Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Delivers Remarks at Vigil for Victims of Dominican Republic Nightclub Tragedy

Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Delivers Remarks at Vigil for Victims of Dominican Republic Nightclub Tragedy

Earlier today, Governor Hochul delivered remarks at the vigil for victims of the Dominican Republic nightclub tragedy.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page has photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Buenas noches. They say that grief is the price you pay for love. What does that mean? You feel this overwhelming sense of loss, grief because you invested so much of your own emotions into another person. And for so many of our family here and in the beautiful country of Dominican Republic, that pain is so raw because grief is the price you pay for love.

And tonight we gather in a sense of love, knowing the grief that our family members are feeling. We want to send that love from New York, from the Bronx, all the way to those families and say, we understand we're here in solidarity with every one of you. And if we could lift up a little bit of your pain and your sorrow just for a few moments, we want you to know we are together in this.

I want to thank our Borough President, an extraordinary leader who I've seen literally tested by fire. In her first days on the job when there was a horrific fire in an apartment building here, I saw the face of courage in this young woman who stood up, and I was so proud to be joining her as well in that. But even as this other night, we think about the sorrows so many people are feeling.

The first Dominican member of Congress, my great friend Adriano Espaillat. I want to thank him for being such a strong champion of this community. We have spoken a number of times on the phone over this and what we can do to lift up the members of this community in this time of grief.

And all the other electeds who are here. I want you to look around tonight as the sky darkens. You'll see our landmarks from our bridges to our buildings all the way up to Niagara Falls will be lit tonight to show our love for the Dominican Republic. They'll be lit in blue, white, and red. And our flags I've directed to be made to be lowered at half mask. Why? As a symbol of respect to say that your pain is our pain.

And you think about the ordinary people, you talked about the celebrities, the well-known individuals called out by our Bronx President, but also the, the moms and dads, the brothers and sisters, the children, the parents, the aunts and uncles - ordinary people just got together to have some fun to enjoy life. Maybe take them out of their existence. Maybe work is hard and things are expensive. It's hard to get a get by anymore, and they came together just to be lifted out of their existence for a nice evening.

And that is the heartbreak of this particular tragedy, that in that moment of joy, in a flash, in an instant - it became a moment of tragedy. So I say this, we must always be reminded in these sad times of the fragility of life and how precious it is. And if you have children or people in your home when you wake up in the morning, you must give them a hug. You must kiss them. You must be reminded that you may not always see them at the end of the day. And I think about those individuals who maybe said goodbye to someone not knowing it'll be their last time.

But also, we never forget the first responders and their loved ones here across New York and in places like the Dominican Republic where they show up no matter how bad it is out there, and their family members know that with that fear in their hearts, but that sense of pride that they're married to someone or the child of someone who will put on a uniform and run into the flames and into the danger when everybody else is running out. We've seen it here in this city and now we've seen it in a particular nightclub in Santo Domingo.

New York is so proud to be the home of over 1 million Dominicans - 1 million. Anyone here, Dominican? I knew I was in the right place. And I've marched in your parades, and I called the President yesterday and expressed our love and our solidarity, our counsel Jenna, we work together. There is such an affinity, a tightness, a closeness. It is a sense of familia and I'm so proud to govern a state that is so diverse and so welcoming and so embracing of other people and their ideas and cultures and yes, amazing dances like the meringue. Don't ask me to do it. At the next parade, I ask you, please do not ask. Adriano always says he is going to teach me.

But the ties between our countries, the country, and our state are unshakeable. And I do believe as a result of this tragedy, they're even stronger. So for all of our clergy here, I ask you to continue consoling this community, we draw on your strength and the teachings of Jesus Christ, who offers comfort as we approach this Easter weekend, at a time of sorrow, but also of deliverance and resurrection. We will be resurrected from our pain that we're feeling today. I know it because that is the promise that God gives us.

But until that time, know that we feel the love for each and every one of you, and especially those who've lost a loved one in that tragedy. But I am there for you and so proud. So proud to be here, to see the love in this moment. It inspires me to go back as I'm heading back up to our State Capitol to do the work of the people, but I leave all of you with a sense that you are here because you care and because you love, and that's why tonight you are in grief.

Thank you very much.

Contact the Governor's Press Office