Silver Shield To Fund Fallen NYPD Officers’ Children’s Education

While the national debate continues over the treatment of black civilians by white police officers, the legacy of a former owner of the New York Yankees is quietly taking care of business. On Saturday December 20th, a gunman ambushed and murdered two New York City Police Department Officers as they sat in their car in Brooklyn. As noted here by the Inquisitr, the killings may have been retribution for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

Officer Rafael Ramos and Officer Wenjian Liu were on duty when their patrol car was approached by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, a 28-year-old man who had a long history of trouble, run-ins with the police, and who may have been motivated by the recent death of New Yorker Eric Garner. The troubled man posted on Instagram hours before his nefarious deed that eventually culminated in not only the deaths of the two officers, but his own suicide in front of a subway car full of people.

“I’m putting wings on pigs today. They take 1 of ours, let’s take 2 of theirs. This may be my final post.”

He added hashtags to his post to indicate his support of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

Thirty-two years ago George Steinbrenner, principle owner of the New York Yankees, attended the funeral of a fallen NYPD officer. The officer’s widow received the folded flag on behalf of her husband, trailed by their four young children. The image left a permanent impression on the Yankee’s owner. In 1982, he established the Silver Shield Foundation.

“Our safety net covers the children and spouse of all members of the Fire Department of the City of New York; Police Department of the City of New York; Port Authority of New York/New Jersey Police Department; New York, New Jersey and Connecticut State Police; police departments of Nassau and Suffolk Counties and all police departments in Connecticut.”

Since its inception, the Silver Shield has assisted over 800 children and spouses of fallen police and firemen.

Officer Wenjian Liu and Officer Rafael Ramos were ambushed at the intersection of Myrtle and Thompkins Avenues while participating in an anti-terrorism drill. Officer Liu, 32, had been an officer for seven-and-a-half years. He is survived by the wife he married a mere two months ago. Officer Ramos, 40, had been on the force for two years and was close to becoming a chaplain. The fallen officer is survived by a wife and two sons. One of his sons is in college, and the other is a child of thirteen. The Silver Shield will provide for the education of Officer Ramos’s children and reach out to the widowed spouse of Officer Liu.

Al Sharpton, a Baptist minister, and Bill de Blasio, the Mayor of New York City, are both drawing heavy criticism over the deaths of the two fallen officers.