Daniel Faulkner Mural Dedicated at Emotional Ceremony
Photo | Dan McQuade
A mural memorializing Daniel Faulkner, the police officer shot to death at 13th and Locust in 1981, was unveiled today on the 6th Police District headquarters in Chinatown. Scores of people, mostly police officers, gathered at 11th and Winter streets for the mural’s dedication.
The mural was done by Jon Laidacker, a 2007 PAFA grad. It was conceived just a few months ago by Police Sgt. Mark Palma, who went to Fraternal Order of Police head John McNesby and the Mural Arts Program with the idea. “Murals are one way of lifting up our heroes,” MAP head Jane Golden said.
The large crowd at the event underscored what speakers at the dedication kept saying. “Ever since I’ve been in Philadelphia, one that thing has really struck me is how we never forget the men and women in uniform,” Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said. “Especially the officers who have fallen in the line of duty.”
Maureen Faulkner, Daniel’s widow, broke down when talking about the support of fellow officers and from other police widows. “I would not be able to do it without all of you,” she said. “We’re sort of a family because of what we endured.” Members of Daniel Faulkner’s squad were also present at the event.
Faulkner’s killer, Mumia Abu-Jamal, was only alluded to at the event, though a handful in attendance wore shirts calling for his execution. Abu-Jamal was convicted of murder in 1982 and sentenced to death; his death sentence was vacated in 2008 and he was removed from death row in 2012.
“Despite the never-ending sideshows,” McNesby said at the event, “we never forget the facts.”
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