Mayor Murray: My Concerns on the Roxen Road Assault

This was a letter written by RVC Mayor Francis Murray.

On June 18, two residents of our community, a husband and wife, had a violent exchange with a pack of teenagers who also live in our village.

I have received hundreds of phone calls and numerous letters about this incident and I am stopped on the street every day by residents who want to talk about it. All are outraged; they are demanding answers and justice.

I try to be a calm and reserved man, but I must admit that this outrageous assault has my blood boiling. I am infuriated that such a thing could happen in our village.

While I don’t have personal knowledge of the events, and the facts could become the subject of legal proceedings, it is my understanding that a mother of three was out walking her dog, minding her own business, when she was approached by these out of control young men and made the recipient of a disgusting verbal onslaught.

Later, her husband came to the aid of his shaken wife and the two of them went looking for an apology. What these men delivered instead was a brutal, undeserved, bone-breaking beating.

I will not tolerate this kind of behavior and this level of disrespect for our community while I sit in Village Hall as your Mayor. All our residents should be able to feel safe to go out at night, to take a walk or put out the garbage or walk a dog.

People have said I have been quiet about this case. I assure you that it has not been brushed aside. It is a major priority of our Board and our police department. The police commissioner briefs me daily about the progress on this investigation. It is on my mind 24/7.

As I said in the press last week, the Village Board and I have directed our police commissioner to pursue this case aggressively and I believe he, with the help of outside agencies, has been doing so.

I want to thank all those neighbors on Roxen Road who saw something and said something and those who came out of their houses to directly intervene and stop this horrific attack.

My fellow residents: You elected me to this office a year ago. Since then, the Board and I have guided this Village through some trying and troubling times. I know from experience that no one can do this alone. So far, I have been able to count on you to stand up for our community and together we have solved the problems that have come our way. I am asking for your help again.

We will soon be putting new emphasis on organizing neighborhood block watch programs in our residential areas. These groups can be a huge help to our police and can have a very positive effect on our neighborhoods. Please watch for further information on how you can participate in these efforts.

I will also be writing to all school officials in our area, including South Side High School and Middle School, St. Agnes Cathedral School, Chaminade, Kellenberg, Sacred Heart, Holy Trinity and others, inviting them to Village Hall at the end of August to discuss what else we might do to address our community’s concerns about this incident and about the behaviors that can lead to others like it.

I believe that together we will be able to preserve our sense of community and make Rockville Centre an even better place to live.