Family of ambushed NYC officer gets renovated home financed by charity
The family of slain NYPD cop Rafael Ramos has a newly renovated home, thanks to a charity that made good on its promise.
Family members gathered Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the revamped Brooklyn home paid for by a slew of donations from The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Ramos’ widow Maritza, one of their two teenage sons Jaden, and Ramos’ sister Sindy were in attendance for the NYPD-led ceremony outside the Cypress Hills home.
After Ramos, 40, was fatally gunned down along with his partner Wenjian Liu, 32, in an ambush in Brooklyn on Dec. 20, 2014, the foundation quickly raised $1.2 million dollars that paid off the mortgages on both of the murdered officer’s homes and paid for renovations on both of the family’s homes.
Liu’s mother and father also attended the ceremony as well as about 50 uniformed officers.
“Maritza, Rafael is looking down on you today and he is so proud of you. He’s so proud of you the way that you’ve carried yourself for the last 19 months with such dignity and strength,” said Frank Siller, the chairman and CEO of the foundation, which was formed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“So proud of you that you decided to remain in the home where you shared so many of your memories and dreams … I know that he is most proud of you that you turned to Christ,” Siller added.
From the lump sum that the charity raised, an undisclosed amount was used to make a slew of repairs and renovations to the Ridgewood Avenue home where Maritza lives with her sons Jaden and Justin.
The work included the installation two fireplaces, coffered ceilings, a brand-new kitchen with stainless steel appliances, 3.5 new bathrooms, a refurbished basement, new lighting, windows, electric and plumbing work, a new front porch, and new siding to the house.
“We’re still far from peace of mind,” Ramos’ sister Sindy told reporters, adding that “I don’t think we’re used to the new house yet.”
“The first time I came in a few weeks ago I was floored because it’s absolutely beautiful, but there’s something not there. Something’s missing and it’s going to take some time,” she said.
The families of Ramos and Liu were also able to give back to those plagued by tragedy.
Following the July 7 slaying of five Dallas police officers during an anti-police brutality protest, organizers from the Siller Foundation, Maritza, and Liu’s widow Pei Xia Chen visited Dallas to pay respects to the families of the slain cops.
The Detective Rafael Ramos Foundation, which was started by Martiza, donated $10,000 as part of the $500,000 that the Siller Foundation sent to the families of the murdered Dallas officers. Chen also donated $10,000.
Sindy, who joined Maritza on the trip, said that it “took us all back to that day” when Ramos and Liu were gunned down.
“Just to know that there’s five families…that they’re in the beginning of what we are going through now, and it’s such a long road ahead. I want them to know that our hearts and our prayers are with them,” she said.
“I want them to know that when we lay down at night we are all feeling the same thing.”
The family of slain NYPD cop Rafael Ramos has a newly renovated home, thanks to a charity that made good on its promise.
Family members gathered Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the revamped Brooklyn home paid for by a slew of donations from The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Ramos’ widow Maritza, one of their two teenage sons Jaden, and Ramos’ sister Sindy were in attendance for the NYPD-led ceremony outside the Cypress Hills home.
After Ramos, 40, was fatally gunned down along with his partner Wenjian Liu, 32, in an ambush in Brooklyn on Dec. 20, 2014, the foundation quickly raised $1.2 million dollars that paid off the mortgages on both of the murdered officer’s homes and paid for renovations on both of the family’s homes.
Liu’s mother and father also attended the ceremony as well as about 50 uniformed officers.
“Maritza, Rafael is looking down on you today and he is so proud of you. He’s so proud of you the way that you’ve carried yourself for the last 19 months with such dignity and strength,” said Frank Siller, the chairman and CEO of the foundation, which was formed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“So proud of you that you decided to remain in the home where you shared so many of your memories and dreams … I know that he is most proud of you that you turned to Christ,” Siller added.
From the lump sum that the charity raised, an undisclosed amount was used to make a slew of repairs and renovations to the Ridgewood Avenue home where Maritza lives with her sons Jaden and Justin.
The work included the installation two fireplaces, coffered ceilings, a brand-new kitchen with stainless steel appliances, 3.5 new bathrooms, a refurbished basement, new lighting, windows, electric and plumbing work, a new front porch, and new siding to the house.
“We’re still far from peace of mind,” Ramos’ sister Sindy told reporters, adding that “I don’t think we’re used to the new house yet.”
“The first time I came in a few weeks ago I was floored because it’s absolutely beautiful, but there’s something not there. Something’s missing and it’s going to take some time,” she said.
The families of Ramos and Liu were also able to give back to those plagued by tragedy.
Following the July 7 slaying of five Dallas police officers during an anti-police brutality protest, organizers from the Siller Foundation, Maritza, and Liu’s widow Pei Xia Chen visited Dallas to pay respects to the families of the slain cops.
The Detective Rafael Ramos Foundation, which was started by Martiza, donated $10,000 as part of the $500,000 that the Siller Foundation sent to the families of the murdered Dallas officers. Chen also donated $10,000.
Sindy, who joined Maritza on the trip, said that it “took us all back to that day” when Ramos and Liu were gunned down.
“Just to know that there’s five families…that they’re in the beginning of what we are going through now, and it’s such a long road ahead. I want them to know that our hearts and our prayers are with them,” she said.
“I want them to know that when we lay down at night we are all feeling the same thing.”
