Photos by Steven
After 34 years with the 9th Precinct, the East Village community is bidding farewell this morning to Jaime Hernandez, detective first grade who heads up Community Affairs here.
This morning at 11, Hernandez is taking part in a walkout ceremony at the station house on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...
Village Preservation selected Hernandez as a Village Awardee in 2020, noting that he "has built a highly regarded reputation throughout his career as someone who builds bridges, listens, and works closely and collaboratively with the communities he serves."
Also:
Jaime has been a finalist for a Village Award for several years now, but he always had other commitments and been unable to accept, including one year he missed because he had just donated a kidney to his daughter.
The tenants of our Icon Realty owned building appreciate all your help in dealing with Icon's incredibly irresponsible and dangerous actions in our building. Please have a good and healthy retirement Detective Hernandez.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I'm reading this after the ceremony has taken place. I would have enjoyed seeing Det. Hernandez honored. He, and a Fire Dept. Inspector called me after the explosion on 2nd Avenue in March 2015. I live right across the street from the site, and apparently I was the first 911 caller reporting the tragedy. I had the pleasure of seeing him a few times around the 'hood. We'd have a better nation if all police officers had this man's integrity and commitment to justice.
ReplyDeleteEver since the Donut Riot with Leftover Crack at the 9th Pct. he seems to have hated my guts for some unknown reason. Google Donut Riot 9th. Pct. NYC if you were not there.
ReplyDeleteHere is a detailed write-up of what Mr Penley is talking about, from 2008:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.amny.com/news/1-tased-5-arrested-in-tompkins-donut-riot/
The nicest guy ever helpful and courteous at all times will be greatly missed and we wish him the best and his retirement
ReplyDeleteThe left photo on that sign is mine. In the course of covering demos, direct actions, stand-offs, skirmishes and riots on the LES since 1989, we kept running into Jaime Hernandez.
ReplyDeleteWe wondered WHO that guy was, sometimes in a uniform, mostly in plainclothes, always standing by, quietly observing, as we defended homeless encampments in and around the park and when we had to FIGHT to defend the squats and our park. (At one point, we ran photos of Jaime in The SHADOW on our "Cop Watch" page!)
By 2006, when we picked up the baton to continue the long tradition of putting on shows and political rallies in Tompkins Square Park each year, I got to know Jaime a lot better.
He told me he had gone to school to become a dentist, but ended up joining the NYPD instead. I think he was made to be a "community affairs" cop rather than a thug with a gun and club trying to prove his masculinity -- he did his job better than anyone else.
Strange for the neighborhood "Anarchist" newspaper to be saying this, but we must be honest: in the entire time we've known Jaime Hernandez, he has always been straightforward and honest with us and he always treated us fairly.
I feel fortunate to have had Jaime THERE at the 9th precinct, a stable and steady presence for all these years and decades. I will miss him.
If I had known about this farewell event, I would have attended (I guess our invite got lost in the mail!), to show my appreciation and respect for this man, who could have retired when he hit the 20 year mark in 2009, but who instead kept serving our community for another 14 years.
Though I am sorry to see you go, Jaime, I hope that you will now do everything you have always wanted to do!
Chris Flash
Editor/Publisher
The SHADOW