President Joe Biden Joins Mayor Eric Adams, Elected Officials to Talk Combating Gun Violence

By Jessica Easthope

In just January alone, 24 police officers were shot in New York City, but the deaths of two of them, Detectives Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora are shedding a light on how rampant violent crime in the Big Apple has become.

“Enough is enough,” said President Biden. “Because we know we can do things about this, but for the resistance we’re getting from some sectors of the government.”

New Yorkers are calling for change, including the NYPD chaplain who met with the families of the slain officers.

“Hopefully these times change, hopefully through our politicians we get back to some law and order in society,” said NYPD Deputy Chief Chaplain Monsignor David Cassato.

During President Joe Biden’s visit to the city, Thursday, he opposed defunding the police.

“The answer is not to de-fund the police. It’s to give you the tools, the training, the funding, to be partners, to be protectors,” he said.

The president came at the invitation of Mayor Eric Adams and joined Governor Kathy Hochul and the United States Attorney General Merrick Garland. Mayor Adams is asking the president to federally fund a “9/11 response” to the violence.

“This room came together to zero in on the violence that is attempting to take our way of life,” said Mayor Adams.

And the rise in violence isn’t just in New York, it’s across the country. Last year 16 cities broke their own murder records including Philadelphia and Atlanta. So far this year 316 people have been shot, 106 killed, 64 children have been shot and injured and 26 have been killed by guns.

“There’s no violation of the second amendment right. We talk like there’s no amendment that’s absolute,” said President Biden.

With midterm elections coming up the country is keeping a close eye on the president’s response. He faces a balancing act of getting guns off the street, but also keeping his promise of police reform.

Doctor Recounts his Faith Experience During the Toughest Moments of the Pandemic

Currents News Staff

In September of 2019, Dr. Ramón Tallaj met the Pope. He told him about the network of family physicians he’d founded. These doctors belong to the same cultural community as their patients, so they’re able to communicate with them in the language with which they feel most comfortable.

“Our services are geared toward migrants, the poor and the most vulnerable in New York. They come from many different parts of the world,” said Tallaj.

“This solidarity with the sick is a real treasure, and it is a distinctive sign of authentic health care and assistance, which puts the person and his needs at the center,” said the Pope.

Neither of them imagined that the pandemic would make their work indispensable and submit them to unprecedented pressure.

While the streets emptied out, Somos Community Care began looking for ways to help its patients, since for many Latinos and Asians, being quarantined was out of the question.
The organization distributed food and Covid-19 tests, and set up hotlines to answer questions in different languages.

“We’re working with authorities. We have around 20,000 of these kits so they can be used on other people. It’s completely free for our community,” said Tallaj.

Somos Community Care put $30 million from its own savings toward helping the community.
They served 40,000 people a day, administered more than 2 million tests and hundreds of thousands of vaccines. They even covered funeral costs for people who could not afford them.
It was a difficult moment that brought with it a unique faith experience.

“At one point, our people were dying, our doctors too. Twelve of them died, five during that period. And then, on March 26, I told the employees I saw during the day that whenever they got home, be it six in the morning or seven at night, to change, eat and be ready for prayer at 8 p.m. That was the first day. And that’s what we’ve been doing non-stop since. Every day,” said Tallaj.

The doctor thinks that, barring any new unexpected obstacles, the pandemic will likely be overcome soon.

That’s why he’s advocating for preventative medicine, so people don’t have to be hospitalized or receive painful treatment.

“Prevention is very important. Prevention, if we start with today’s young people, will make it so less people have complications with diabetes in the future, or with hypertension or stroke. These problems are those that cause health disasters and economic troubles toward the end of life,” said Tallaj.
That’s the policy of this network of family physicians, which already serves at least 700,000 people in New York.

The pandemic has shown that they are doctors who are unwilling to leave anyone behind.

Catholic Students Send Heartfelt Messages to Local Veteran’s Hospital

Currents News Staff

Catholic students in the Diocese of Brooklyn are thanking the nation’s vets with their annual “Valentine’s for Veterans” event.

For more than eight years, the students at Saint Gregory the Great Catholic Academy have been writing heartfelt valentine’s cards to send to a local V.A. hospital.

And this year in addition to that, some of the students are also sending cards to an Army troop in Japan, where their teacher’s loved one is stationed.

Remote Learning Led to Rampant Cheating, Students at Stuyvesant Admit to Academic Dishonesty

Currents News Staff

Some older students are fessing up, admitting that they cheated during remote learning.

And these kids go to one of the city’s most elite public schools: Stuyvesant High School.

Students told the school’s newspaper that cheating was rampant during remote learning because it was easy to do it.

Stats show that 79% of 2021 graduates said they cheated at least once.

Nationwide Police Departments are Struggling to Retain and Recruit Officers

Currents News Staff

It’s been difficult for police officers all over the country, with two officer funerals in less than a week in New York, and another shot while off duty.

In Virginia, two campus officers were killed after getting shot on the job.

The dangers of policing are just one of several reasons why departments across the country are facing staffing shortages.

“I’ve never seen the morale so low. I’ve never seen the ranks so low. I’ve never seen the level of violence that we’re seeing now,” said John McNesby, the President of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police

Tyrone Dennis, a Retired Atlanta Police Officer added “Basically, we’re one bullet away from death and one mistake away from indicting.”

Chuck Wexler is the Head of Police Executive Research Forum and he said, “So less people want to become cops and more cops wanting to leave the job earlier.”

Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews routinely patrols her city and knows firsthand the impact of officer shortages.

“The 911 calls don’t stop, so you know people are still having emergencies. The emergencies don’t stop, and certainly the emergencies don’t care if, you know, you are sixty percent staffed or below, and the expectation is that we continue the level of service that we’ve always done,” said Andrews.

Maintaining that level of service is difficult when you are down ninety officers and constantly battling against COVID and negative perceptions of law enforcement, along with low wages.

“They’ve got to be able to, to support their families. You know, we have officers that can’t even qualify for apartments because their, their income doesn’t match up with what the apartments require,” said Andrews

For decorated officers like newly retired Atlanta Police Officer Tyrone Dennis, his pay didn’t keep up with his career.

“It would be foolish for me to stay for 48,000 when I have a wife and three kids to feed. With 48,000, I can almost, in a family with three kids, I can almost qualify for public assistance,” said Dennis.

In Seattle, 356 of more than 1,300 officers have left the police force over the last two years.

In Austin, they’re short 117 officer, fifteen percent less than what the force could be.

In Phoenix, 411 officers, thirteen percent of their force.

And in Philadelphia, that department is short some 440 officers.

And beat officers are feeling the pressure.

McNesby says even finding people to apply has never been tougher.

Just last week we had a recruitment assessment. They were invited to come in for the initial assessment. We had 600 people that were invited. Just shy of 200 showed up, and out of those 200, only 26 walked away, moving on to the next step.”

Despite the challenges, there are still stand-out recruits who are eager to join the force.

Allen Taylor is an Atlanta Police Cadet and he said, “I want to be a change in the community. I want to uplift the community and be a positive role model.”

The typical police academy takes about eight months to finish, meaning it will take years to fill the open jobs at the departments across the country.

U.S. Says ISIS Leader Killed in Raid

Currents News Staff

President Biden says U.S. special forces have killed a top ISIS leader in northwest Syria.

“Thanks to the bravery of our troops this horrible terrorist leader is no more,” said Biden.

The Pentagon said U.S. Central Command conducted the mission that killed ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.

It is the biggest operation carried out by U.S. forces in Syria since the raid that led to the death of then-ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in October 2019.

Biden said all Americans involved in the mission returned safely and acted with bravery.

“The members of our military are the solid steel backbone of this nation, ready to fly into danger at a moment’s notice to keep our country and the American people safe, as well as our allies,” Biden said.

Sources on the ground said shelling and explosions preceded an air-drop of U.S. forces shortly after midnight, targeting a house on the border between Turkey and Syria.

They say at least 13 people were killed.

Biden says al-Qurayshi detonated a bomb that killed him and members of his own family, including women and children.

In a final act of desperate cowardness, with no regard to the lives of his own family or those in the building, he chose to blow himself up,” Biden added.

The operation came amid an ISIS resurgence in parts of Syria and Iraq.

President Biden Calls for Unity at the National Prayer Breakfast

Currents News Staff

President Joe Biden started his Thursday by delivering comments at the National Prayer breakfast.

Speaking at the Capitol, he delivered a message calling for unity at the 70th annual event.

“As I stand in this citadel of democracy that was attacked one year ago, the issue for us as unity. How do we unite us again? Unity’s elusive, but it’s really actually necessary. Unity doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything, but unity is where enough of us believe in a core of basic things. The common good, the general welfare, of faith in the United States of America. The United States of America,” said Biden.

Biden went on to say the best way to foster unity is to get to know people on a personal level.

He recalled days decades ago when he started in the Senate when it was common for lawmakers of both parties to eat lunch together.

The purpose of the multi-faith prayer breakfast is to bring bipartisan leaders and their religious counterparts together.

Every president since Dwight Eisenhower has headlined the event.

ISIS Leader Killed in U.S. Counterterrorism Mission in Northwest Syria

Currents News Staff

US Special Forces conducted a “successful” counterterrorism mission in northwest Syria Wednesday evening, the Pentagon said, but offered few other details. There were no US casualties.

The Syrian Civil Defense, the White Helmets, said that 13 people were killed, including 6 children, after clashes following a US Special Forces raid in the northwest village of Atmeh, in Syria’s Idlib province.

President Biden, Vice President Harris and members of the President’s national security team can be seen in a photo observing the counterterrorism operation. The mission is responsible for removing from the battlefield, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the leader of ISIS.

One Atmeh resident, who refused to share his name for safety reasons, said that he heard multiple helicopters flying after midnight followed by the sound of explosions.

“I saw from a distance that there were machine guns shooting back from the ground towards the helicopters,” the resident said.

The resident also said he heard a loudspeaker asking people to evacuate the area. The resident said he believes the operation ended at 4:00 am local time after the helicopters and explosions stopped.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday, 2/2/22

A sea of blue once again on Fifth Avenue, as officers from New York City and around the country line the streets outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the funeral of Officer Wilbert Mora.

Funeral for Detective Wilbert Mora Held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral

By Jessica Easthope and Bill Miller

MIDTOWN — Wilbert Mora, a New York City police officer gunned down with his partner in a Harlem ambush Jan. 21, was eulogized Wednesday, Feb. 2 for his colossal size and heart to match.

Mora’s funeral was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral with Cardinal Timothy Dolan as the celebrant. The Mass, which was concelebrated by Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn, was attended by Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, and thousands of NYPD members.

From his older brother, Wilson, to Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, Mora was described as a “gentle giant” and a much-loved “teddy bear.” They also told of how the 27-year-old policeman courageously faced danger and ultimately died in the line of duty, protecting the citizens of the city he loved.

“Everyone says you’re a big teddy bear of a man,” Wilson Mora said while eulogizing his brother. “But you were like that, even when you were little. Mom showered us with love, and you absorbed it like a sponge. So as an adult, I saw your love for your friends and for people come out in ways that others can’t.

“I just want you to know that I was always proud of you,” he said. “You chose a life of service to your community and to our adopted country. Your fellow officers were not only coworkers, they were friends and family. And now they’re my family.”

Mora was a boy when he came to the U.S. with his family from the Dominican Republic. He grew to be 6 feet tall and weighed around 250 pounds.

NYPD Inspector Amir Yakatally, commanding officer of Mora’s 32nd Precinct, said he was funny, outgoing, and a “gentle giant,” but “all business” when he had to be.

Mora, and Rivera, 22, were mortally wounded on Jan. 21 while answering a 911 call reporting a domestic disturbance call in Harlem. Rivera died of his injuries that night; Mora died four days later.

A third officer, Sumit Sulan, shot the suspect, Lashawn McNeil, 47, as he tried to flee the scene. McNeil died on Jan. 24. In his remarks, Mayor Adams, a former police captain, praised Officer Sulan for preventing more tragedy that fateful night.

Police Commissioner Sewell said she learned about Mora, the man, from his NYPD commanders and colleagues. She recounted his career, starting with his entry into the Police Academy in 2018. She said he was “the perfect candidate” to join the department.

“Wilbert and his family came to this country for an opportunity, safety, and security,” Sewell said. “No one had to tell him to become a police officer. It was all he ever wanted to do. It was the most loved, significant, and inextricable part of his life.

“I’m told the only close second was his PlayStation 5. But the threatening forces he faced on the screen were nothing like the malevolence that would take Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera from our lives.”

Sewell announced at the funeral that she had promoted officer Mora to Detective First Grade, as she did for Rivera at his funeral.

“Wilbert,” she said, “served this department bravely, honorably, as a colossal symbol of promise, not for the size of his frame, but for the goodness in his heart.”

It is a heart that literally lives on; Mora’s parents decided to donate it, along with his liver, kidneys, and pancreas to save the lives of five strangers. Patrick Lynch, president of the NYPD Police Benevolent Association, praised the family members for that decision. He told of watching them at the hospital just before Mora died.

“I wonder,” Lynch told the family, “where does a person like this get the strength to put on that uniform, put that shield on their chest, and get behind the wheel of that radio car and answer that next call? And then I met you.

“Because you made a courageous decision to save others’ lives,” Lynch added. “You made a decision to give the best of your son — the gold standard of life, the gold standard of his soul, his heart, his organs.”

Thousands of officers from the NYPD, across the country, and around the world, lined the streets outside St. Patrick’s and for more than 10 blocks along 5th Avenue to honor Mora. They all snapped to attention and saluted him as his casket was carried from the cathedral to a hearse.

Rivera’s wife paid tribute to Mora by showing up at the funeral mass and also posted on social media.

“Although I never met you, thank you for always being eager to work with my angel, regardless of him being a rookie,” Dominique Luzuriaga wrote in an Instagram post. “Take care of us.”

During Rivera’s funeral last week, Luzuriaga criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for his pledge to not prosecute certain crimes. She said all New Yorkers are less safe, a remark that drew a standing ovation.

No specific criticisms were made during Mora’s funeral, although Mayor Adams renewed his pledge to end the wave of gun violence that has gripped the city in recent years.

“Every day that I walk the streets of New York, the people of this city remind me to support our police and let them know we appreciate them,” the mayor said. “But our city is going to do more than thank you. We are going to give you the resources to fight this senseless violence.

“It is New Yorkers against the killers and we will not lose. We will protect our city.”