The older brother of Avonte Oquendo writes a letter to thank the city in their efforts

On October 4, 2013, Avonte Oquendo went missing slipping out the door of his Long Island City school.

The disappearance of the teen caused a city wide search that lasted over the course of three-months. The search took place all over the city from the East River to New Jersey and everywhere in-between.

After three months, the teen’s remains were found on the Queens beach. Despite failing rescue efforts, the older brother of Avonte Oquendo wrote a very moving letter to the city and everybody who helped with the search.

The letter read:

New Yorkers are labeled as rude, impatient, aggressive, and unsympathetic. I’m writing to tell you that this reputation the rest of the world assumes is far from the truth. Although the daily New York experience may feel like one of isolation amongst crowds, any true New Yorker will tell you that when it matters most, this city comes together in larger numbers than any other community on the planet as proven after the tragedy of 9/11. This tendency for New Yorkers to come together also held true during the city-wide search for my younger brother, Avonte Oquendo.

Let this be a reminder that at the end of the day, as tough as New Yorkers are, we can come together as one to achieve common goals that are in the best interest of our children, our loved ones, and our city…

On behalf of my family, I would like to thank all the searchers, marchers and everyone who held us in their thoughts for the love and support you have displayed during these extremely rough times. God bless you.

The message of the letter was to urge schools in the city to provide proper staffing for students to prevent anything of this magnitude ever happening again.

–Andrew Somuah(@Drewtheabstract)