NYPD Shuts Down 5th Ave as Thousands of Police Escort Fallen Officer Jason Rivera

It appears as though all of New York City’s 36,000 police officers came out to escort the casket of fallen officer Jason Rivera.

Rivera was shot last week as crime has sky rocketed in the city.

All of 5th Avenue was shut down as thousands of officers mourned their fallen comrade.

Only images can do this justice:

Absolutely incredible nypd. ❤️🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/wyUUStEH3D

— Dana Perino (@DanaPerino) January 28, 2022

Wow! RIP NYPD officer Jason Rivera. https://t.co/INwen0vzEy

— LivePDDave 🇺🇸 (@LivePDDave1) January 28, 2022

Fifth Ave filled with NYPD paying respects to fallen office Jason Rivera @nypost photograph by Paul Martinka pic.twitter.com/UZemgM2jVv

— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) January 28, 2022

Even though New York City is known as a liberal city, there are still many Christians there.

The officers in attendance paused for prayer.

They prayed over Rivera, his family, and the city.

REMEMBERING A HERO: Thousands of NYPD officers join in prayer to honor fallen detective Jason Rivera. https://t.co/g0bsB9RW65 pic.twitter.com/A2TRjhsiOs

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 28, 2022

https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1487092575270014979

But the most powerful part was when Rivera’s surviving widow delivered her eulogy to her husband.

Just a warning: this is a gut-wrenching eulogy.

She also called out NYC’s DA, though she avoided politicizing the situation by not mentioning him by name.

This is gut-wrenching.

The Lord is truly with Dominique Luzuriaga right now as she delivers her eulogy to her husband, slain NYPD Officer Jason Rivera. pic.twitter.com/0STZkT9qc7

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 28, 2022

WATCH: Widow of @NYPDnews officer Jason Rivera slams @ManhattanDA though not by name: "We are not safe anymore. Not even the members of the service. I know you were tired of these laws, especially the ones from the new DA. I hope he's watching you speak through me right now." pic.twitter.com/zHPQ1scMgy

— Jackson Richman (@jacksonrichman) January 28, 2022

https://twitter.com/ShimonPiamenta/status/1486368368475226115

The sad part?

In case you haven’t heard, Jason Rivera was a black man.

He became a cop.

Why?

To help bridge the gap between police and the black community.

But he was murdered, further proving the importance of his mission.

According to the Associated Press:

Praised as a hero who wanted to help the New York Police Department evolve, slain Officer Jason Rivera drew tributes and vows that the force will “never give up” at a funeral Friday for the rookie who was gunned down with his partner last week.

Police filled the pews at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and a sea of blue uniforms stretched for blocks as snow drifted outside the city’s iconic church.

Jeffrey Rivera recalled how his brother as a youngster was obsessed with joining the police force, even if he would later come to know its flaws.

Mayor Eric Adams, himself a retired NYPD captain, said he saw an echo of himself in the slain officer who joined a department he hoped he could make better.

“He did it for the right reasons — he wanted to make a difference,” said Adams, a Democrat who also sounded a message of support for a department that, like others, has faced criticism amid a national reckoning with policing, race and what public safety should mean.

“There were days when I felt the public did not understand and appreciate the job we were doing, and I want to tell you officers: They do. They do,” Adams said.

Rivera, 22, and Officer Wilbert Mora, 27, were fatally wounded Jan. 21 by a gunman who opened fire on them in a hallway as they responded to a family dispute.

Through tears, Rivera’s wife, Dominique Luzuriaga, recalled the horror of seeing cellphone alerts about two officers being shot in Harlem. Her worries grew as she texted and called the former elementary school classmate she married this past October. She got no answer until the call that summoned her to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities are still investigating what motivated the gunman, who was shot by a third officer and later died.

Cop killings are up dramatically year over year.

Why?

Because Democrats have gone soft on crime.

In addition to (basically) open borders, they openly advocated for defunding the police and in many cases, have actually slashed police budgets.

Fifth Ave in New York is a sea of blue outside of the funeral for NYPD officer Jason Rivera, who was fatally shot while responding to a 911 call.

Breathtaking.pic.twitter.com/OcyrVzoZlV

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 28, 2022

Our fallen @NYPDnews Officer Jason Rivera funeral today. On my way to Fox, honored/heartbroken to see memorial honor in Times Sq, prayers up for all NYPD and officers everywhere 🙏🏼😔 pic.twitter.com/82omyrHYtO

— Tammy Bruce (@HeyTammyBruce) January 28, 2022

At 46th & Fifth, near @StPatsNYC, during funeral for @NYPDnews officer #JasonRivera. Terribly tragic and truly beautiful. #NYPD pic.twitter.com/DOpEegJUka

— Dan Axelrod (@dan_axelrod) January 28, 2022

Today, a sea of blue lined 5th Avenue, stood 20 deep and shoulder to shoulder for blocks to honor hero NYPD Detective Jason Rivera. Detective Rivera was killed in the line of duty last Friday while protecting the citizens of #NYC. #RIP #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/vhII68wFtx

— NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) January 28, 2022

This funeral procession shows us that our men and women in uniform are united.

The blue stand united against lawlessness and violence.

The New York Post has more on Rivera’s widow and her moving eulogy:

The widow of slain NYPD officer Jason Rivera ripped Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in her husband’s eulogy at his funeral Friday morning, as she described the gut-wrenching moment she found out he’d been killed.

“Although you won’t be here anymore, I want you to live through me. This system continues to fail us. We are not safe anymore, not even the members of the service. I know you were tired of these laws, especially the ones from the new DA. I hope he’s watching you speak through me right now,” Dominique Luzuriaga told mourners at St. Patrick’s Cathedral as they gave her a standing ovation.

“I’m sure all of our blue family is tired too. But I promise, we promise, that your death won’t be in vain.”

As Luzuriaga delivered the emotionally charged remarks, Bragg was in the audience listening, law enforcement sources said. He also attended Rivera’s wake Thursday night but his family walked into the back so they didn’t have to sit with him and later in the evening, someone told the embattled DA that the family wouldn’t be coming out until he left.

While Luzuriaga struggled to hold back tears, she recounted the last moments she and Rivera spent together on the day he died and how they’d been fighting before he went into work that afternoon.

“This Friday was different. We had an argument, you know it’s hard being a cop’s wife sometimes. It’s hard being patient when plans were canceled or we would go days without seeing each other,” Luzuriaga, wearing a black peacoat, said.

“We were arguing because I didn’t want you to use your job phone while we were together. You were so mad that you took your LeBron jersey down, gave me your chain and put the lotions I gave you for your ashy hands in the bag and said, ‘here take them.’”

Luzuriaga said when the two left Rivera’s apartment, she decided to order an Uber instead of driving with him because she didn’t want to continue arguing.

“You asked me if ‘you are sure that you don’t want me to take you home. It might be the last ride I give you.’ I said ‘no’ and that was probably the biggest mistake I ever made.”

Rivera is a hero.

He is a black man.

Where is Black Lives Matter now?

Why aren’t they saying Rivera’s life mattered?

If you believe Rivera’s life mattered…

If you back the blue…

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