meal for someone he pulled over before guiding him home, he told the Daily News.
Liu’s funeral comes five days after his partner’s. His family was waiting for family to come from China.
His widow gave a brief statement on the day of Detective Ramos’ funeral, thanking members of the community for their support and sending condolences to the Ramos family.
“This is a difficult time for both of our families,” Pei Xia Chen said, “but we will stand together and get through this together.”
Rafael Ramos
Ramos saw his work as a policemen as a ministry and was posthumously appointed honorary NYPD chaplain.
He was just hours away from becoming a lay chaplain and graduating from a community-crisis chaplaincy program before his violent death.
He left behind a wife, Maritza, and two sons, Justin and Jaden.
Vice President Joe Biden, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton delivered eulogies at his funeral.
More than 25,000 police officers from around the country and Canada attended. Officers formed long chains holding hands in prayer.
