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 Police officers share a moment next to a newly dedicated Mural Arts Program mural honoring three slain Philadelphia police officers at the 35th district station in Philadelphia. (AP Photo) |
By David Gambacorta
Philadelphia Daily News
PHILADELPHIA — When the wounds are still raw, the families of fallen police officers are promised that no one will ever forget their sacrifices.
But time wears on, the spotlight fades and some lost heroes end up in a small frame in the corner of a dimly lit office.
There is no chance, however, that anyone who passes through the Fern Rock section of North Philadelphia will be able to let slain Officers Walter Barclay, Robert Hayes and Chuck Cassidy slip from their memories after a stunning mural was unveiled yesterday in their honor.
The faces of the three cops are now displayed on the front of the 35th District’s headquarters, at Broad and Champlost streets, where they all worked.
Dozens of cops, community members and families of the fallen officers attended the unveiling ceremony under a steel-gray sky that occassionally allowed glimmers of sunlight to dance across the mural’s deep hues of blue, green and yellow.
Many in attendance seemed to derive a quiet sense of joy from the public - and highly visible - tribute.
“It’s terrific,” said Capt. John McCloskey, commander of the 35th District.
“Twenty years from now, when there’s a whole different generation of cops working here and new people living here, they’ll all understand what these guys did and how much they meant.”
Artist David McShane added a unique twist to the project by allowing the families of the officers to paint the faces of Barclay, Hayes and Cassidy. The project became a labor of love.
“It was rewarding to me because it gave my grandchildren a way to get to know my husband,” said Jo-Ann Hayes.
Earlier in the day, Hayes fought back tears when she recalled the June 16, 1993, murder of her husband, Robert Hayes, at the hands of a Haitian drug courier.
Hayes’ partner, Officer John Marynowitz, who also was shot that day and left permanently disabled, also attended yesterday’s unveiling.
“Fifteen years later, and it’s still hard,” Jo-Ann Hayes said. “The pain doesn’t go away.”
Rosalyn Barclay Harrison, Walter Barclay’s sister, called the mural “an honor.” Barclay was left paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot in 1966. He died from complications on Aug. 19, 2007.
“People forgot him,” Barclay Harrison said, “so this was a surprise - and gratifying.”
Judy Cassidy, widow of Chuck Cassidy, who was gunned down on Halloween a year ago and died a day later, wiped tears from her face as she gazed at the mural. “Beautiful,” she said. “Just beautiful.” *
Copyright 2008 Philadelphia Daily News