Transcript: Mayor Adams Delivers Remarks At Funeral Service For NYPD Detective Troy D. Patterson

May 5, 2023

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you, reverend. And to Troy and his Aunt May and to all of you, and I didn't see him, but I know he's here, Detective Cliff Hollingsworth. Brother Cliff.

For 33 years, Cliff held a memorial at the site where our brother, Troy, was shot. And we used to go up, each year, to Jersey and sit with Troy and his family. I remember Troy Junior when he was just a little child and I would watch him as he would be in the room with his dad and how painful it was to watch the dad that he knew so well, so energetic. And it may be lost on some of you, but if you look at the posters, you really will understand. He was a good-looking brother. Let's not get it mixed up.

And we would put a good face on while we were there. But when we left the room, we left that meeting, for 33 years, all of us would sit in our cars privately and just uncontrollably cry while we watched such an energetic, joyful, good man live his life in that manner. And we thought about Troy Junior and what he was going through, never missing a moment to come up in those 33 years. And how Cliff Hollingsworth, a former detective, just made it clear that we will never forget Troy. Always make sure, year after year, we would continue to show our support and love for him.

And he was doing something that we all do. He was just washing his car. He was just carrying out the role that we do from day to day when individuals came to prey on an innocent person. And look at the poster. Look above his shield. Above his shield are medals. Six years, and look at the number of medals he had. He was an active police officer that was not going through the motion of just being a member of the law enforcement community. He was conducting the job every day. He believed in policing.

And then allow yourself to go back to 1990. Do you remember what these streets were like? These streets were filled with crack cocaine. It was filled with violence. It was filled with a total disregard of public safety. It was filled with people waking up to gunshots and not alarm clocks. But men like Troy stayed. They didn't flee. They remained in the community and stated that they were not going to surrender our community to those that wanted to bring about terror and violence.

And the only way we can really understand the impact that even when a bullet hits a body, it does not stop its pathway of devastation and destruction. It continues to rip apart the anatomy of our community. We should reflect on this moment every time we put on a uniform or if we commit our lives to going after those who prey on innocent people. When it leaves the headlines of the papers, it remains in the headlines of the Troy Juniors of our city. They feel the pain for generations to come.

That is what our battle is. And those who want to ignore the fact that families are devastated, children are devastated, lives are devastated, I will not. I will not surrender our city to those who believe they can prey on innocent people. We have an obligation to continue in the life of Troy to ensure that people are able to live in the finest city on the globe with a level of safety that they all expect. We should not create generations of Troy Juniors. We should not have grandchildren that can't see their granddads unless they're in a wheelchair because they're paralyzed from the bullet of a person with a total disregard for the life of another.

I'm committed, and I know the men and women of the city that are part of the New York City Police Department are committed. We will not allow the loud, boisterous few that don't appreciate the beauty and the nobility of public safety and public protection to get in our way of our pursuit to ensure we don't create future generations of Troy Juniors.

Troy Junior, my heart goes out to you. I have one son, Jordan. I love him. And I know the pain that you experienced and there were many days that I thought about you. Many days I remember you in the hospital room with your dad. I'm hoping that by us being there every year, it gave you comfort that we never forgot. And we will always remember your dad and we will always lift you up. You lost your dad, but you gained a continuous family, with you and the widows and orphans of New York City police officers. And I'm here for you. 

And again, I want to end with my brother, Cliff. I just really thank you. You never forgot about Troy. You always reminded us, over and over and over again. So commendable, what you do. I thank God for you. I thank God for Troy's family. I thank God for the men and women of the New York City Police Department. Thank you very much.