The City Council is taking a strong stand against holding the upcoming 9/11 terror trial in Lower Manhattan. In a statement released a short time ago, Speaker Christine Quinn, Councilmember Margaret Chin and Councilmember Peter Vallone urged the Federal government to find a new location. Earlier today, Chin was named chair of the Council’s Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Committee. See Quinn and Chin’s staements below:
Quinn: “While I support proactive efforts to relocate the 9/11 terror trials outside of Lower Manhattan and New York City all together, all viable
alternative options including holding the trials on Governors Island should be thoroughly explored. Not only did Lower Manhattan suffer on that tragic day but it suffered in the many weeks and months after as our city recovered. Further impacting New York City and Lower Manhattan to accommodate these trials is simply too large of a burden on New Yorkers and on our city’s resources.”
Chin: “With an estimated $200 million a year in security costs, this money would be better spent on constructing a short-term detention and trial location on Governors Island or somewhere else. Our district office is in the middle of the hard security zone and residents are concerned about disruption of their lives, being locked in or out of their homes, and having snipers aim at them from their rooftops. After the disruptions of the September 11th attacks, this community does not deserve further inconveniences.”
*Sigh* So, some other community should have to deal with this instead? I still refuse to believe the United States is incapable of trying a terrorist according to the full due process of law, much less that NYC is peculiarly crippled in this regard.
The people who live around Park Row are afraid their day to day lives will be in complete upheaval – and that they won’t have access to their homes.