'Every Pinwheel Represents A Child Who Could Have Been Saved:' 767 Pinwheels, Mother Calls For Kyra's Law

MANHASSET, NY — Kyra Franchetti should have been celebrating her 12th birthday this year. To honor her legacy, as well as take a stand against child homicide, Long Island high school students planted 767 pinwheels in Manhasset.

Jacqueline Franchetti, mother to Kyra and founder of Kyra’s Champions, said this was the sixth year of adding pinwheels on Kyra's birthday and during National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

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For six years, she has stood in Mary Jane Davies Green Park alongside students and community members, adding more pinwheels to honor Kyra and the number of children across New York who were failed by the state's family court system, she said.

"Each one representing another child killed in New York after systems meant to protect them failed," she said. "Every single pinwheel represents a child who could have been saved."

On July 27, 2016, Roy Eugene Rumsey killed his daughter, Kyra, ignited a fire that heavily damaged his house in Fairfax City, Virginia, then fatally shot himself in the head, police said. Jacqueline said the tragedy was during an unsupervised, court-approved visit, despite warnings of abusive and concerning behavior.

"April 4th should have been Kyra’s 12th birthday," Jacqueline said, adding that this should never have happened. "What happened to Kyra can happen to a child you know and love, unless legislative changes are made."

Kyra was just 28 months old when she was killed, Jacqueline said.

"Kyra was a fiercely independent toddler who loved Elmo," Jacqueline said. "Kyra’s Champions was created to make sure this doesn’t happen to other children."

Kyra's child custody case is the inspiration for six bills in the NYS legislature, including Kyra's Law, Jacqueline said.

The Manhasset resident and mother to Kyra said she has been working tirelessly to pass Kyra's Law, which would require judges to prioritize a child’s safety and well-being during custody and visitation court proceedings.

"Kyra’s Law is critical because it would make child safety the top priority in custody cases and require judges to be trained in child abuse and family violence," Jacqueline said.

There have been rallies over the years in an effort to urge lawmakers to pass the law (A.6194-Hevesi/S.5998-Skoufis).

Junior and senior high school students from across Long Island have shown up to be the voice for children who no longer have one through the 'Pinwheels in the Parks' event. These student advocates are standing up for child safety and demanding change, Jacqueline said.

This year’s event was co-led by Keren Blumenfeld, a high school junior at the Portledge School in Locust Valley who lives in Port Washington. Keren has been a member of the Student Advocacy program since its start, Jacqueline said. She wants to extend her gratitude to the Town of North Hempstead, Commissioner Kelly Gillen, and Supervisor DeSena for their support with the event.

"Watching them place each pinwheel — understanding what it represents — is both devastating and inspiring," Jacqueline said.

The 'Pinwheels in the Park' event is more than a way to honor Kyra's life – Jacqueline said it is a way to "expose a truth New York lawmakers continue to ignore — these children did not have to die."

The mother said she has raised awareness about Kyra's custody case and Kyra's Law across the state, has sent more than 300,000 emails to NY lawmakers, worked with legal experts, held press conferences and rallies, and built bipartisan support.

"When I go to Albany, lawmakers stop and hug me," she said.
"And still — lawmakers like Assemblymember Charles Lavine refuse to act. So this is no longer just about honoring Kyra’s legacy. It’s about calling out the people in power who are choosing inaction while children continue to die in horrific and preventable homicides."

For each pinwheel added in the Manhasset display, she said, it is not just a horrific tragedy.

"It is a failure of leadership."

The bill has more than 100 co-sponsors, out of 150, in the NY Assembly and passed unanimously in the Senate in June, she said, and yet, "it is sitting idle because of legislative failures."

In a response, Assemblymember Charles D. Lavine told Patch, "The provisions of the bill remain under earnest consideration."

Every year that the law is not passed, Jacqueline said, it enables abusers. She said that although she has blamed Lavine, he is not the only one at fault.

"Governor Kathy Hochul shares responsibility," Jacqueline said.

Governor Kathy Hochul and her team were not immediately available for comment when Patch reached out.

The mother has led advocacy efforts across the state. At this point, Jacqueline said her organization has done their job, and "awareness is not the issue."

She urges people to call Assemblymember Lavine's office to demand that Kyra's Law be calendared and brought to a vote.

"What happened to Kyra should never happen to another child — but without legislative action, it continues to happen," she said. "It is costing New York children their lives. I am tired of reading headlines about children being murdered in custody situations when there is a solution sitting in a committee."

More information on Kyra's Law and Kyra's Champions, including how to support the efforts, can be found online.