July 15, 2016 - Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino on Tuesday gathered with dozens of county and local law enforcement officers, members of the clergy and elected officials at a unity rally in Mount Vernon’s Hartley Park.
Hosted jointly with Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas, the rally was an opportunity to reflect on how Westchester and the nation should respond to recent events that have strained relations between minorities and the police.
In his remarks, County Executive Astorino spoke about the need for reflection, honesty, and unity:
“As our nation is ripping apart, some serious soul searching is in order. It starts with looking in the mirror each day and asking: Are we doing a good enough job of putting ourselves in the shoes of others? The honest answer is: No.
But there is hope if we focus on what unites rather than divides us.
Nothing ties us together more as human beings than family.
If you were to open me up and look at my heat, at my hopes and at my worries, what you’d see is a father who wants nothing more than for his wife and three kids to come home each day–happy, healthy and safe.
This desire is the same in all of us. It doesn’t matter is you’re rich or poor. Black or white. Hispanic or Asian. We’re all the same inside.
And we are all better, stronger, smarter and safer when we work together.”
The event began with a prayer by Rev. Gwen Wilson from Will of The Master Deliveries Ministry, followed by Mount Vernon Police Sgt. Jennifer Carpenter, who spoke of her department’s efforts to build relationships with the community. Carpenter is the first African-American female sargent in the history of the Mount Vernon Police Department.
After a benediction by the Rev. William Norman of the Solid Rock Church in Yonkers, the rally concluded with a prayer circle as clergy joined with police, elected officials and the citizenry to pray to tolerance, understanding and peace.