Community Honors the Memory of Edwin Ajacalon

There is a poem about loss and remembrance that begins simply, “It cries in my heart, as it rains in the city.” Tonight, our hearts cry out for the loss of 14-year-old Edwin Ajacalon in a senseless tragedy on Saturday night. As a community, our hearts cry out because we have lost a bright young person and a family has lost a child.

His death brings to mind the deaths of three young people, not far from here, who lost their lives in crashes in just over a year’s time: Joie Sellers killed at age 12, Sammy Cohen Eckstein killed at age 12, and Mohammad Uddin killed at age 14. We now have yet another family living in anguish due to a crash.

Safe streets must be the legacy of Edwin, Joie, Sammy, and Mohammad. We honor Edwin’s memory by giving the gift of life to our fellow New Yorkers. We must reaffirm our commitment to road safety, we must pass Every School legislation to help calm traffic near our neighborhood schools, and we must work to build a legacy worthy of the memory of the loved ones we mourn today.