Bronxites across the borough marked the beginning of a third decade of remembrance of the human toll suffered during the September 11^th attacks on America in 2001, earlier this month as the 144 Bronxites who died on the day the world changed forever were fondly recalled and honored.

 

Overseeing her first such event in her current role, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson joined dozens of police officers, firefighters, and court officers in recalling the fateful day and the loss most Americans still feel 21 years later.

 

Once again, a large crowd packed Lou Gehrig Plaza, across from Bronx County Courthouse, located on East 161st Street, for the borough president’s annual 9/11 Day of Remembrance which, this year, was held on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Members of the New York State Court Pipes and Drums and the New York State Ceremonial Unit inspired the crowd in song, while local religious leaders led the crowd in prayer.

 

As the ceremony got underway, a young man in a multi-colored, hooded jacket yelled out, “[Expletive] this country!” He then walked away from the gathering in the direction of the Grand Concourse.

 

Later, Assistant Chief Phillip Rivera of Patrol Borough Bronx would reference the outburst, saying, “Earlier, as this ceremony started, there was an individual who walked across the plaza and expressed his displeasure with our country, and that’s fine.” He added, “You can do that here, but you can’t do that in Afghanistan.”

The Hon. Doris Gonzalez, an administrative judge at Bronx Supreme Court, later told the crowd, “In honor of all those who have lost their lives on that terrible day and those who have passed, or will pass, due to 9/11 illnesses, on Sept. 11th every year, we listen to each and every name, read aloud by loved ones who lost somebody on that day.”

 

Recalling the attack, Gonzalez continued, “Court officers and other court personnel, working in the Manhattan courts and at the old Beaver Street Academy, heard two planes had flown into the World Trade Center and sprang into action.” She said more than 20 court officers responded to the tragedy and three never returned home.

 

The judge also recalled the renovation of a playground at the Bronx River Houses in the Soundview section of the borough that was later renamed for Captain William Harry Thompson, who had been assigned to New York State Office of Court Administration and was one of those killed, while attempting to rescue the victims trapped in the World Trade Center. Gonzalez added, “I hope and pray that there are more dedications to come, so those that were born after those events will know who died and their families.”

 

Gibson began her address by telling the crowd, “I am so grateful that each and every one of you are here today, because this is an important moment in the history of this country, and this is an important moment for our City and certainly for our great Borough of The Bronx.”

 

Recalling the fateful day, the borough president continued, “We saw men and women run into harm’s way, run into the fire, the dangers, to save and protect others unknown to them but just a human being, a brother, a sister, a friend, a neighbor, and 21 years later, this country is much stronger and resilient. It was a moment of pain, a moment of darkness, but we have truly found the light in the lives of nearly 3,000 first responders and essential workers and every day New Yorkers that we lost.”

Gibson concluded, “We will always remember their lives, their sacrifice, their service. Their memories will continue to be a blessing upon all of us, as a sign, as a beacon of hope for the next generation of leaders and first responders.”

 

At the halfway point during the ceremony, volunteers read the names of the known 144 Bronxites killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Just then, an unidentified female court officer fainted, likely due in part to the unseasonably warm weather, but perhaps also due to the emotional stress the anniversary tends to induce in many.

 

Master of Ceremonies Derrick Woods of BronxNet later said, “As we continue our ceremony, I would ask you to give a round of applause for our tremendous court officer who’s having a little trouble here today; we understand.”

 

During her prepared remarks, Laura Kavanagh, acting FDNY commissioner, said, “One of the things I find so extraordinary about the department I am lucky enough to work for is that, despite all of their loss, the 343 [firefighters] and the 299 [firefighters] that we lost since due to their work in rescue and recovery; they were not taken down.”

 

She added, “This is as much a story of resilience as it is one of grief and loss. Even in the days and weeks after, 911 calls were still responded to, despite everything that the department had gone through.”

 

Kavanagh ended her comments, adding, “Even if we can never ever repair the hole that was left that day, we can lift one another up. We can carry on, and we can give what I think is the greatest testament to never forgetting, which is living our lives in their honor. You see that every day when you see the children of first responders lost that day, signing up an oath to serve the FDNY. So, despite everything they lost that day, they were so inspired by their parents that they are willing to put themselves in danger.”

 

With a jetliner flying overhead, for his part, Rivera later recalled being a sergeant based at Manhattan’s 30th Precinct on 9/11. “Me, like dozens of other members of the command, were glued to the television, watching images which are seared in [our] memory forever,” he said. “While my tale is not one of running into burning buildings and rescuing people, it’s important for all of us to remember where we were that day, so that we remember every year where we need to be, and that’s right here.”

 

Rivera added, “We say that we never forget, but I think there’s one thing we’ve forgotten; the incredible sense of unity that happened after 9/11. We see today that we’re more focused on what divides us, what separates us. We understand that nobody’s perfect, except in the eyes of God, but we need to see that perfection in each other. We need to look at what unites us, instead of what divides us.”

 

Standing across from Lou Gehrig Plaza in front of Joyce Kilmer Park, Mott Haven resident, Steve Fontanez, was observed with some other passersby on the day of commemoration, quietly watching the solemn ceremony. Unaware beforehand the event was taking place that day, Fontanez said, “I just happened to walk by and noticed this was going on. I felt I’d pay honor to them as well.”

 

The resident later recalled being in school on 9/11, taking his KSAT exam when he got a call advising him that his brother, Victor Fontanez Jr., a Con Edison worker, had been seriously injured in the attacks. Fontanez said, “He was actually with Con Edison’s Hazmat Division and he was one of the first ones called to turn off the gas in the Twin Towers.”

According to Con Edison, the Hazmat Division is a team trained to protect first responders from potential utility hazards and exposure to hazardous materials in the event of a biological, chemical, nuclear, or radiological incident.

 

He added, “When he realized where the valve was to turn off the main gas while they were walking in, Tower Two started to come down.” Fontanez said his brother later retired from the energy company after 38 years of service.

 

Earlier in the week, other similar commemorative events were held in The Bronx. At the 49th Precinct on Eastchester Road, officers had mobilized in the days after 9/11, to bring needed food and water to those working at Ground Zero and on the grounds of Jacobi Hospital, where doctors and nurses had been on stand-by to receive potentially hundreds of victims. However, tragically none arrived. A separate ceremony was also held at FDNY’s Engine 72 in Throggs Neck.

 

University professor, Victor Mastro, of Indian Village had just walked to his job at Grace Dodge High School on Crotona Avenue in The Bronx on 9/11 when he was asked by colleagues, “Did you hear what happened?” He said teachers were crowded around a television set, watching the surreal images like scenes from a disaster film. Mastro recalled several of his students and one teacher with whom he shared a classroom who perished. Years later, he would express his feelings on the loss in several poems which were later published in several local papers.

 

In August this year, it was reported that a CIA drone strike killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda and a reported co-conspirator with Osama Bin Laden in the September 11th attacks.

At a separate Jacobi Hospital ceremony, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto (A.D. 82) was pressed on a government report that alleges that members of the Saudi Arabian government assisted some of the 9/11 hijackers. Benedetto replied, “I think the evidence clearly shows that there were people in Saudi Arabia who were conspiring along with the terrorists, and probably the government.”

 

Asked about a proposed Saudi-sponsored women’s golf tournament due to be held at Trump Golf Links in Ferry Point Park in Throggs Neck in October, Benedetto replied, “I think it’s terrible, and I think it’s indicative of the Trump Organization and the slap in the face to America to allow this to happen.”

 

As previously reported by Norwood News, the City had previously called for NYC Parks’ department to cancel the contract which allows Trump Golf Links to operate The Bronx golf course in the wake of the January 6^th insurrection at the Capitol building in Washington D.C. in 2021.

 

However, a judge later threw out the City’s legal challenge which was led at the time by former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio who, in 2020, had sought the Democratic nomination for president, in hopes of beating Trump in the general election.

The judge’s decision centered around an absence of precise contractual language in the prevailing legal contract to support the City’s claim regarding the Trump Organization’s likely inability in the future [due to potential bad press] to fulfill its contractual obligations under the contract in terms of attracting prestigious and lucrative tournaments to the venue.

 

Repeated calls for comment on the upcoming golf tournament to Brian Crowell, director of golf at Trump Golf Links have gone unreturned. Norwood News has also reached out for comment via email.

 

The UFA regrets to inform the passing of Chief Stephen Geraghty who, this past week, lost his battle to WTC-related illness. He is the 4th member of the FDNY to lose his life this past week due to the aftermath of that Fateful Day. Absolutely horrific. pic.twitter.com/8y6CxC9hbF

— FDNY UFA (@UFANYC) September 22, 2022

As the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks came and went, the FDNY announced four more deaths of city workers who have since perished from 9/11-related illnesses in the days leading up to the anniversary. They were retired firefighter, William Hughes, of Ladder 123, retired firefighter, Gregg Lawrence, of Engine 308, retired Battalion Chief Joseph McKie of Battalion 41, and since we went to press, retired Battalion Chief Stephen Geraghty of the Rescue Battalion.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.

 

Editor’s Note: Check out our latest Inquiring Photographer feature where we ask Bronxites their views on plans to hold a Saudi-sponsored women’s golf tournament at Trump Golf Links in Ferry Point Park in Throggs Neck.