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9/11 Anniversary Illuminated by Towers of Light
Spotlights generated two huge beams of light on the 8th anniversary of 9/11, as crowds gathered to pay tribute.
By Shaan Sachdev
NEW YORK, Sept. 11 -- Low, dark clouds swirled around two towers of light at Ground Zero on Friday, setting an oddly contrasting mood on the 8th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks. The ghostly resemblances of the two towers, assembled by the Municipal Arts Society and headed by its Vice President Frank Sanchis, shone brightly despite the gloomy weather for the sixth year running.
Each beam of light comprised of 44 spotlights that sat atop the 7th floor of a parking lot. Rafael Latorre, technician for the MAS, estimated the cost of each spotlight at $11000. The equipment cost MAS $1 million at its initial purchase, and an additional $2 million over the last six years. All costs are funded by grants provided by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Latorre explained that MAS intends to continue the annual installation until a permanent memorial is set up, which may require Sanchis to request for more grants. The arrangement of the 88 spotlights, which each generate 7,000 watts and on clear nights can be seen from New Jersey, took approximately one week to set up. At sunrise on the 12th they are to be dismantled.
Crowds of people walked past Ground Zero and the area opposite the monument of lights despite the rainy weather. The emotional climate of the site varied, ranging from New Yorkers still stricken with grief to tourists taking smiling pictures with their camera. Men standing outside pubs carried on conversations while gazing at the towers of light, while fire fighters and policemen remained a presence in the crowd, noticeable in their uniforms.
Donna, a former police officer who assisted in rescuing survivors during the attacks and lost 4 friends doing so, stood guard at the entrance of the building that hosted the lights. The anniversary was still an emotional day for Donna, who described her experience at the attacks “like being in war”.
Kerin Ziemian, construction worker and volunteer firefighter from New Jersey, stood facing Ground Zero with flowers, head bowed and tears streaming. She lost a fellow firefighter in the attacks—“they found part of him about 8 months later”. The flowers, she said, were for everybody.
Brian Grogan, of the FDNY, seemed less melancholy as he carried bagpipes and wore a kilt. Grogan was buried in rubble after the collapse of the South Tower. After crawling out on his hands and knees, he assisted in moving people from the debris of the tower to police boats down by the water before searching for survivors in the rubble of the North Tower. Grogan lost “quite a few” colleagues in the 9/11 attacks, and its annual anniversary serves as a day where members of the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums remember their friends. “We will continue to honor it”, Grogan said, before heading off with some policemen to Suspenders, a local pub.
The anniversary remained less personal to other members of the crowd. Some toured around friends and relatives, such as Patricia, who saw the beams for the first time. Luis Sandovol visited the site for the second time from Mexico. Daniel Woolfolk, a photojournalist from Columbia University, could not believe that two huge buildings once filled what now is a “big empty space”.
The September 11, 2001 attacks in Manhattan reflected massive civilian casualties and shocked the United States into realizing the domestic threat that terrorists pose in additional to their international activities. The attacks, perpetrated by Al-Qaeda, have transformed the international political tide.
After 8 years, some wonder about whether the emotion that initially surrounded the date still exists among Americans. While hundreds flocked around Ground Zero this year, the ambiguity of the crowd’s intentions remained clear. For some, the day was a spectacle, worth showing friends and capturing on phones. Others enjoyed gaping at the massive towers of light as supplements to an otherwise drunken night. Photographers and journalists speckled the crowd. Of course, those involved first-hand in the brutalities that unfolded 8 years ago maintained a visible presence—those sporting FDNY uniforms were given wide berth by civilians.
Were New Yorkers, or Americans generally, gradually losing respect and passion for a day that changed their history? Donna, policewoman, frankly felt that people were. Brian Grogan, FDNY, understood that people had to continue on with their lives. “There was a good turnout today despite the rain”, he added.
Eileen, a proud New Yorker who gazed up at the lights with tears streaming down her face, felt that the event is still fresh in the minds of New Yorkers. While other Americans may not feel as vividly harmed by 9/11, Eileen believed that it certainly doesn’t pass them by.
One group who seemed keen on reminding the crowds of the consequences of the attacks sat upon a red “Freedom Truck”, adorned with televisions portraying the two planes flying into the towers, that blared horns as it slowly made its way down the street. When the truck stopped occasionally, a man jumped down with a microphone and asked onlookers to share their memories of the attacks, reminding all that if “you see something, say something!”
Whether or not onlookers of the 8th commemoration deeply sympathized with the attacks and anniversary, their substantial presence seemed meaningful to those who viewed the event emotionally.