Tag Archives: Michael Foley

US

Civilians and non-civilians alike gather to bid farewell to fallen NYPD officer

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It has been hard to be a police officer in America after the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and two NYPD officers were killed in retaliation for the failure of grand juries to indict officers in relation to their deaths.  In retaliation, two NYPD officers were killed by a civilian on Dec. 20.

One of those slain NYPD officers though, received an emotional sendoff Friday, as officers, civilians, and others gathered to say goodbye to the fallen.

Officer Rafael Ramos, 40, was one officer killed in the line of duty.  Ramos was said to be a devoted member of the Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens, and his funeral is expected to draw thousands according to the New York Daily News.  Ramos was an active member in the church, which he attended for the past 14 years with his wife and two sons.

“Ralph was one of the faithful ushers who made Christ Tabernacle feel like home,” said executive pastor Rev. Adam Durso.  “He loved his family and his church.”

Police officers from all over the country are also said to be in attendance for Ramos’s funeral.  ABC News has reported JetBlue has flown about 670 law enforcement officers from all over the country to New York City so they can show their support for the fallen officer.  The airline company also said they are offering free transportation for those officers across the nation who wish to attend the funeral.

Vice President Joe Biden has also said he would be in attendance for Ramos’s funeral on Saturday.

Mayor Bil de Blasio, who NYPD officers have said has “blood on his hands” for the killings of the two officers, has said, according to Reuters, he hopes the funerals for both officers will help in reuniting the broken city.

The funeral arrangements for Officer Wenjian Liu, who was killed alongside Ramos, have not yet been announced as federal agents have begun to help transport his family members from China to America for his funeral.

Featured, Politics

Government threatened Foley family before son’s execution

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After a series of recent interviews, members of the Foley family have said the government threatened to prosecute their family if they had raised and paid the money for the ransom sought for the life of their son, James Foley.

According to ABC News, Diane Foley, the mother of James, said they were threatened with lawsuits multiple times if they had gone through with paying the ransom.  “We were told that several times and we took it as a threat and it was appalling.”

Diane then said a highly decorated military officer, who serves on the National Security Council, came to their house to warn them about the pending prosecutions.

“Three times he intimidated us with that message,” said Diane.  “We were horrified he would say that. He just told us we would be prosecuted. We knew we had to save our son, we had to try.”

A current NSC member said the military officer who went to the Foley house had, “no business,” talking to the family and these discussions were “idiotic.”  This same current NSC member said the officer was unqualified to discuss legal issues and should have stayed away from the family.

Michael Foley, James’s brother, confirmed these accusations against the government with FOX News.

“I was specifically threatened by the Department of State about raising funds towards ransom demands for my brother,” said Michael.  “[The government] were actually an impedance… We were smart enough to look past it but it slowed us down.”

Diane also told CNN, she was told to have faith her son would be freed and be safe.  “We were just told to trust that he would be freed somehow, miraculously… And he wasn’t, was he?”

National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden did defend the position of prosecuting the Foley family.  “Without getting into the details of our private discussions with families,” said Hayden, “the law is clear that ransom payments to designated individuals or entities, such as ISIL [ISIS], are prohibited. It is also a matter of longstanding policy that the U.S. does not grant concessions to hostage takers.”