2009-K1358
LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending the prompt and heroic actions of Duane
Jackson, a New York City street vendor who alerted police of a smoking
SUV in Times Square on May 1, 2010
WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to acknowledge the
caring concern, astute thinking and heroic acts of individuals who take
immediate and appropriate actions in emergency situations; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
the prompt and heroic actions of Duane Jackson, a New York City street
vendor who alerted police of a smoking SUV in Times Square; and
WHEREAS, On May 1, 2010, thousands of New Yorkers, tourists and visi-
tors in the vicinity of the Times Square area of Manhattan were targeted
by an apparent terrorist attack that included the use of a potential
explosive device placed in a motor vehicle that was parked along 45th
Street near Seventh Avenue; and
WHEREAS, The alert and quick actions of Duane Jackson led to the
successful response of local law enforcement assigned to the area and is
believed to have saved the lives of potentially thousands of individuals
who were in Times Square at the time the explosive device was discov-
ered; and
WHEREAS, Vietnam War veteran Duane Jackson risked his life to protect
the lives of his fellow Americans during that difficult conflict and
today, has continued to protect the lives of his fellow New Yorkers; he
was honorably discharged from the United States Navy with an E-3 Rank in
1972; and
WHEREAS, A resident of Westchester, New York, Duane Jackson was born
in San Francisco, and attended high school in Compton, California; he
earned a Bachelor of Science degree in City Planning from Boston Univer-
sity in 1976, and completed two years of post-grad work at the Universi-
ty of DC; and
WHEREAS, Duane Jackson worked for the New York City Board of Educa-
tion, and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and
Development before becoming a street vendor in 1989; he began by selling
golf clubs to executives in the Wall Street area; and
WHEREAS, Active in his community, Duane Jackson is an Associate member
of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
(NOBLE), President of the Vietnam Veterans of America Manhattan Chapter,
and co-Founder of the Golden Decade Foundation, an organization which
mentors and provides scholarships and internships to college students
from minority communities; and
WHEREAS, With him throughout have been his wife of 25 years, Linda,
and their two children, Tiffany Jackson and Duane Tyler Jackson, all of
whom feel privileged to be a part of his life and rejoice in his
achievements; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend the prompt and heroic actions of Duane Jackson, a New York City
street vendor who alerted police of a smoking SUV in Times Square on May
1, 2010; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Duane Jackson, Westchester, New York.