Dominique Luzuriaga, the widow of slain New York City Police Officer Jason Rivera, called out the Manhattan district attorney during her eulogy of her husband.
On Friday, Luzuriaga said, “You have the whole nation on gridlock. And although you won’t be here anymore, I want you to live through me. The 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 D.A. I hope he’s watching you speak through me now,” she added.
The line received a standing ovation.
Finally, she added, “I’m sure all of our blue family is tired too. But I promise, we promise, that your death won’t be in vain. I love you till the end of time. We’ll take the watch from here.”
Watch the video below:
"I promise, we promise, that your death won't be in vain. I love you till the end of time. We'll take the watch from here."
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) January 28, 2022
Dominique Luzuriaga, the widow of slain NYPD Officer Jason Rivera, receives a standing ovation from his fellow officers during her powerful eulogy. pic.twitter.com/PopvHz7IHm
Rivera, 22, was fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence call in Harlem last Friday. His partner, Officer Wilbert Mora, 27, who was also shot, died on Tuesday.
Her comments referred to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who assumed the office earlier this year.
Bragg came under fire over a controversial memo about his policies.
According to Fox News, “The memo called for Manhattan prosecutors to look for alternatives to prison sentences for criminals convicted of several kinds of offenses, and ‘reduce pretrial incarceration,’ unless for ‘very serious cases.'”
“It also directed his office not to prosecute offenders accused of the following crimes, barring extenuating circumstances: turnstile jumping, resisting arrest, trespassing and driving without a license, among others,” it explained.
Last week, Bragg sought to clarify his memo as he said, “The purpose of the memo is to provide prosecutors with a framework for how to approach cases in the best interest of safety and justice. Each case is fact specific.”
He added that gun possession cases are “a key part of our public safety strategy.”
“People walking the streets with guns will be held accountable,” Bragg explained. “We will also use gun possession cases as an opportunity to trace the sources of illegal guns and build cases.”
The district attorney also said violence against law enforcement “will not be tolerated.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) told the New York Post that she will meet with Bragg to discuss his policies and try to persuade him to make some changes.
“I know full well the powers that the governor has — I’ll be having a conversation very shortly to convey, to let him tell me what his plans are and make sure that we’re all in alignment,” she told the Post.
While she acknowledged that she has the power to remove Bragg, she said, “Everyone goes right to removal [but] this individual has only been on the job a very short time. I’m not prepared to undo the will of the people.”
