Candlelight Vigil Honors Slain NYPD Officers
On the plaza outside the Westchester County Court House by the Westchester County Police Memorial on Sunday evening a gathering of police, military and other public service workers held a candlelight vigil to honor the memories of New York City Police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu.
Considering that the rainy weather had kept more people from attending the event, Frank Morganthaler, President of the Westchester Chapter of Oath Keepers, said another, similar event would be planned for a future date.
Morganthaler, a Hawthorne resident, ran for Congress in 2013 as the conservative We the People party candidate. As a member of Oath Keepers, Morganthaler felt it was important to honor the memories of the two police officers slain while on duty in New York City last week.
Calling their deaths an assassination, Morganthaler said, “It is appropriate for us to gather by the County Police Memorial, and also near the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue, which is also located on the same plaza. Martin Luther King, Jr. didn’t believe in violence,” he said. “If more people were like MLK then we wouldn’t see as much damage. If Mr. King were alive now, he would be appalled by how much violence there is. This is a symbolic spot.”
More than 50 percent of the national Oath Keepers membership are active duty and retired police officers, Morganthaler explained. “There is an allegiance and a bond between our organization [Oath Keepers] and police. We stand with our police and thank and support them, and are proud to sponsor the vigil here tonight.”
The vigil included prayers, a playing of taps and a bagpipe rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
The sponsoring organization, Oath Keepers was established in 2009. According to the organization’s print literature, “Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, veterans, Peace Officers, and Fire Fighters who fulfill the oath we swore, with the support of like minded citizens who take an oath to stand with us, to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, so help us God.”
“Our oath is to the Constitution, not to the politicians, and not to any political party,” Morganthaler said.
