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Yesterday was a horrific day for the people of New York City, and especially, for the New York City Police Department. Two of its finest were shot dead while sitting in a police car in Brooklyn by an alleged gang member who claimed to be avenging the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown -- and who later committed suicide on a subway platform before he could be arrested. But the victims, who have been identified as Rafael Ramos and Wanjian Liu, weren't just police officers who were willing to put their lives on the line to protect their city. They had loved ones who are obviously mourning this great loss in their lives. Ramos's 13-year-old son Jaden has used his Facebook page to express his feelings -- and it serves as a heartbreaking reminder that the violence plaguing our cities and communities has to end.
Immediately following his father's death, Jaden wrote on his wall, "Today is the worst day of my life." He then posted this heartbreaking message, which was shared more than 6,000 times in less than 24 hours:
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It isn't okay that this young child has to try and make sense of a world in which some unthinking maniac takes on the role of jury and judge and actually believes he is ensuring that justice is served by killing two innocent men. This happened in broad daylight, while Ramos and Liu were working overtime for an NYPD anti-terrorism drill. Though I'm sure all of the officers are on heightened alert, how could they have ever imagined something like this would happen to them?
More from The Stir: 2 Cops Killed By Gunman Avenging Deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown
It's one thing to protest in a peaceful manner and it's another to incite a riot or say and do things to the police that indicate one believes their lives aren't valuable. Our hearts go out to the families of these two police officers, and especially to this young boy who doesn't deserve to grow up without a father.
Image via Jaden Ramos/Facebook
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