Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning, everyone. What a privilege it is to be together today to honor the remarkable life of Detective Steven McDonald. I want to thank Police Commissioner Tisch and the entire NYPD for all that you do to keep New Yorkers safe. I want to thank our local partners that we have here, our attorney general, our borough presidents, our district attorneys and the New York City Police Foundation. I also want to thank our NYPD chief chaplains, Reverend A.R. Bernard and Cardinal Dolan, for blessing this day in a manner befitting Detective McDonald; and the staff of the NYPD Police Academy for instilling in our city's officers with the values that defined his life of service. Most of all, thank you to Detective McDonald's family. To his wife, Patti Ann, your heroism has bolstered and brightened our city over these past four decades. From one mayor to another, thank you. And to Captain Conor McDonald, New York City is lucky to have you. We are so grateful that you answered the call to serve, and that you carry forward your father's legacy each and every day.
There are many here today who knew and loved the man whose name now graces this storied training facility. In many ways, you knew him as countless New Yorkers did: as an officer of extraordinary compassion, as a global advocate for non-violence and forgiveness and as a public figure that embodied the best of New York City. But you also knew him, simply, as a man. You saw up close that though he so often seemed larger than life, Detective McDonald was, above all else, human. His goodness was not a given; it was a choice. Again and again, he reached for forgiveness instead of frustration, decency instead of despair, love instead of hate.
He had every reason to choose another path. When he was shot at point-blank range that July afternoon in 1986, he had everything going for him. Just 29 years old, a baby on the way. A man fulfilling his great potential, carrying on the legacy of his father and grandfather as a member of New York's Finest. In an instant, all of that was seemingly taken away. Who wouldn't be angry? The answer is Detective Steven McDonald. He was a man of deep faith, and he had the wisdom to know that living consumed by rage would all but guarantee the death he had just narrowly escaped. I am deeply moved by the words he wrote - the words that his wife Patti Ann read aloud for him - soon after the horrific shooting in Central Park that left him paralyzed and reliant on a respirator. He wrote that he hoped his assailant, a 15-year-old boy, could "find peace and purpose in his life."
To wish purpose for another, even someone who almost killed you, is to wish them the greatest life has to offer indeed. Detective McDonald knew the power of purpose. He understood purpose was the engine of meaning, of a life worth living. And he dedicated his life to sharing that understanding with as many people as he could, spreading the word of forgiveness and non-violent conflict resolution all over the world. Yet no matter how far he traveled, it was clear that he loved nothing more than the NYPD. Despite his injuries, he spent decades as an active-duty member, keeping New Yorkers safe and mentoring young officers. I can think of no better name to adorn our Police Academy than his.
Every day, aspiring officers walk through these doors full of nerves and hope and they get to work. Training demands a great deal from each person who answers the call to serve, and every officer at one point or another faces moments of doubt or struggle. In those moments of uncertainty - as they feel like they can't memorize another piece of information or run another mile - Detective Steven McDonald's name will be here reminding them they can. What a gift that his love for this institution will live on in the generations of graduates who will find strength in his example. As each class of officers graduate, they will face the difficult situations that their training prepared them for. And as they walk the beat, as they weigh what is right and what is wrong, as they search for the strength to go on, they will be guided by Detective McDonald's legacy. And our city will be all the better for it. Thank you.
