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Tipsheet

9/11 Survivors, First Responders Excluded from 20th Anniversary Events at Ground Zero

AP Photo/Craig Ruttle

As Americans across the country prepare to observe the 20th anniversary of 9/11, one group of those impacted by the terrorist attacks is being excluded from official ceremonies at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. 

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The official press release from the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum — chaired by Michael Bloomberg — explains:

The commemoration is for family members of victims of the 2001 and 1993 attacks, and they have been invited to participate in this year’s reading of the names. The 9/11 Memorial Museum will be open solely for family members, beginning at 7 a.m.

On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 innocent people were murdered by radical Islamic terrorists. The loved ones of those whose lives were snuffed out 20 years ago deserve to have a venue to mourn and remember. But shouldn't survivors from Ground Zero who worked in the towers or responded to the attack — many of whom had friends and colleagues who didn't make it home that night — also have the chance to mourn at the site or participate in the ceremony? 

A statement from the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum released in reaction to coverage of survivors and first responders' exclusion insisted that there is "no change from previous years" for the 20th anniversary event. The statement also pointed out that "on September 10, we provide hours of exclusive access to the Museum for members of the 9/11 Community: rescue and recovery workers, first responders, downtown residents, survivors, family members of victims and more."

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But according to first responders, they've been allowed to attend and take part in 9/11 anniversary ceremonies in years past. The New York Post explains:

Jim Riches, a retired firefighter whose firefighter son, Jimmy, was killed in the attacks, has attended every 9/11 ceremony and said many first-responders were admitted without passes.

“They turn a blind eye and let them in,” he said. “I know some in full uniform have gotten in and also seen others turned away.”

Sally Regenhard, whose firefighter son, Christian, was killed on 9/11, said responders and survivors should all be welcomed.

“I think that 9/11 happened to a lot of people, and we can’t forget the survivors. It didn’t happen exclusively to people who were massacred on that day. It profoundly affected other people, who were physically or emotionally injured,” Regenhard said.

“People in the uniformed services consider the people they work with as brothers and sisters — they’re a family. They should make an effort to have every single first responder who would like to attend, go. It should be open to all of them, especially those who answered the call of duty on 9/11,” she said.

Even if it's true that first responders and survivors of the attacks have not been included in the annual gatherings at Ground Zero, such exclusion is still a shame.

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The NYPD, FDNY, and PAPD are like families. On 9/11, 343 firefighters from FDNY lost their lives while working to save others. Since 2001, an additional 226 have died from illnesses related to their heroic action on 9/11. NYPD lost 23 officers while 37 PAPD officers were killed. More than 240 have passed away from 9/11-related illnesses in the 20 years since. Yet first responders who knew and served alongside the fallen won't be invited to or a part of this year's anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero.

As The New York Post also recounts, the 20th anniversary ceremony will not be the first time first responders were excluded from 9/11 anniversary ceremonies at the memorial and museum. When it opened just in time for the 10th anniversary of the attacks in 2011, police officers and firefighters were told there wasn't room for them. In 2016, a number of first responders were excluded from the event in order to make room for politicians who wanted to attend.

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