Sergeant Ray Morales along with Officer Robert Sulmer from the NYPD went down to Flushing YMCA on Thursday night, 19 July, to give a Safety Talk. The informative session was held by two seasoned officers who were familiar with the Flushing neighborhood one week after students first arrived in New York City.
Officer Sulmer stressed that crime happens without forewarning even though New York is one of the safest cities in the world. Thus, prevention is the best solution against crime. He gave practical safety tips such as reminding the students to always be alert and aware of their surroundings, and to trust their first instincts which are mostly accurate. He also taught the students how to pick out suspicious characters and dangerous articles on the subways, and advised them not to go on empty carriages and not to ride the subway late at night.
The officers were very patient, detailed and engaging throughout their talk. They quoted real-life examples and even invited students up to the stage to perform demonstrations of how to react in dangerous situations.
Luna Zhai, a student from the Macau University of Science and Technology noted, "This talk proved to be so useful! I have learnt so much on how to keep myself safe from crime and I will certainly bear in mind all the tips that the officer gave!"
Toward the end of the talk, Sergeant Morales reminded the students for the last time to always look up when they are walking on the streets. He shared that he has observed that young people are always engrossed with their mobile phones and do not look ahead when they walk. His advice to "look up!" was simple yet powerful.
After a short Question and Answer session, the students gathered for a group photo with the two officers. They left the talk taking away many important lessons that would prove to be useful in the weeks to come.
