NYC Mayor Mamdani wants New Yorkers to remember the heroes of 9/11
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is making private visits to New York City firehouses as we approach 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Mamdani was 9 years old when terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center towers. He said he remembers the feelings of fear and uncertainty.
"It is the darkest day in our city's history. It has shaped the lives of anyone who has had the privilege to call this city home," he said.
He said the somber occasion is an opportunity to commemorate the service and sacrifice of those who died.
The mayor said he has been meeting with people in small groups and hearing stories from both firefighters who remember that day and others who became firefighters because of it.
"I went to Rescue 3 in the Bronx where I learned of a brother who spent days searching for his brother, refusing to leave until he found his brother, and then eventually joining the same rescue company. This was Danny and Tommy Foley," Mamdani said.
These firehouses, the mayor said, have lived up to the vow to "Never forget," and that belief and duty is not only a personal responsibility, but a collective responsibility to learn about those who were on duty that day and who were killed.
"It breaks your heart because it shows you that as much as people try to measure the darkness of that day in statistics, we have to remember that we're talking about families whose lives were shattered," Mamdani said. "We're talking about people who are often described by their profession but remembered for the fullness of who they were to every person in their life."
The number of people who have died of 9/11-related illnesses has now surpassed the number of people who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Mamdani said the city government has a responsibility to support families of those who have died or are sick.
"So many of these New Yorkers are ones who made the decision to run towards Ground Zero, and for that, they have suffered medically, and the city should be there for them," he said.
Mamdani noted this year, he allocated tens of millions of dollars to create a portal where New Yorkers could search through city documents to see what the government knew at the time.
The mayor said if he could talk to his 9-year-old self, he would tell him New York is still his home and the same city he loved.
"I have the privilege of being here for the 25th anniversary and ensuring that it's a day about those that were stolen from us and the legacy that they leave behind of what it means to love and lead a city," Mamdani said.
