By Klara Buda, New York/
This Wednesday of Christmas Eve, Kosovo Ambassador Vlora Citaku, the Consul and Consulate staffs placed flowers at the Memorial set- up inside of the PCT84 Commissariat of the two killed police officers. Kosovo Ambassador spoke to the Commanding officer and other high ranking officials expressing her condolences and left her impressions at the NYPD (New York Police Department) condolences book.
“Everyone in the Commissariat was impressed and thankful for the presence and the support of Kosovo Ambassador” said Arben Dedaj to klarabudapost.
A number of Albanian-American, professional and voluntary collaborators work in the PCT84 Police Station of New York, part of which were the two officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, killed Saturday, in 20 December 2014
Two of them Eltion Shametaj and Arben Dedaj have been colleagues with the officers who lost their lives and Eltion Shametaj was also their patrol partner. Together with many other Albanian Americans they stayed up late last Saturday waiting for the return from the morgue of the bodies of their profession brother’s. On Sunday they was joined also from one of the brothers Kolaj, owner of Famous Famiglia Pizzeria who not only supported morally PCT84 Police officers, but also offered food for everybody in the police station, as a solidarity sign.
Arben Dedaj who works as a volunteer at this unit has confirmed to KBP that members of the New York police station strongly appreciated the support and the gesture of Giorgio Kolaj, active not only in the Albanian community but also in American humanitarian actions. Famous Famiglia, owner of a vast network of restoration in America and in many others countries around the world is from a long time supporting the D.A.R.E organization, which teaches students good decision-making skills to help them lead safe and healthy lives.
The Albanian Americans not only supported the NYPD in those days after the murder of two police officers but they are a real force in the heart of the NYPD. Hundreds of them are part of the Illyrian Society of Law Enforcement Officers, an organization, which values their contribution in the respect of order in New York City.

I reached personally Captain Flamur Cani, a long date police officer in NYPD and the President of Illyrian Society of Law Enforcement Officers, who answers promptly at my demand for a pronunciation: “They will be forever in our hearts and our prayers. On behalf of the Illyrian Society of Law Enforcement Officers and the Albanian community, we wish to express our condolences to the families of our fallen brothers. ”
I was surprised to learn from their friends that Flamur was answer to my demand from his hospital bed, where he was stuck with a health problem; this wish seems to be so dear to his heart.
The Albanian community was involved previously in the support of the New York Police department NYPD.
On December, 19 Marko Kepi, President of the Albanians Roots had participated in the manifestation organized in Staten Island by a FB group named: ” Thank You NYPD” on support of New York Police Department after the contested decisions by grand juries in Missouri and New York.
Last week I had followed protests, which continued to percolate nationally in the wake of decisions by grand juries in Missouri and New York not to indict police officers in the death of two unarmed black men.
The presence of an important number of Albanian Americans in the NYPD as well as the origin of two killed officers are examples which clearly show that the category of “white police officers” is not a close group ethnically, but come from different horizons and from different countries.
“The picture seems to be more nuanced then black and white …”