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Funeral Held for Slain New York City Police Officer Rafael Ramos; Vice President Biden Speaks at Officer's Funeral; New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Speaks at Officer's Funeral; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Speaks at Officer's Funeral; New York Police Department Commissioner William Bratton Speaks at Officer's Funeral

Aired December 27, 2014 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: You are looking at live pictures. This is Queens, New York, Christ Tabernacle Church. This is where Rafael Ramos was gunned down just a week ago. This is where he was a member of this church for 14 years serving as an usher, someone who administered those who were getting married, described by many in the community as somebody who was really a person of faith, who put that first and foremost as well as his family, and felt that his policing was a duty, a duty that was one that was religious in some ways to serve the community. And you're looking at those live pictures of all the police officers and many of them strangers who have come to pay their respects to this man and to acknowledge and recognize his family as well.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look inside the sanctuary here at Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens where I'm sure it is full to capacity. We know that in attendance -- this is the signal that is actually being sent out by the church. So as they switch that from the family photos. We see here inside to a larger shot where you can see the people who are there to mourn with this family. It is full to capacity. Mayor Bill de Blasio there, the police commissioner William Bratton. Governor Cuomo is there. We know that former mayor Rudy Giuliani and Vice President Biden and the second lady Dr. Jill Biden are in attendance there.

MALVEAUX: And these are just beautiful, Victor, what we are seeing here. These are photos, family photos that the church is actually streaming here live. These are pictures of him, Ramos and his wife Aretha. He is a father of two young ones, Justin and Jaden. One is a sophomore in college, the other one is now 13 years old. And it's just very moving, very touching to see all the family photos. A lot of people talk about how important his family has been to him throughout the years. And just beautiful. This is what they are broadcasting to all of us. We're just seeing this for the first time as you are.

BLACKWELL: I want to read part of the official statement from Christ Tabernacle Church that they posted on their website. They lovingly called him "Ralph," for short of Rafael, and it says "Ralph was definitely a family man. He always talked about his kids and how well they were doing athletically and academically. He loved his family and his church. He had an infectious and disarming smile." And it goes on their website, which, to be honest, has crashed several

times because there are so many people going to read these statements. And there is a link on the website to watch this ceremony live from Christ Tabernacle Church. We'll bring it to you here on CNN.

We've got our Miguel Marquez who is standing outside there. Miguel, I wonder, tell us about some of the conversations you have had with some of the people, not just the officers but the people who live there in Queens across the city of New York, and maybe some who've come from outside the city to pay tribute to this fallen officer.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, New Yorkers are not known as shrinking violets. And certainly the people in this neighborhood are not. I had several people come up to me in the last couple of days to say, you know, we just want the world to know that this is not a disruption to our neighborhood. All of this is perfectly fine. It's something we're willing to live with because with we love the police and we want people to know that this is welcome.

I can tell you that they have tried with great effort to keep this part of Myrtle Avenue empty. But it has filled up and filled up and filled up as the service gets closer to starting. It is a breathless scene to look down Cyprus Hill Street where the funeral cortege will go to the resting place, the cemetery, and to see the number of police officers, the sun glitzing off of their hats and their badges and their uniforms all the way down the street, to see then the front of the church with the pictures and this part of the funeral cortege, the flowers piled on top of a car in front of the hearse.

It is hard to take in all of this. On top of that the vice president of the United States to walk by you just five feet away. To give you a sense of how much a part of the national conversation, just how big the context for this funeral is. The shock of the way these two men died, I think has hit NYPD, has hit this nation like few other officer deaths ever has. And for New York and for the NYPD, this is the first of two. Bill Bratton, the commissioner here, tweeting "Today our hearts are heavy as we lay to rest one of our finest, Police Officer Ramos. We will never forget." There is a great sense they want to remember this episode, they want to remember what is possible in the circumstances and in the conditions that this has happened.

MALVEAUX: And Miguel, I want us to remind our viewers, too. This is something that has been a national conversation. And it also has had a tremendous impact on Rafael Ramos's family as well. You just can't imagine losing someone, and in particular your father. And his 13- year-old son Jaden on his Facebook page, I just want to read this to give this a sense of what this means to his family. He says that "Everyone says they hate cops, but they are the people that they call for help. I will always love you and I will never forget you. Rest in peace dad." That is from his 13-year-old Jaden.

I mean, we talk about this in a removed way, but that's a 13-year-old who just lost his father and recognizes what this means, the big picture, that this is about what his dad did. But for him, he was there to help. And, you know, this is someone so close to him that he just doesn't have anymore. MARQUEZ: It is hard to balance the two. It's hard to see this scene,

it's hard to see the number of players in the media here and all the live trucks and the vice president and all this and then to remember that this is about this family that deeply, deeply loved their father. Jaden and his Facebook post, as you mentioned, was absolutely beautiful what he said about his father. His son Justin spoke at the 84th precinct. They went to see their father's locker there. They brought other members of the family over the Christmas holiday.

An incredibly tough time, in addition to because it is the Christmas holiday. But to hear Justin speak about how his father was a hero to him, how they just -- they cannot reconcile how this happened. They were on overtime. They were sitting in their police car. They were looking forward to the Christmas holiday, probably talking about what they were going to get, you know, friends and family for Christmas when somebody would walk up behind them and literally assassinate them. The idea that the family has to reconcile all of that in in the compressed period of time is unfathomable. We cover it as that story but what they are going through must be otherworldly.

BLACKWELL: We saw just a few minute of both the Police Commissioner William Bratton and the arrival of Mayor Bill de Blasio. We were we saw signs that were quite critical of the mayor. What was that moment like when the mayor, Bill de Blasio, arrived there? What was the response from some of those thousands of officers standing there, Miguel?

MARQUEZ: A lot of response, except for a couple of officers who did boo quite loudly. Others sort of turned and looked at everybody and sort of froze for a moment and then it subsided very quickly. I think that that is still under the surface. I think that this today is for some officers, for some members of the public, they blame it squarely on Bill de Blasio, on the mayor here.

It is hard to reconcile because while this family will bury that you are father today, obviously other families out there have buried their kids for what they say is systemic racism or racism within their own police forces. This is something that has become an issue here in New York prior to all of this. And it's not going away.

I think the mayor has gone to great lengths to try to bring down the level of rhetoric. The Patrolman's Benevolent Association, one of several unions, the one that looks after the beat cops or the street cops, the ones who do the grunt work or the heavy lifting of the police department, their president has said some very tough things about the mayor, laying this on his feet, riling up beat cops here. And so it has created an atmosphere of extraordinary tension, which I think today certainly will be one of those periods where it will begin to subside to some degree and then we'll also have the funeral of Officer Liu down the way. We will see how things move forward. But my sense is that things are moving towards a better place, at least today.

MALVEAUX: And we should note that it was Eric Garner's daughter who also this week went out and placed flowers to memorialize the officers, saying that this was not something that should be done to avenge her father's death in the chokehold death of her own father, Eric Garner.

I want to bring in Rosa Flores, who is along the procession line there for us, who has been talking to people. And give us a sense of what they are saying to you. Why are they there? Why is this an important moment for them?

BLACKWELL: All right, it appears or sounds like they are in the middle of a prayer there. If we can take the shot -- well, this is an amazing shot here to see all of these uniforms. But if someone who is watching the ceremony inside, if you can let us know as soon as that service begins, we'll get right to that. Until then, let's get to Erin McPike. Erin, we saw just moments ago the vice president and Dr. Jill Biden walk through the crowd and walk into this service. That presence, although the vice president will offer words of support and sympathy today, that presence in many ways says what the White House is hoping to say.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, that's right. And they are trying to smooth things over just a bit because there has been some criticism of the administration coming from law enforcement throughout the last four months. Yesterday we spoke with Jim Pasco. He is the executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police which is the nation's largest union of police chiefs. And he says they would give this administration a grade of incomplete. They have been helpful at times, not helpful at other times. But they say that Joe Biden has been helpful and lent a supportive ear, and they are looking for more support from this administration. Some of the languages come interesting the administration has been tough at time both from President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder when they said that African-American children have to express some more caution. And some of the language is seen as divisive by some law enforcement, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Erin McPike, thank you so much.

MALVEAUX: We are listening in and watching here as the church, this is the national anthem. Let's go ahead and just listen in.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

(SINGING)

CROWD: Oh, come let us adore him, oh, come let us adore him, oh, come let us adore him, Christ the Lord. Oh, come let us adore him, oh, come let us adore him, oh, come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

We'll give him all the glory. We'll give him all the glory. We'll give him all the glory. We'll give him all the glory, Christ the Lord. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Father God, we stand in your presence and we

invite you to be here. You are the God who brings peace. You are Emanuel, you are God with us. And even at this moment in our deepest sorrow in the midst of horrible tragedy, you are still sovereign God who sits on the thrown of heaven and stoops low to hear the cry of his people. You bottle up their tears. You know our prayers even when they are silent and cannot be articulated.

And so we thank you in this moment that you are here with us. Abide with us through the service. Bring comfort to the family, bring healing to our city. Strengthen police, law enforcement, the sea of officers that are standing all around outside our building, would you strengthen those men and women that lay their lives day in day out for the city day in, day out, across this country and this great land that you have given us. We believe you for it in the matchless name of our lord and savior, Jesus the Christ. We all say amen, and amen. You may be seated.

BLACKWELL: All right, you have been watching the service for the fallen officer Rafael Ramos. We'll take a break. The coverage continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Vice President Biden inside the Christ Tabernacle Church.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, Commissioner Bratton, pastor, thank you for allowing me to be here today and according me the privilege of expressing the condolences of Jill and my whole family to the Ramos family. What handsome boys. I remember a similar occasion a long time ago. And mom, I assure you, those boys will get you through all of this.

I'm sure I speak for the whole nation when I say to you that our hearts ache for you. I know from personal experience that there is little anyone can say or do at this moment to ease the pain, that sense of loss, that sense of loneliness. But I do hope you take some so solace in the fact that, as reported by the press, there is over 25,000 members in the same fraternity and sorority as you husband who stand and will stand with you the rest of your life. And they will. It's an uncommon fraternity.

Justin and Jaden, you have shown tremendous courage and character in these past few days. You are your father's sons. And he was -- he was so, so very proud of you from everything that I have heard. And just know, as hard as it is to believe, he will be part of your life the entirety of your life.

Mom, no child should predecease a parent. My heart aches for you. And I know from experience there are no words that I can offer to ease that profound sense of loneliness and loss you are feeling right now. But I also know from experience that the time will come, the time will come when Rafael's memory will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eyes. That's when you know it is going to be OK. I know it is hard to believe it will happen, but I promise you, I promise you it will happen. And my prayer for you is that it will come sooner rather than later.

There is a headstone in Ireland that reads "Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory that no one can steal." Just sitting here for a few moments looking at the screens, no one had to know your husband to not know how desperately he cared about his family, how close he was to all of you.

You know, I didn't know your husband, and I didn't know his partner, who were keeping watch at Myrtle and Tompkins Avenue on that terrible afternoon. But I do know why they were there. They were there to protect can defend, as they always are, sometimes fearful, but always watchful. I knew them. They are the guy I grew up with in Scranton and Claymont, Delaware, the boy with the most courage and the most compassion, the man with the brave heart and the generous soul, a brother who always looked out for his sister, a father, a father whose words were always encouraging to you boys, with a touch that can soothe away the fear, and a son who made his mother proud every time he turned and smiled at her, and a husband with a gentle hand who could soothe away the concerns, who you knew would always be there, a former school safety officer became a cop at age 37, an active member of his church studying to become a chaplain, a father, a husband, a son, a seven-year veteran on the force, a son of a Chinese immigrant, his partner, conversant in several dialects, a newlywed, both confident, committed, passionate and vigilant.

Being a cop was not what they did. It was who they were, like every man and woman in uniform here today. It's who you are. And they, like every one of you in uniform inside this church and outside, you all joined for essentially the same reason. There was something about you that made you think you could help, that you should serve, that you had a duty.

I've spoken at too many funerals for too many peace officers, too many funerals for brave women and men who kept us safe, and watched their families grieve. And I've observed one thing, that, unfortunately it's only when a tragedy like this occurs that all their friends, neighbors, and people who didn't even know them become aware of and reminded of the sacrifices they make every single solitary day to make our lives better.

Today we pay tribute to Officer Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, and we pay tribute to their families, because every day when a police officer pins on that shield and walks out the door, the officers wife, husband, mother, father, brother, sister, and children, they know anything could happen. The fear of that call at 3:00 a.m. in the morning, the relief of hearing the voice of the door open says "I'm home."

There is a line from the English poet John Milton. He said, "They also serve who only stand and wait." Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of American families stand and wait so their husbands and wives, fathers and sons can serve the rest of us. Police officers and police families are a different breed. Thank god for them. Thank god for them.

And your husband and his partner, they were part of New York's finest. And this is not an idle phrase. This is probably the finest police department in the world, the finest police department in the world.

(LAUGHTER)

BIDEN: They earned that praise. There is a sacred trust they took on when they kiss their children's forehead as they sleep and head out on night shift to watch over all the children of this great city, treating and protecting each of them as if they were their own.

When you patrol the streets of New York, you circle the earth, a six story walk up apartment towers, aromas of millions of kitchens continuing thousands of traditions. Streets full of silence. Streets bursting with hundreds of languages, whispering, laughing, shouting. An intimidating city, a city of others, a city of labels and borders and seemingly unbridgeable gaps, a city constantly grappling with the issues as old as the nation and as new at the morning headlines. Yet in every neighborhood in this great city, this most alive of all cities, this chaotic miracle stands as a beacon to the world in no small part because of the sacrifices that the New York Police Department makes every single day.

So when an assassin's bullet targeted two officers, it targeted this city and it touched the soul of the entire nation. A city where the son of a Chinese immigrant shared a patrol with a Hispanic minister in training, a city where a single ride on a subway brings you into contact with more people, more lives than many people in this country will encounter in an entire lifetime, a city that educated a young college student with a mother from Kansas and a father from Kenya who would one day stand before the nation and declare this is not a black America or a white America or a Latino America or an Asian America. This is the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: And for those of us who are not New Yorkers, we look at you in awe because this is the united city of New York as well, a city that rose as one to confront two of the greatest disasters of this century, one from the evils of terrorism on 9/11, and one from the fury of nature in super storm Sandy.

This is a city of courage and character, having faced and overcome the toughest challenges. And I'm absolutely confident as you are that spirit is still alive and well in this city. And I'm absolutely confident it will guide you in the days and weeks ahead. I believe that this great police force and this incredibly diverse city can and will show the nation how to bridge any divide. You have done it before and you will do it again, because, to paraphrase the words of William Allen White," You are not afraid of tomorrow because you have seen yesterday, and because you love today."

To the Ramos family, we are all lucky to have Rafael. He didn't just have a Bible in his locker. He lived it in his heart. He was a cop for all, all the right reasons. Mom, we owe you for nurturing him, and Maritza, we owe you for supporting him. And Justin and Jaden, know that although your father is gone, you have inherited an entire family. The men and women of the New York Police Department will always be there as long as you are alive. They never, they never, never forget.

There is a community hymn in my church that has a stanza that goes like this. "May he raise you up on eagle's wings and bear you on the breath of dawn and make the sun to shine on you." That is what your father wished for for both you boys. That is what your father wished for for this city. And it will happen.

May god bless your family and the family of his partner, and may god protect the 84th precinct and every police officer throughout this great country and keep them safe while they stand watch for us. God bless you all.

(APPLAUSE)

BLACKWELL: Vice President Joe Biden there speaking at the funeral for officer Rafael Ramos, really relying on some personal experience, his own losses of his wife and daughter in that car accident in 1972.

MALVEAUX: And the vice president acknowledging the uniqueness of the city itself and recognizing its resilience and the police department, calling it the finest that there could be. He touched on so many levels, on the local level, very personal level, as you had mentioned, Victor, and also bringing it to the national level, talking about this is a country that the president believes in, that eventually will get through and work on its racial divide at times. Not a black country, not a white country, but the United States of America. And we are expected that the governor now will take the stand.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO, D-NEW YORK: Good morning to all of you. First to senior pastor Michael, thank you for the celebration and the honor of being able to address you today. To Vice President Biden, you honor us, sir, with your presence. We know how busy you are. We know how much is going on right now. And from the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate your being here. It means a great deal. Thank you very much. Vice President Biden.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: To mayor de Blasio, to Senator Skelos, to the Ramos family, to Maritza, to Justin, to Jaden, we want you to know we honor your sacrifice, and we want you to know, as the vice president said, we will be here not just in this hectic aftermath but even more in the quiet times for the rest of your life.

For Officer Rafael Ramos, being a police officer was more than just a job. It has to be. It was a calling. Being a police officer was his life's ministry, and he was preparing to be a chaplain. Now, you can tell a lot about a man by the children that he raises. Rafael and Maritza raced two beautiful young men. Justin is on winter break and will be going back to Bowdoin College, which is a very good school in the state of Maine. Of course it would be a better school if it was in the state of New York, but --

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: -- nonetheless, it is a good school. Jaden is 13, and he'll be at home with his mom. Jaden's writings have been profound. Over these days despite all the chatter, Jaden found the essential truth when he reminded people that police officers are the people you call when you need help and they always show up. Truer words were never spoken.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: Now, Justin and Jaden are Mets fans, which tells us a lot about them.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: It means they are really tough and really committed and really, really, really loyal.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: Maritza will be working in healthcare where she tends to the needs of others. To the Ramos family, I say we thank you and we honor you. We watch the way that you have managed yourself during these difficult days, and you have represented yourself, your father, your husband with pride and dignity. And we were all proud to watch your actions and hear your words. Please join me in giving the Ramos family a round of applause.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: Thank you.

To the NYPD family, which lost two brothers, a force of true professionals who protect our people with the highest level of skill and dedication, as the vice president said, you are New York's finest, and you are probably the finest nationwide. The NYPD has done an especially extraordinary job these past few weeks. I watched on television the scenes of people hurling physical objects and verbal insults at the NYPD. And I, frankly, was amazed at the discipline and professionalism that the NYPD demonstrated.

The NYPD protected the right of freedom of speech even though they themselves were the target of false and abusive chants and tirades by some. What a beautiful testament to their professionalism.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: To the NYPD.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: And we want every NYPD officer to know that they were not alone. When the NYPD stood in formation, every New Yorker stood with them. And every New Yorker stands with you today. Remember as individuals, members of the NYPD deserve respect and support. But there is also something more. When you put on that badge as a police officer, you are no longer just a man and a woman and a citizen of New York. You represent public safety and law and order. And an attack on the NYPD is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on our system of justice.

We are a nation of laws. We are a state of laws. We are a city of laws, and you represent those laws. And no one, no group is above the law. And no intimidation, no threats, and no politics will ever change that. The threats against New York, the threats against New York's police are an insult to the law-abiding New Yorkers. And they will not be tolerated. They will be investigated, and they will be prosecuted. And I want you to know that 75,000 police officers and National Guardsmen statewide have your back every step of the way.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: And Mr. Vice President, thank you for being here today. This is a difficult time for nation as we deal with questions about our criminal justice system and racial and ethnic tensions that seem to go from coast to coast. Now, New York knows these topics too well. New York has long been the entry point for our country welcoming people from across the globe. The Statue of Liberty stands in our harbor lighting the path. We know the difficulties of the dealing with different races and ethnicities, but we also know the joy and the success and the richness that it has brought to New York.

While some states feared diversity, we celebrate it. Yes, we have questions that have arisen from recent cases. We will study and reflect and we will restore the justice system, and we will resolve the differences among us as we have many, many times before, because that is what we do as New Yorkers. You hand us adversity, and we turn it into opportunity. And we will grow the stronger for it.

We live and breathe the founding principle of e pluribus unum, out of many, one. In New York Mr. Vice President, the knife of division breaks on the rock of unity. Mr. Vice President, New Yorkers know that we are all immigrants from different places, and we don't forget where we come from. We bring our own languages, our own traditions, our own cuisine, our own customs, but we have all joined the same family, the family of New York.

So Police Officer Ramos, a Latino, sat in a patrol car with his brother Officer Liu, an Asian, members with officers of over 50 different countries who speak 64 different languages who protect a city with people literally from every country on the globe living in it. Nothing will ever defeat or divide our New York family -- 9/11 couldn't do it. The lives of Officer Ramos and Liu proved the dedication to it. The response of the NYPD proves that and the outpouring of love from people across the state proves that.

And when the name of Police Officer Ramos is uttered, from now forth let us bow our heads, wish him and his family peace, and remember the principles he died for. We respect the rule of law and we protect each other, because at the end of the day we are one. We are one people, one city, one state, one community, one family, the family of New York. God bless you and keep you, and you will be forever in our prayers. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

MALVEAUX: You have been listening to Governor Cuomo, a very strong statement in support of the police department, saying they deserve the respect and support of the community, that they represent public safety, law and order, an attack on one being an attack on all of them. And also tackling the very sensitive subject that has been at play and been part of the national discussion, and that is of justice and racial and ethnic tensions and a time for healing, saying that this is a city that's had difficulties as well as joy, success, and, in the richness of the diversity in New York City, that they are in fact resilient. Here's the mayor, Bill de Blasio.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO, D-NEW YORK CITY: Pastor Durso, to you and your father, Pastor Durso, thank you for this extraordinary congregation which has meant so much to the Ramos family. And thank you for the love here today.

Vice President, it is so important to the people of New York City and to the Ramos family and so many others that you are here. Thank you for helping us to heal at this painful moment. Governor, senator, commissioner, thank you all.

Our hearts are aching today. You can feel it physically. You feel it deeply. New York City has lost a hero, a remarkable man, because of the depth of his commitment to all around him. On behalf of all 8.4 million New Yorkers, on behalf of all of us, I extend my condolences to Maritza, Justin, and Jaden, Julia, to Cindy, to the entire family, the wonderful, beautiful extended family that we've all come to know in these days, and to all their friends, all who love them.

I extend my condolences to another family, the family of the NYPD that is hurting so deeply right now. Men and women feeling this loss so personally, so deeply, as their families feel the loss as well. And I want to thank the officers, the law enforcement officers from all over this nation, who have come here to honor Officer Ramos. And I especially want to thank the family of Officer Liu who are here in solidarity and in shared grief. Two families we will remember together always.

All of this city is grieving, and grieving for so many reasons. But the most personal is that we've lost such a good man and the family is in such pain. Officer Rafael Ramos was a man so filled with commitment, faith, belief. You can see in his family, you can see what kind of parent he was, what kind of husband, what kind of son he was, what it meant to his family, as a family so strong as a result of that kind of love and commitment.

To Maritza, the love of his life and the partner in all things, we honor you. We honor his two sons who he adored. Justin, we thank you for feeling the same calling to public service that motivated your father. Jaden, we thank you for what you have already said to this world even at your young age. And it meant so much to so many people, and we thank you for what you said simply about your dad. You said, quote, "He was the best father I could ask for." And every child should be so blessed as to be able to say that, and every parent should be so blessed as to be able to hear that from their child. It's well known that Officer Ramos loved his family so deeply and

cherished the moments with them. And, yes, they are Mets fans. God bless them.

(LAUGHTER)

DE BLASIO: And he loved playing basketball with his sons in Highland Park. He loved blasting Spanish gospel music from his car. He lived life so deeply. This family has shown us so much in these last days and has given us so much hope even amidst the pain, because epitomize the family of New York. You epitomize all we aspire to be. You have been there together from the most difficult, painful moment, and those moments in the hospital to now, filled with strength, filled with connection, filled with devotion to each other. It's something we all need to remember.

And Officer Ramos was profoundly a man of faith. And so much of his life centered on this beautiful church, this church family. He embraced the powerful idea, if your way isn't working, try God's way. He spent the last 10 weeks of his life studying to be a chaplain, and he was taken from us on the day he was to graduate. It says so much that he wanted to serve people spiritually. He was already serving in so many ways, and yet he felt deeply called to serve spiritually as well. And he was thinking about that service even in the years after he would leave the force that he would continue to serve as a spiritual mentor and leader.

And he was so committed to the NYPD. It meant so much to him to be a member of the finest police force in country. He always wanted to join the NYPD. It wasn't his first career. He started as a school safety officer, protecting our kids, and he was much loved in that role. He had the dream that he would one day be a police officer, and he worked for that dream, a police officer. And he worked for that dream. And he lived it and he became it.

He couldn't wait to take that test. He couldn't wait to put on that uniform. He believed in protecting others. And those who are called to protect others are a special breed. Those who stare down danger, those who sacrifice for all of us, that's what he wanted to be. He wanted to be someone who gave more, someone who would take risks that so many others would find unimaginable. He wanted to reach higher in service to others. All of his brothers and sisters in NYPD feel his loss because they too followed that journey to serve others. They too accepted those risks and they persevere despite the pain. And for that we are eternally thankful.

One of the most beautiful passages in the Bible is also one of the simplest, from the Sermon on the Mount. "Blessed are the peacemakers." That could have been said with Officer Ramos in mind. He was a peacemaker in every sense. Throughout his life he was a man of peace. A man of love, he was a peacemaker in his large family, always bringing people together. He was a peacemaker in his church, working every day to spread a message of faith and love, helping others through their challenges, helping other families through their struggles. And he was a peacemaker for the city of New York. Police officers are called peace officers because that is what they

do. They keep the peace. They help make a place that otherwise would be torn with strife a place of peace. Officer Ramos put his life on the line every day so other New Yorkers could live in peace, so they could live in safety. That's what he believed in.

His life was tragically cut short, but his memory will live on in the hearts of his family, his congregation, his brothers and sisters of the NYPD, and literally millions of New Yorkers. We will not forget. I just want to say a very few words in Spanish.

(SPEAKING IN SPANISH)

DE BLASIO: We will always remember him. May he rest in peace. God bless you all.

(APPLAUSE)

BLACKWELL: That's New York Mayor Bill de Blasio there speaking about, delivering the eulogy, in fact, of Rafael Ramos. His narrowed scope, speaking specifically about the officer, talking about his commitment to the force and to his family, but on the right side of your screen what you likely saw was so many of the officers turn their back to Christ Tabernacle Church as Mayor de Blasio eulogized Officer Ramos. And the same thing we saw, a sign of disrespect, an intended sign of disrespect for the mayor that we saw a week ago when the mayor went to the hospital to visit Officers Ramos and Liu. We have now the commissioner, Bill Bratton. Let's listen.

COMMISSIONER WILLIAM BRATTON, COMMISSIONER, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: Vice President Biden, Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, on behalf of the 50,000 members of the NYPD and the tens of thousands of our colleagues who have come from all over this country and Canada to be here today, thank you for your words of grace, compassion, understanding, and inspiration.

And to Senior Pastor Michael Durso, thank you, sir, for your words of encouragement and your words of solace. Every time I attend a police officer's funeral -- and I have attended way too many -- I always pray that it will be the last. But I know it won't. As I watch the casket carried past all those salutes I wish it weren't real. But it is.

And as I look into the faces of the loved ones left behind whose worst fear has been so suddenly realized, I silently hope never again. But here we are. My first police funeral was 44 years ago, September 24, 1970. Boston Police Department Patrolman Walter Schroeder was ambushed by a violent group of antiwar extremists, shot in the back as he responded to a bank hold up. In 1970, Boston, like America, was a tumultuous place -- protests for civil rights, antiwar demonstrations, antigovernment demonstrations, antipolice demonstrations. Divisive politics polarized the city and the country. Maybe that sounds familiar.

The murder of Officer Schroeder shook the foundations of city hall and the Boston Police Department. It instilled doubt and fear among officers and citizens alike. We mourned. We vowed never to forget. And we moved forward.

And here we are. Here we are to celebrate the life of Police Officer Rafael Ramos and to honor him, to memorialize the sacrifice he made with his partner that day, with his partner now for all time, Officer Wenjian Liu. Here we are to remember, remember what it means to take the job, those of us who are privileged to call ourselves cops. No other profession will give you as much or sometimes take as much. The job can reward you like no other, but one day it might demand from you everything in return. For the Ramos family today is that day. And here we are.

We are in a city struggling to define itself, where people are searching for what they stand from for and why, where claim to know best what it's like to be everybody else. But we know who we are, the men and women who wear that blue and wear that badge, because we know who Rafael Ramos was. He was a father, a son, a brother, and a husband.