Francine, Nate and David Wheeler, with Rep Joe Crowley, CM Jimmy Van Bramer
Sept. 9, 2013 By Christian Murray
The Sunnyside community paid tribute Saturday to 6-year-old Benjamin Wheeler, who was one of 20 children gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School last December.
In a tearful ceremony, nearly 100 people gathered for a street co-naming on the corner of 41st Street and Queens Boulevard. This was the street where the Wheeler family had lived when Ben was born– and where Francine Wheeler, Ben’s mother, had lived for 13-years.
David Wheeler, who spoke at the ceremony, said he hopes that the street co naming will help keep the fight for gun control alive. He said that people should ask questions and tell tourists who Ben Wheeler was–and what happened to him–when they walk by.
Wheeler said it is necessary for the gun debate to keep going. “It is up to us to make our schools, malls, offices and parks safer for children everywhere,” Wheeler said.
He said Ben’s co-naming was different than most others. “He didn’t serve in WWII and liberate a concentration camp…or coach basketball and dedicate himself to the youth…Ben had only just learned to tie his shoes,” David Wheeler said.
As David spoke, Francine’s eyes filled with tears as she held on firmly to her only remaining child, Nate, 9.
One of Ben’s passions was the No. 7 train and initially Congressman Joseph Crowley reached out to Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer to see whether a subway station could be named after him. However, they concluded that the MTA would not support such a measure.
“I knew we could co name a street,” Van Bramer said. Furthermore, what’s special about this street, Van Bramer said, is that it is next to where the No. 7 train goes back and forth.
Meanwhile, Crowley knew that Ben was an ardent Beatles fan and broke into song, singing Here Comes the Sun.
Crowley finished the song with the line “it’s all right” as he looked at Francine.
Nate, proudly, went on to pull the ribbon that unveiled Benjamin Wheeler Place to great applause.
Nate unveils Benjamin Wheeler Place
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70 Comments
wow, even though this was so long ago, i’m still devastated about the shooting. rest in peace ben, you are with us in our hearts 🙂
JulieJ is just an ultra conservative hate monger who spews relentless, irrational contrarianism to all thing pleasant or progressive. You’d think that we could have one place where we could go to read about a murdered child without having to see her nonsense. Just stop.
@ Julie J. – of course I know who Sean Bell is and no, I do not think he deserves a street to be named after him, especially for a three block stretch! Al Sharpton is a joke…
Or Tawana Brawley Beach?
Sunnyside Native, chill: BTW: Sean Bell is the guy who tried to run over a police officer and was shot. Do you think he deserves a street naming? How about Al Sharpton Ally? LOL.
@ Julie J. – South Side Johnny has provided you with a bunch of examples where ‘people of color’ have had streets named after them. Can I suggest that you now make it your mission to attend every street naming in either Queens or all the 5 boroughs of NYC? Take pictures and report back to us. What do you say?
Love Scoler’s suggestion! Julie J. Way! lol
Half the srteet signs in Sunnyside are completely faded… Why don’t they replace them?
I think I see a pattern in signs
Nom De Plume, man thats brilliant. Id like to have some 7 advisories, man if. gotta get another 7 to Woodside to get a train to Manhattan it aint worth it. Like to know before i climb the stairs
JulieJ.Way?
These street signs should be electronic so that Van Bramer’s secretary can log in by computer every morning and change the street name after anyone they think is appropriate that day. There can also be a scrolling feature at the bottom with the time, weather and traffic conditions.
“Sean Bell Way” will stretch for three blocks of Liverpool Street in Jamaica, starting at 94th Avenue (NYT 12/09), and these co-name proposals are currently before the NYC Council, awaiting approval:
Evelina Antonetty Way, Lenny Kobren Circle, Ozzie Brown Triangle, Dr. Michael Lancelot Marcano Way, Detective Kevin Czartoryski Place, Cheyenne Baez Way, Rev. John B. Elliott Way, Jim Buckley Way, Meg Charlop Way, Frank Griffin Way, Joe ‘The Great’ Rollino Corner, Raoul Wallenberg Way, Lt. Peter J. Farrenkopf Place, Reginald Nero’s Way, First United Methodist Church Way, Police Officer Eric Hernandez Memorial Corner, Thomas X. Winberry Way, Julian Brennan Way, John Davenport Way, among others..
Tanya, I don’t see any streets named for people of color who were murdered! And yeah, I doubt the poor kid liked the Beatles. The parents are exploiting their child.
I hope that this street naming ceremony brought some comfort to the Wheeler family.
@JulieJ: stop playing around the race card. You sound so ignorant!
enought of this stupid talk already, END IT!!! 6 year olds arent ardent Beatles fans, thats dad pushing his music on the poor kid. Had he had control of the buttons he would chosen Taylor Swift or the Wiggles, no doubt.
Poor kid, terrible loss – but they chose to live somewhere else. Other people less pale, get gunned down here and get no second thoughts.
Julie j
You are getting too hot for no reason. Abortion prevents crime. Same with lead abatement.
“Abortion prevents crime”? Boy, talk about racism!
O’shea, why you don’t think Antiq’s life was equally valuable? Can you please elaborate?
Maybe its time to stop lying that stop and frisk is not effective.
Maybe its time to stop lying that antiq’s life was equally valuable.
Enough of the abortion debate: abortion prevents crime and is killing our social security ponzi scheme.
This street naming is a travesty, especially in a country where the blind can own guns and nut jobs can buy 500 rounds on the internet.
Can’t imagine what would be renamed if anything happened to JvB, the borough? No wait, no need….
When will Winged Fist Way be replaced? It’s on all of my business cards! No one can find my office any more.
Maybe it’s time to end these street renamings. They’ve become so common that they’re a cliche now.
Actually, I think the murder of a woman who worked to support her family should “shock the conscience of the world”.
Superwittysmitty, nice try at changing the subject. Yes, I favor a memorial in honor of this poor Korean woman who, incidentally, left two kids. Maybe they like the number 7 train also?
Americans own MORE guns than any other country in the world and we have the HIGHEST per capita gun ownership rate in the world. The are around 270 million guns already in America, nine guns for EVERY ten Americans. When it comes to gun-related murder, we are only number 2, right behind Mexico.
But you’re implying that more guns in NYC would make us ALL safer? If we were all armed, it would be nothing but peace and love: no murder and less crime? I’m going to have to think about that.
If the poor Korean lady had had a gun, maybe she would have been able to defend herself.
If that Korean woman had been a cute kid who grew up in Sunnyside (or Woodside, where she died) and if her death had been part of a story that shocked and caught the attention of the entire world, it might have culminated in some sort of memorial. But instead of her death, we’re celebrating this kid’s life, when he lived here. Is it really so hard to see the difference?
Anyway, it’s cute that Benjamin Wheeler so loved the #7 train. My nephew is 9 and loves the trains. He visits from PA and could care less about seeing the sights, he just wants to know when we are getting back on a train. His favorite is the #7 and loves seeing it going through Sunnyside when he visits. I should say, the #7 is MY favorite, too.
Why isn’t a street named after that Korean woman found dead in a trunk? Was she straight and had a gun?
Anonymous, you can kiss my Hispanic family’s rear end. So, you will be going to Brownsville, Brooklyn to grab guns and preach about violence, right? No, I did not think so. And Sunnyside Native, this is about selective outrage. I want Joe Crowley, Van Bramer and the other clueless white politicians to go to Brownsville and round up some gang members and take their guns away. Didn’t think so either.
Grieving process. And what about the people who were killed here and lived here ? More psychobabble from lib tools
When you use a tragedy to promote a political cause, don’t feign outrage when people chime in with a political opinion on the matter.
It’s official: julie j. and Sunnyside whines are the two biggest ‘tools’ in Sunnyside.
@ Luvu2 – I don’t care if you are white, black, asian, hispanic, native american, etc. – the article is NOT about race. The purpose of this article & forum was to discuss Benjamin Wheeler, who grew up here (like myself and unlike the majority of people who post on here) and how he was one of the children who was killed in a horrific tragedy that has made headline news on the front pages of all the newspapers across the country. The other people who were killed/died in Sunnyside are unfortunately some of the many homicides that plague our city. Having twenty (20) kindergarteners killed with their little bodies riddled with bullets is an atrocity, but this incident also happened to be the second deadliest mass shooting by a single person in American history, after the Virginia Tech shooting. These shootings prompted renewed debate about gun control in the United States & continued talks about proposed legislation for semi-automatic rifles in our country. If co-naming a street is the LEAST we can do to assist in the grieving process for the Wheeler parents or to memorialize his short little life which started in Sunnyside, why is it such a big deal to you haters?
Ps I have mixed race family
Sunnyside native some of us object to this feel good nonsense done by white liberals who think they r soooooo sensitive u r not
Julie J. & Sunnyside Whines are two very ignorant people. Of course we mourn for everybody in the five boroughs of NYC who lost their lives, but the subject of this article is about a 6 year old boy who was murdered by a psychotic individual. This article is not about abortion, race relations, etc. You both come across via this forum as two very insensitive people. Please get a reality check. If I knew your IP address & had the control to do so, I would block you myself from posting on this forum. The moderators from SSP has asked us all to STAY ON TOPIC!!!
Still, this conversation is about a little boy who used to live here and who became another victim of gun violence, a topic that everyone should and wants to focus on right now. If you want to go campaign about another injustice, go ahead and see who follows you, but today we were thinking about this little kid.
Christian at SSP: please start deleting Sunnyside Whines & Julie J’s ridiculous posts when they do not pertain to the subject at hand. They go off topic, on tangents and pretty much hijack the forum from all the other readers/commenters. They are attention mongers who are trying to be outrageous & it has gone over-board and has gone on for far too long. Thank you from the majority of Sunnyside residents!
Oh I am sure Julie J and Sunnyside whines are very friendly with people of color they are nothing but has beens who are angry because the world has changed and there kind is vanishing. This man’s child was murdered and these 2 low-lifes attack his intergrity are you f’ing kidding me.
“Julie J.”.
There have been rallies for the one year old boy that was murdered. Maybe you don’t have access to news of such rallies.
RE: your OP about Van Bramer’s crime being solved and how he must feel about stop, question, and frisk is flawed. This practice may sound like it’s reasonable but people are stopped with no reasonable suspicion, other than the color of their skin, on their way to/from school and work. The person arrested for thefts in the neighborhood was lurking around at 4 am looking into houses. Reasonable suspicion. Whether he’s guilty, let the jury/judge decide.
@witty
Racial bias becomes the topic when two recent white, murder victims are honored with street renaming and three recent non-white, murder victims are not. The poor Hindu fellow who was pushed in front of the subway train should certainly have been recognized similarly as he was the victim of a blatant and gruesome hate crime. We still have no idea why Lou Rispoli was killed but we do know he was a personal friend of the councilman, and he was white.
Liberals who like to pat themselves on the back over their multicultural sensitivity and sense of equality really go bonkers when someone dares to point out their double standards and hypocrisy.
Sunnyside Whines makes terrific points. Easy to mourn for a white kid – but a one year old black kid? Nothing to see, folks: let’s move on!
Racial bias does bother me, but it’s not really the topic- you could say it has a “tenuous connection” to what we’re discussing. But I bet the is an “Antiq Street” somewhere in the future of Brownsville, Brooklyn, and it won’t bother me.
Yes, stick to topic. Anyway, most of these legal procedures (more than 90%) take place in the 1st 13 weeks. Quit using desparate exaggeration when you can’t argue fairly.
I have a suggestion for MBA: why don’t you go to Brownsville, Brooklyn, where a one year old kid was shot in the head by gang members and preach there? No, I did not think you were that brave! Much easier when you are surrounded by affluent white people!
Yes, there is a pattern: affluent white people being honored. And I object. I am sorry for the Wheeler family but their tie to Sunnyside is tenuous. This another photo op for politicians and “feel good” moment. As for deleting comments, we could start with the bigoted and obnoxious “MBA Ph.D.” or whatever the fool is calling himself. How dare we have opinions, right?
I agree with MBA & PhD! This forum is not about abortion, domestic violence or race relations. It is about a little boy who had his life cut short by a madman with a gun. Since when did every idiot move to Sunnyside to start blogging on this post? There is so much negativity on this site. Can’t you people post intellectual, meaningful, thought provoking commentary or are you not capable of this? As per the Sunnyside Post’s directive, STAY ON THE TOPIC!!!
SuperW, racial bias should aggravate you too. I’m sorry it doesn’t.
The Wheeler child was deliberately murdered in a horrific mass murder in which 26 people were shot inside of an elementary school by a madman with a gun. These killings shocked the world, and rose above other, more random murders. While I’m not a fan of re-naming streets like this, I recognize what it means to some people and I can respect their feelings.
I’m not sure what car accidents have to do with this; the purpose of a car is for transportation and not for killing. And cars are pretty regulated, you know. No reason guns shouldn’t be regulated; most of our homicides involve guns.
Benjamin Wheeler is being memorialized in Sunnyside because he was a little kid who was murdered and he used to live here. I’m not sure the fact that he was white means anything but you can have your opinion. It’s pretty simple; I’m sorry it aggravates you so much.
MBA, ok, how about at 6,7,8 or 9 months? Is that ok?
You have no idea how much this family has done and what they went through. To boot, they are the nicest people and just as deserving as anyone. Such sad and angry people on this posting. Try empathy, it’s a nicer route.
Julie J. & Sunnyside Whines – get off of the abortion topic! We are posting about the street conaming for young Benjamin Wheeler. Go stand in front of an abortion clinic, pound on your chest, tout your conservative anti-abortion views and hand out pamphlets to those who give a shit! You can not, I repeat CAN NOT, compare the murder of a 6 year old boy by a sociopath to a fetus that is terminated in utero at 3 months of age!
Sunnyside Post – you were going to start deleting comments that didn’t have to do with the topic. Start with these ^ 2 ^ wankers…
Lou Rispoli and the Wheeler child were white. The hispanic domestic violence victim and the man shoved in front of the train in a hate crime were non-white immigrants. The Asian woman found murdered in a trunk obviously was not caucasian either. Are you starting to notice a pattern?
“Safe and secure environment” – but not for babies in the womb or the victims of domestic violence. How about removing cars from the street? How many people are killed in car accidents?
How many millions have been killed by abortion, Witty?
They have arms, legs, eyes, beating hearts, their own unique DNA, yet their lives are meaningless. Any intelligent person can see that they are human beings too.
To me, this all seems so petty, especially when these complaints were already made months ago. No one has anything new to say. A handful of grumbling people does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire community.
Fortunately, the vast majority of intelligent people recognize the value and the need for gun control. Their primary purpose is to kill. Who in their right mind would think that deadly weapons should not be controlled? It was LACK of control that lead to the death of this kid.
More than 4500 people have been kiiled in by a gun in America since the Newtown shootings. That more than the number of soldiers killed in Iraq. Everytime I see this kid’s name – Benjamin Wheeler – I will be reminded how we failed to provide a safe and secure learning environment because we didn’t want restrictions guns, we wanted to make sure that someone could have lots of guns and boxes of ammo in their home, in spite of the fact that their son was a mentally depressed social misfit.
As long as streets are being named after people to advance or bring awareness to a social/political cause, how about naming a street after the local hispanic woman who was stabbed to death by her husband recently?
Domestic violence is a serious issue, wouldn’t you all agree?
But I guess affluent, white people in Connecticut get more notice in Sunnyside than a hispanic person who actually lives here and works in a deli.
This was an innocent little kid gunned down by a lunatic.I have no problem walking by that street and remembering him. Hope he s praying for all of us Sunnysiders. But I do have a problem with the renaming of a street after Lou . Simply because it is an unsolved homicide and the police are not releasing any details of what happened that nite.
This is not about “hate” – this is about our neighborhood being exploited by people with an agenda. And I’m sick of it!
There are so many co-named streets these days, it’s hardly much of an honor any more. More of an excuse for politicians to create another photo op for themselves.
Oh Boy the same old Burned out folks who post there hate about anyone who is not Irish or Italian are positing again. Sunnyside is changing either join in or move on.
As much of a tragedy what happened was, I still don’t see the purpose of these street namings. Why not have a big board like hall of fame or something like “Sunnyside Remembers” a big monument at one of our local parks and then list these people on it with a little backstory if needed. Seriously this street naming crap needs to stop soon.
OK, so we covered Veterans, Gay & Lesbians, Gun Control Supporters, what’s next? Mexican immigrants don’t vote, so that’s why we don’t have street naming after hispanics. We don’t have too many blacks to name a street after MLK or MX. Maybe the opponent of JVB (whoever he is) should seek support of potheads by trying to name a street after snoop dogg.
A man was brutally murdered last year directly across the street from this spot on the Lowery subway platform. It was a hate crime too. When does he get a street named for him?
This is the family that had their hands out for money, right guys? Terrible ending to the boys life and a terrible legacy led by David Wheeler.
Benjamin Wheeler will be a name of defenseless children. Get a gun. People will leave you alone.
Adam Lanza first went to the highschool and turned around to the elementary school because there were armed security at the highschool. Of course the mainstream media will hide this from the Republic.
Haters gonna hate.
I object we have people of accomplishments who deserve street makings feel bad for parents but I’m tired of them and the political cronies send Crowley back to his home in Virginia
“Keep the fight for gun control alive.” Enough, Mr. Wheeler. Some of us disagree.
I feel sorry for the family but this was not right. There are many worthy people who should have streets named after them. I am also tired of the victimology and the people with an agenda. Now that Van Bramer’s crime has been solved, what does he think of stop, question and frisk? He is another police basher when you come right down to it.