[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 162 (Tuesday, October 10, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     YONKERS GUARDIANS ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 10, 2017

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Yonkers Guardians 
Association, an organization in the Yonkers community dedicated to 
promoting equal opportunities within the Yonkers Police Department.
  The Yonkers Guardians Association, incorporated in 1988 under the 
leadership of first president, Lieutenant Lorenzo Paul, is a fraternal 
organization comprised of African American Police and Detention 
Officers. Dedicated to promoting equal opportunities of appointment, 
assignment and promotion for members of the Yonkers Police Department, 
and to devising and executing plans to assist its members morally, 
financially, educationally and culturally. The association's mission is 
to encourage community members to be conscience of the criminal justice 
system and to enhance the quality of life in the African American 
community. Moreover, the Organization's goal is to foster an 
indispensable alliance with the community by creating partnerships, 
programs and building relationships with community based organizations 
that share the ideals and common principles of the Guardians 
Association.
  In addition to working to increase the number of African American 
Police Officers the Guardians have honored outstanding women in our 
community through its ``Mother's Day Award Dinner''. Using the motto 
``Protecting our Future today'' the Guardians have also made a 
commitment to programs that help our local youth partnering with the My 
Brother's Keeper initiative to mentor our local youth. The Guardians 
had also formed alliances with the National Association of Black Law 
Enforcement (NABLEO), the Westchester/Rockland Guardians Association, 
the Nepperhan Community Center, Compact for Learning in the 21st 
Century, the Cluster Westchester Mediation Center, the Yonkers 
Department of Parks and Recreation, the Yonkers Drug Court, the 
Westchester Coalition Against Bigotry, the Yonkers NAACP, the Yonkers 
Public Schools, the Municipal Housing Authority and the Salvation Army. 
Under the leadership of past presidents Lieutenant Lorenzo Paul, 
Detective Charles Morton, Detective Donald Wilson, Detective Stuart 
Barksdale, Police Officer Joseph Lecoq, Detective Vincent Tilson and 
current President Sergeant Charles Walker the Guardians seek to bridge 
relationships between Law Enforcement and the Minority Community, to be 
a voice against injustice and work to create opportunities for the 
members of the community which we are a part of. They have done a 
tremendous job with that, and I congratulate them on all they've 
accomplished.