We just received the following news release from Lower Manhattan’s elected officials:
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, State Senator Daniel Squadron and City Councilmember Margaret Chin released the following joint statement:
“We were extremely disappointed by Mayor Bloomberg’s callous dismissal yesterday of a potential alternative location for the upcoming trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
“His comments in today’s Downtown Express calling the recommendation of Community Board 1’s Executive Committee to move the trial to Governors Island ‘one of the dumber ideas’ he has heard demonstrates a lack of sensitivity and understanding for the significant toll the trial may exact on the residents and small businesses of Lower Manhattan. Given that Commissioner Kelly publicly stated that the possibility of holding the trial on Governors Island was an option meriting consideration on the same day that the Mayor made his statement, we question on what basis the Mayor dismissed Community Board 1’s recommendation.
“As we prepare to meet this challenge, we must work with the residents and businesses of Lower Manhattan to incorporate their concerns into a plan that will not be an extreme burden on a community that is still suffering the physical, emotional and economic consequences of the September 11th attacks.
“While we recognize that the 6th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires that the trial be held in the state and district where the crime occurred – which means the Southern District of New York – we urge Attorney General Eric Holder and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to assess the feasibility of locating the trials on Governors Island or other alternative sites that would ease the burden on our already overburdened Lower Manhattan neighborhoods.”
