The funeral for New York Police Officer Wenjian Liu is set for Sunday. He’s one of two police officers gunned down by an assassin in Brooklyn on December 20.
The NY Times reports that blending Chinese funeral traditions with those of police have complicated planning for the services.
Ceremonial money will be burned and Buddhist monks will pray in a Chinese ceremony. Thousands of police officers in uniform are expected to attend and Mayor Bill de Blasio and other dignitaries are expected to give eulogies. Bilingual Chinese police officers have been communicating with the family in an effort the bridge the cultural gap.
It’s unclear how many officers will attend the Chinese ceremony since both the family and service are considered private. Some family and friends have said they do not feel comfortable attending the police service.
“They’re really private, so it’s a lot for them to take in,” said Sgt. James Ng, the president of the Asian American police officers association known as the Asian Jade Society. “It’s literally overwhelming. It’s going to be thousands of people coming to the wake and the funeral. It’s very hard to put them through this.”
You can read more about the challenges of blending the two traditions in the NY Times.