David Wright, the Mets third baseman, understands the ins-and-outs of police officers well; his father, Rhon, was a part of the Norfolk Police Department in Virginia for 30 years before retiring as Assistant Police Chief in January. Despite his demanding job as a Major League Baseball player, the younger Wright launched a community platform, ‘The Wright Thing,’ in 2013, where he honored the volunteers that made an impact following Hurricane Sandy.
Wright’s initiative has continued into 2014, as the Mets announced on Friday that ‘The Wright Thing’ would return this season as a way to recognize heroes from the New York Police Department. Before the team’s Friday night game against the Miami Marlins, Wright spent several minutes taking pictures and talking with NYPD Police Officers James Li and Randy Chow and FDNY (Fire Department of New York City) EMTs Khadijah Hall and Shaun Alexander.
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| From right, Randy Chow, James Li, David Wright, Shaun Alexander, and Kadijah Hill, pose for a picture. Click to open full screen. |
All four received an autographed, mini-replica of third base, enjoyed the game from VIP seats behind third base, and were also featured on Citi Vision, the Citi Field’s stadium screen, during the game.
David Wright and the Mets chose to honor the four individuals after Officer Li was shot once in each leg while chasing a suspect in Brooklyn in February. Despite the fact that they were both off duty, EMTs Hall and Alexander immediately came to the assistance of Li.
Per a New York Post article reporting the situation on February 27th, Hall said that it was “phenomenal luck,” that she and Alexander were near the situation. Hall added “that first hour is the most important time. I’m just glad that we were there in seconds. It’s amazing.” [source]
David Wright said that it was “an honor” to meet the EMTs and the Police Officers. “Little do they know that I get more out of [meeting them] than they do. … [I] play a game for a living, but they go out there and put their lives on the line every day.” Wright added that talking with the officers and EMTs “put things in perspective.”
Growing up as the son of a cop, Wright says that “you grow up and you understand that police officers, firefighters, these guys are heroes, but you don’t understand why they’re heroes until you kind of become old enough to know that there’s some bad guys out there.”
David Wright said that it was “an honor” to meet the EMTs and the Police Officers. “Little do they know that I get more out of [meeting them] than they do. … [I] play a game for a living, but they go out there and put their lives on the line every day.” Wright added that talking with the officers and EMTs “put things in perspective.”
Growing up as the son of a cop, Wright says that “you grow up and you understand that police officers, firefighters, these guys are heroes, but you don’t understand why they’re heroes until you kind of become old enough to know that there’s some bad guys out there.”
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| Wright talking with the four NYPD individuals. Click to open full screen. |
What made ‘The Wright Thing’ important to the Mets’ All-Star is that he grew up comprehending the risk of being a official. “Anything we can do to honor police officers is special to me,” Wright said. “I am proud to be associated with a program that honors the NYPD.”
Written by: Amiri Tulloch. Email: amiritulloch@gmail.com. Call: 201-699-8098.
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