Guyanese in New York turned up in large numbers for slain police officer

Oct 30, 2015 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I applaud KN’s coverage of the shooting, memorial service and funeral relating to slain Guyanese born New York police officer Randolph Holder. Much credit goes to many New York community leaders who helped organize make shift memorial services for the slain officer who was shot on patrol in Harlem on Oct 20. The Guyanese community bleeds for him. They were roiled with anger over the killing of this young man, saddened with the way he died in service to the city. Holder loved to connect with people and the Guyanese community wanted to connect with his family and as such organized a service for him in Richmond Hill.
Community leaders gathered Saturday evening in front of Sybil’s fast food restaurant on 133rd Street and Liberty Avenue in the heart of Little Guyana to mourn the loss of one of its own. A follow up memorial service was held in Flatbush, Brooklyn on Sunday evening. A wake was held for the officer in St. Albans, where a large number of Guyanese reside, on Tuesday. The funeral service was conducted on Wednesday afternoon.
Holder’s father and grandfather were police officers. He migrated to NY in 2002. He has been a police officer for the last five years. Many Guyanese attended the wake on Tuesday and the funeral service on Wednesday that carried live on TV. Liberty Avenue was chosen for the vigil as it is the fulcrum or aorta of the Guyanese community in New York”.
Holder Jr. is not unknown to the area. He used to come to Liberty Avenue to shop for roti and good Guyanese food.
The slain officer’s father, Randolph Sr., and family members agreed to the Richmond Hill service and they boarded several vans escorted by police from far Rockaway, Queens and Brooklyn to Richmond Hill. Senator James Sanders, who is the state representative for the greater Richmond Hill area, facilitated the memorial, issuing a release paying tribute to the slain officer.
The Guyanese organizers thought a memorial service was necessary for a fellow Guyanese whose life was tragically cut short in service to the city. They took the initiative to help organize one through the Richmond Hill Economic Development Corporation, a NGO, and approached politicians and community leaders. They reached across to Afro counterparts in Brooklyn to join in the Richmond Hill memorial and they agreed.  ”It was an effort to bring the two ethnic communities together”.
They worked with Rickford Burke and others Afro-Guyanese in Brooklyn to establish a true Guyanese representation in the Richmond Hill memorial. Pat Longford, President of Guyanese Tri-state Alliance, who hails from Queens, also collaborated.  Guyanese police officer Khayume Khan, a Guyanese, assisted in establishing the vigil and he joined the police in mourning the loss of Holder Jr. Guyanese Deodat Urprashad (Deputy Inspector and Commanding Officer of the 102 Police Station) was put in charge by the Police Department to coordinate the police aspects of the vigil. Although the vigil was held in 106 Precinct, Urprashad was called in to coordinate the memorial because of his community link and leadership skill. But it was largely organized by RHEDC.  Candles donated by a local businessman were lit. The vigil was helpful as it allowed people to mourn and vent their anger at the killing of this young Guyanese police officer. The Guyana flag flew at the memorial as well as outside at the funeral; many sported umbrellas with the flag’s colors. Response at the vigil was overwhelming drawing hundreds that reflect Guyana’s population. Community leaders from Richmond Hill turned out in their numbers. All potential political candidates for seats in Richmond Hill made their presence known. The Punjabi community leaders also supported the vigil. At the vigil, there were prayers from various denominations and glowing tributes including words from Holder’s family.  Holder Sr. talked about his part Indian ancestry.
The organizers thanked Cookie, owner and manager, of Sybil Restaurant who was very eager to get his business site to host the vigil; he provided normal refreshments. There was a large police presence. A banner hangs above between lamp posts of Officer Holder in front of Sybil.
Speakers applauded the family for displaying courage in this period of grief. They paid tribute to him as a remarkable man. They commended the officer for risking his life to protect others.  One person at the vigil said the officer’s killing breaks the heart. Another said: “We have to support each other in times of tragedy”.
The Holder family members gave full support behind the RHEDC effort to memorialize their son. Holder Sr. expressed appreciation to the organizers of the memorial. It was such a success that it led a second memorial on Sunday night in Brooklyn.
At the funeral, there were blocks and blocks of mourners; thousands of police officers from various parts of the country as well as the police commissioners of Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, etc. Commoners turned up in spite of heavy wind and tropical showers to pay their final respects. Thousands, including hundreds of Guyanese, had to wait in the heavy persistent showers because the church could not accommodate them. They were drawn simply by respect for the young man’s sacrifice to make New York safe from thugs like the career criminal who killed him. They watched the procession and service as tears welled the eyes.
New York appreciates Officer Holder’s service. We empathize with his family on their loss.
Vishnu Bisram

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