Brandon Williams: “These are troubling times. The very fabric of our society is being pulled apart. Violent protests are spreading across…”

“These are troubling times. The very fabric of our society is being pulled apart. Violent protests are spreading across college campuses in our own Nation. Crime marches unchecked in our cities. The numbers of fentanyl overdoses rise unabated. Now this: the tragic deaths of two of central New York's finest, their lives taken in the line of duty as they stood in the gap between civil society and chaos. That night, what was another routine traffic stop turned into an unspeakable tragedy. Today, two more families endure indescribable pain. Only a few weeks ago, I was right here with my colleagues, in this very place, to speak in honor of another New York police officer who was killed in the line of duty. Now, we are here again after two more heroes have been laid to rest in my own district. The names of the officers who were killed are Lieutenant Michael Hoosock and Officer Michael Jensen. Lieutenant Hoosock, known to his friends as Hootch, was a husband and the father of three young children. He was a great dad--fun, spontaneous, present, and supportive. In 2020, Lieutenant Hoosock was recognized with the Medal of Valor for his actions confronting an active shooter in Syracuse. He was a decades-long firefighter and the bomb squad commander in Onondaga County. Officer Jensen was a son and brother with a career of service still ahead of him. Friends and family remember his dedication and optimism. His mother, Michelle, called him her handsome son.…”