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Slayings of two officers bring special poignancy to annual support gathering
By Bob Dyer
Beacon Journal
POSTED: 06:58 a.m. EDT, Jul 21, 2008
Just because something has been done nine years in a row doesn't mean it will be routine.
Far from it, in the case of the annual Police Memorial Motorcycle Rally, which roared into downtown Akron on Sunday afternoon, 600 bikers strong.
Following the shooting deaths of two Northeast Ohio police officers only 19 weeks apart — including one last weekend that seemed more like an assassination — the day was raw with emotion.
Event founder Andy Ezzo of the Cleveland Police Department broke down several times while recapping the deaths of those two officers and four other Cleveland-area policemen who have died in the line of duty since his group's first ride in 2000.
Ezzo's grief seemed to morph into rage when he spoke about the killing last weekend of popular Twinsburg officer Joshua Miktarian.
Reports indicate that, with Miktarian's weapon still in its holster, he was shot four times in the head — three of those as he lay wounded on the ground.
Referring to a TV news clip in which the suspect's smiling defense attorney, Larry Zukerman, contended that Miktarian was shot in ''self-defense,'' Ezzo declared:
''God made defense attorneys because I guess he thought the world just didn't have enough roaches.''
The remark drew hearty applause.
Now, one can understand Ezzo's distress and bitterness over the death of a brother, particularly when a lawyer seems to be making an asinine statement in connection with what appears to be a brutal, open-and-shut case. But that kind of public comment is no different from somebody taking a microphone and saying, ''All cops are [fill in the blank].''
Things are heating up out there. And the hotter things get, the more restrained the language ought to be.
Ezzo could have taken a hint from another speaker, Jim Mantel, who also brought an unexpected edge to the ceremony.
Mantel, longtime morning host for country radio station WGAR (99.5-FM), second-guessed second-guessers in the media who shine a skeptical spotlight on the police every time an officer fires a gun.
Mantel avoided stereotypes by noting that the media play an essential role in the system of checks-and-balances any free society requires. But he expressed fear that excess scrutiny by the media could introduce an extra split-second of hesitation among officers who — overly concerned about how an incident might play out in public, rather than simply relying on their training — could actually lose their lives because of it.
The vast majority of Sunday's affair was far less confrontational and far more reverent.
Bag-piping, prayers and solemn speeches dominated the Akron portion of the rally, which began at South East Harley-Davidson in Bedford Heights and swung through here before continuing to Parma and two locations in Cleveland.
Among those assembled in front of the Akron Police Department were the wife and family of Derek Owens, the Cleveland officer slain in March.
In addition to the riders, a fair number of spectators showed up, many who simply wanted to show their support for law enforcement.
''We felt torn up about what happened in Twinsburg and we wanted to just be a part of this,'' said Bonnie Haralson, 72, a longtime Kenmore resident. She was standing with her husband, Tom, in the shade of a tree on High Street as the cyclists roared out of town, three and four abreast, about 2:30 p.m.
The Haralsons were exactly the type of folks Akron Police Chief Mike Matulavich was talking about before the ceremony after being asked whether the recent shootings would give this year's event special meaning.
''Police officers supporting police officers — that's a given,'' Matulavich said. ''It's a totally different thing when citizens support police officers, and that is what this is about. . . .
''It has special meaning when these folks say, 'We support you, we know that you're important to the community, and we need you.' ''
Judging by a show of hands requested by WGAR's Mantel, roughly half of the motorcyclists were not directly affiliated with law enforcement.
Rain earlier in the day held down the numbers a bit compared with previous years. Still, with riders paying $30 and passengers $15, plenty of money was raised to fund scholarships, help the families of victims and, in one case, to pay a utility bill.
Each year, organizers write a $2,500 check to cover the natural gas used in the eternal flame at the Akron Police Memorial.
That flame never burned hotter than it did on Sunday.
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
Just because something has been done nine years in a row doesn't mean it will be routine.
Far from it, in the case of the annual Police Memorial Motorcycle Rally, which roared into downtown Akron on Sunday afternoon, 600 bikers strong.
Following the shooting deaths of two Northeast Ohio police officers only 19 weeks apart — including one last weekend that seemed more like an assassination — the day was raw with emotion.
Event founder Andy Ezzo of the Cleveland Police Department broke down several times while recapping the deaths of those two officers and four other Cleveland-area policemen who have died in the line of duty since his group's first ride in 2000.
Ezzo's grief seemed to morph into rage when he spoke about the killing last weekend of popular Twinsburg officer Joshua Miktarian.
Reports indicate that, with Miktarian's weapon still in its holster, he was shot four times in the head — three of those as he lay wounded on the ground.
Referring to a TV news clip in which the suspect's smiling defense attorney, Larry Zukerman, contended that Miktarian was shot in ''self-defense,'' Ezzo declared:
''God made defense attorneys because I guess he thought the world just didn't have enough roaches.''
The remark drew hearty applause.
Now, one can understand Ezzo's distress and bitterness over the death of a brother, particularly when a lawyer seems to be making an asinine statement in connection with what appears to be a brutal, open-and-shut case. But that kind of public comment is no different from somebody taking a microphone and saying, ''All cops are [fill in the blank].''
Things are heating up out there. And the hotter things get, the more restrained the language ought to be.
Ezzo could have taken a hint from another speaker, Jim Mantel, who also brought an unexpected edge to the ceremony.
Mantel, longtime morning host for country radio station WGAR (99.5-FM), second-guessed second-guessers in the media who shine a skeptical spotlight on the police every time an officer fires a gun.
Mantel avoided stereotypes by noting that the media play an essential role in the system of checks-and-balances any free society requires. But he expressed fear that excess scrutiny by the media could introduce an extra split-second of hesitation among officers who — overly concerned about how an incident might play out in public, rather than simply relying on their training — could actually lose their lives because of it.
The vast majority of Sunday's affair was far less confrontational and far more reverent.
Bag-piping, prayers and solemn speeches dominated the Akron portion of the rally, which began at South East Harley-Davidson in Bedford Heights and swung through here before continuing to Parma and two locations in Cleveland.
Among those assembled in front of the Akron Police Department were the wife and family of Derek Owens, the Cleveland officer slain in March.
In addition to the riders, a fair number of spectators showed up, many who simply wanted to show their support for law enforcement.
''We felt torn up about what happened in Twinsburg and we wanted to just be a part of this,'' said Bonnie Haralson, 72, a longtime Kenmore resident. She was standing with her husband, Tom, in the shade of a tree on High Street as the cyclists roared out of town, three and four abreast, about 2:30 p.m.
The Haralsons were exactly the type of folks Akron Police Chief Mike Matulavich was talking about before the ceremony after being asked whether the recent shootings would give this year's event special meaning.
''Police officers supporting police officers — that's a given,'' Matulavich said. ''It's a totally different thing when citizens support police officers, and that is what this is about. . . .
''It has special meaning when these folks say, 'We support you, we know that you're important to the community, and we need you.' ''
Judging by a show of hands requested by WGAR's Mantel, roughly half of the motorcyclists were not directly affiliated with law enforcement.
Rain earlier in the day held down the numbers a bit compared with previous years. Still, with riders paying $30 and passengers $15, plenty of money was raised to fund scholarships, help the families of victims and, in one case, to pay a utility bill.
Each year, organizers write a $2,500 check to cover the natural gas used in the eternal flame at the Akron Police Memorial.
That flame never burned hotter than it did on Sunday.
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
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