9/11 Memorial marks
28th anniversary
of 1993 WTC bombing
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
The 9/11 Memorial &
Museum commemorated
the 28th anniversary of
the 1993 World Trade Center
bombing.
On Feb. 26, 1993, a truck bomb
detonated in a parking garage
underneath the North Tower. The
blast killed six people—including
a pregnant woman— and injured
1,000, and knocked out the main
electrical line. Smoke rose to the
93rd fl oor and 50,000 people
were evacuated from the towers.
The names of those who were
killed in the attack are engraved
on the 9/11 Memorial near the
North Memorial Pool where the
ceremony was held. The PAPD,
FDNY and NYPD Pipe and
Drums led the procession into
the ceremony, and a moment of
silence was held at the time the
The 28th anniversary of the 1993 bombing at the World
Trade Center is observed during the annual commemoration
ceremony held at the North Pool of the Memorial Plaza on
Friday, Feb. 26, 2021.
bombing occurred in 1993.
After PAPD Offi cer Gil Ramos
sang the national anthem, Charlie
Maikish, former Director of the
World Trade Center Department,
Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey, read the names of
PHOTOS BY MONIKA GRAFF, 9/11 MEMORIAL
those who died. The ceremony
ended with fl oral tributes on the
panel dedicated to John DiGiovanni,
Robert Kirkpatrick, Stephen
Knapp, William Macko, Wilfredo
Mercado and Monica Rodriguez
Smith and her unborn child.
East Side Coastal Resiliency report mysteriously
appears with unreadable redactions
BY DEAN MOSES
A much sought-after
ghost study of the East
Side Coastal Resiliency
(ESCR) that mysteriously could
not be traced has suddenly been
released to the public, but it is
almost unreadable due to heavy
redactions.
East River Park Action has
been pulling at the threads of
the East Side Coastal Resiliency
(ESCR) project for about three
years now. The organization—
consisting of concerned Lower
East Side residents—are opposed
to this $1.4 billion plan that
would reconstruct approximately
57 acres of coastal parkland from
East 25th Street to Montgomery
Street.
In 2018, the rationale for
moving forward with the ESCR
project, rather than a less invasive
one, was said to be based on a
“Value Engineering Study.” The
East River Park Action group
fi led a Freedom of Information
Law request but was told in January
by the City’s Department of
Design and Construction (DDC)
that they did not have this report
on fi le. East River Park Action is
a strong opponent of the ESCR
project since the reconstruction
will remove over 1,000 trees,
which will subsequently be
replaced after construction, and
pack the land with about eight to
ten feet of fi ll to help elevate the
park, making it fl ood-resistant.
Hurricane Sandy devastated
the Lower East Side in 2012, and
in response community leaders
and city planning agencies had
several discussions on how to
prevent such large-scale coastal
fl ooding in the area. Originally,
a far less expensive plan was
discussed for several years but
was discarded in favor of the
ESCR in 2018. The reasoning for
this shift was based on a study
that would showcase the pros
and cons of this project as well
as other pertinent information,
which was announced by Mayor
Bill de Blasio.
However, according to a tweet
by Kirsten Theodos, who shared
the report over social media the
majority of its pages are blacked
out, making it unreadable.
“The new City plan will destroy
57 acres of coastal parkland, fell
nearly 1000 mature trees and
eliminate the only large outdoor
Graffiti reading “Save East River Park” is scrawled beside the
FDR drive.
greenspace residents on LES
for recreation and wellness. The
City plan is twice as expensive,
provides no interim fl ood protection
during the many years of
construction, & requires unprecedented
ecological destruction of
the largest municipal park on the
LES impacting the residents of
the predominantly low income,
BIPOC neighborhood,” Theodos
wrote in a tweet.
As stated on NYC ESCR
project’s website, the plan is set
to create “boundaries of this project
correspond with the natural
“pinch-points” in the 100-year
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
fl oodplain: areas where the land
is higher along the coastline, making
it easier to close the system
off from water entering from
the north and south. The project
design integrates fl ood protection
into the community fabric,
improving waterfront open spaces
and access, rather than walling off
the neighborhood.”
According to the DDC, “The
documents show that the City’s
design – approved by the City
Council – is the best alternative;
it adds the benefi t of protecting
East River Park itself from future
fl ooding. This project will protect
vulnerable New Yorkers from
extreme weather and rising sea
levels, while improving an iconic
public space for generations to
come. It’s a global model and
we’re proud to deliver it.” They
also stated that they were not
involved with the redactions and
that would be under the purview
of the City.
Laura Feyer, Deputy Press
Secretary for the NYC Offi ce of
the Mayor, shared that those who
request a FOIL are allowed to
appeal some of the redaction but
stated that East River Park Action
has not done so yet. She also
explained that FOIL responses
include details for the redactions,
which can be for privacy
concerns.
“Please note, however, that
OMB is redacting certain responsive
information as follows: (1)
inter-agency or intra-agency materials,
which are not: (i) statistical
or factual tabulations or data; (ii)
instructions to staff that affect the
public; or (iii) fi nal agency policy
or determinations, pursuant to
New York Public Offi cers Law
§87(2)(g); and (2) information
which, if disclosed, would constitute
an unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy, pursuant to New
York Public Offi cers Law §87(2)
(b),” she said, sharing the standard
for FOIL redaction regulations.
More at amny.com.
4 March 4, 2021 Schneps Media
/amny.com
