A photo display honors the late Melvindale Police Cpl. Mohamed Said, who died in July in the line of duty, during a Feb. 26 event to rename Strong Middle School to Mohamed Said Elementary School, which will open to fourth- and fifth-graders in the fall.
Mohamed Mohsein Said, father of the late Police Cpl. Mohamed Said
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
MELVINDALE – Strong Middle School, which will serve fourth- and fifth-graders next fall, was renamed Mohamed Said Elementary in honor of the police corporal killed last July in the line of duty.
Said’s youngest brother, Yousef Said, will attend the school as a fourth-grader in the fall.
The event was held Feb. 26 in the school auditorium, on what would have been Mohamed Said’s 27th birthday.
Police Chief Robert Kennaley said Melvindale-Northern Allen Park School Supt. Ryan Vranesich was fully supportive of the name change.
“Since Mohamed Said was raised here and went through the school system here, it’s more than adequate to name the school after him,” he said.
City Councilmember Saleim Abuali said Said is worthy of the honor.
“It makes us feel great given that he is getting the credit he deserves,” Abuali said. “But at the same time, it’s a hard feeling. We lost a hero that was an inspiration to me personally and the whole community.”
Melvindale City Councilmember Saleim Abuali
Abuali said young people have been inspired to enter law enforcement in Said’s memory.
“We are all going to set a great example for Moe, for everything that he wanted to do, to continue the positive impact,” he said.
Said’s father, Mohamed Mosein Said, said that he is broken hearted, and his son was like a friend to him.
He said it will be an honor to see his son’s name on the school in the years to come.
“It’s good for us, and it’s going to remember him all my life,” Mohamed Mosein Said said.
Former Melvindale City Councilmember and Public Safety Commissioner Joseph Alvardo, who is a lieutenant with the Wayne County Airport Authority Police Department, said the idea to name the school after Corporal Said first gained traction on social media.
“It’s a great idea,” he said. “It’s a new school pretty much, a legacy; it’s more than honorable.”
Alvardo said Said walked the halls as a student in the building.
“It’s fitting that the community always remembers his soul,” he said.
Above and below, community members gather to celebrate the late Melvindale Police Cpl. Mohamed Said on Feb. 26, his birthday, celebrating the renaming of Strong Middle School to Mohamed Said Elementary School, which will open to fourth- and fifth-graders in the fall.
Melvindale Police Chief Robert Kennaley
Former Melvindale City Councilmember and Public Safety Commissioner Joseph Alvarado, currently a lieutenant with the Wayne County Airport.