NO PARKING WEDNESDAY
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ESTABLISH PEACE THROUGH TRUTH
A beautifully peaceful lady stands at the northern end of Union Square on the evening before the first anniversary of 9/11.
Early evening just after 6PM, 10th September 2002. -
ONE YEAR ON
Ground Zero one year on and two NYPD and a NYFD stand and pose for the press, a proud moment tarnished by the memory of their colleagues lost on that fateful day exactly a year before.
Corner of Church Street and Liberty, September 11th 2002. -
LOOKING FROM CHURCH STREET INTO THE VOID TOWARDS WHERE THE TOWERS ONCE STOOD
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PHIL THE YANKEE DOODLE DANDY – GROUND ZERO
The Yankee Doodle Dandy plays in the late afternoon as New York seems to draw a deep breath on its final day before the first anniversary of the 9/11. His piped crusade calls for the calendar to be reset to Year Zero with 9/11 being remembered forever, the new beginning as 9/11/2001 becomes 9/11/1 of a calender restart. A ‘Crossed P’ will be the sign and memorial. “The ‘P’ representing the Police and the ‘Cross’ symbolic of the fireman who gave their lives heroically to save others” Phil tells me, “with this restart they will be remembered always when those of us who choose write the memorial ‘Crossed P’ on the date, hopefully others will follow”. Taking his Geminhardt flute from it’s blue velvet case Phil Belpasso starts with a single warm note beginning a stirring beautiful rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’ seamlessly sliding into ‘America the Beautiful’ and people passing slowly begin to take notice. No one seems to look directly at the musician but the impact is unmistakable. A young couple nearby the World Trade Centre grave grasp hands as an old man wipes a tear from his face. Three girls no older than ten pause then quietly sing along ”Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves…”, continually here pain surfaces from grieving silence.
Ground Zero on the East Side of Church Street, 10th September 2002. -
THE BLACK BAND OF MOURNING.
Police officer Lonnie Johnson on duty today as he was the same time the year before when the tragedy of 9/11 unfolded. He and his fellow officers thoughts are marked in mourning with a black band of mourning wrapped across their badges as they remember colleagues and friends they worked with and lost on this tragic day one year before.
On Broadway in front of St. Pauls Chapel, New York New York on the first anniversary of 9/11 - 11th September 2002. -
THE LADY WEEPS ON 5TH
Liberty and the whole of New York seems to be waiting and drawing a deep breath of mourning as the city prepares to live the final hours that will mark a year to the day to the hour to the minute to the second when the two hijacked planes struck the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. As the last days go by before the 11th the people of New York as a whole seemed to be simply waiting, to finally come together and mark their collective sorrow for this first painful anniversary to be pass.
5th Avenue, New York New York, 10th September 2002. -
FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE
A sign at Ground Zero directs people around the perimeter fence to the viewing platform. -
PEACE FROM THE EAST - TAKAHIRO SINGS
Takahiro sings at Ground Zero in the early afternoon
two days before the 1st Anniversary of 9/11. -
CARRYING THE FLAG – HOMELESS VIETNAM VET JIM OSMENT
Vietnam veteran Jim Osment from Alabama completed two tours of duty with the US Marine Corp beginning aged 19 when he landed on the beaches of Da Nang, Central Vietnam shortly after April 10th 1963. The tours finally ended 8 years later with him making his way back home on a stretcher after taking a bullet form a Viet Cong sniper in his abdomen. In spite of no war pension or disability allowance from the US government Jim retains his patriotism choosing to sell American made flags from Chicago rather than the cheaper Chinese made alternatives so common on the streets. His wife died years back and recently Jim has had to rely on the proceeds from his sales after the daughter he had lived with in a suburb of New York had been killed in a road accident. Jim now lives on the streets in a makeshift shelter and hopes over the next few days to make enough money from selling flags to be able to leave and return home to Alabama, living out his final years in familiar surroundings.
Vessey Street along the railings to St. Pauls Churchyard near Ground Zero, New York 10th September 2002. -
THE ONE OF FOUR REMEMBERS
Late afternoon and the reading of victims biographies from ‘The New York Times ‘Portraits Of Grief’ continues as they have beside the cask left by the footprint of the towers over the last few days to recount and honour each individual victims life. This was to continue until the final hours before the day of the anniversary when the area was given over to the families and relatives to come, mourn and remember those lost. The obituary to the life of Charles Costello a humble lift engineer is read here by Brian Clark a living miracle and one of only four people in the South Tower to have survived from above the impact point where the plane struck into the tower just as the day had begun at 09.03AM nearly a year to the day.
South Side of Ground Zero on Liberty Street looking North, Lower Manhattan, 10th September 2002. -
ABRASN - 911 SURVIVOR ONE YEAR TO THE DAY
In the streets leading away from Ground Zero I meet Abrasn and his shop stall dressed in patriotic memorabilia, we try and converse across the void of each others language, he simply smiles then nods to my questions then rises from his seat and beckons me to follow him to the other end of his stall. Here he picks up a book ‘Terror in New York’ and flicks through the pages like a backroom hustler finally stopping the shuffle of pages and showing me a page with is post apocalyptic landscape., ‘here’ he points at the page ’this me’, and as I look I notice Abrasn staggering from the page in head to toe World Trade Centre dusty grey hand on head from the tragedy behind him and into the history books that will be written I’m sure for eternity on this day.
New York, R & D Shoe Repair, 177 Church Street between Duane and Reade Street. Tel 212 233-2360. -
MOURNERS AT THE PERIMETER FENCE TO GOUND ZERO
Ground Zero a year to the day to the hour to the minute to the second.
9/11/2002 Ground Zero, Manhattan New York. -
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ONE DAY SHE WILL KNOW
Ground Zero, New York on the morning of 11th September 2002. -
ONE YEAR ON
10.38am 11th September 2002. Mourners queue, pray and remember passing through the fenced border to Ground Zero where their loved ones died exactly one year before as the roll call of peoples names killed in the attacks are read out travelling on the dusty winds swirling up from the foot print hole left behind by the collapse of the twin towers.
West Street looking across to Ground Zero, 11th September 2002. -
GROUND ZERO MOURNER
Ground Zero, 11th September 2002. -
PEACE FROM THE EAST
Ground Zero, 11th September 2002. -
THE PATRIOT
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EVENING VIGIL
As the world waits anxiously silent demonstration in the warm evening air circles the park of Union Square on the first anniversary of September 11th. Members and friends of the human rights group ‘Global Exchange’ stand in silence with linked hands all united in silence but unanimous in their opposition to the threat of the war soon to be waged in Iraq. Together they view the future and the possibilities of an unprovoked pre-emptive attack by their country as a violation of what they believe are today’s ‘New American Values’. Only time will tell if the people holding control will hear the sound of silence. As Ramadan nears people believe war is just around the corner collectively fearing that when the period of prayer is over Bush and his war-mongers will bring war and a new world order beyond what they are prepared to readily accept either in peace or conflict.
South Side of Union Square on the evening of 11th September 2002. -
AMONGST THE MOURNERS
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THE LADY WEEPS ON 5TH
5th Avenue between W31st and W32nd Street, New York 10th September 2002. -
PRAYER STATION
On Broadway north of St. Pauls Church, New York 11th September 2002. -
STAR SPANGLED BANNER ON BROADWAY
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TO SERVE AND BE FORGOTTEN – CHUCK NICHOLSON HOMELESS 5TH AVENUE OPPOSITE THE FLATIRON BUILDING NEW YORK
Vietnam veteran Chuck Nicholson today lives on the streets of the country he fought the mistaken war for. Disabled and suffering the effects of ‘Agent Orange’ Chuck and his wife were recently made homeless after a fire swept through their two room apartment. With no address and no government benefits he now has had to resort to begging while his wife panhandles just up the street at the crossover with Broadway.
5th Avenue opposite the Flatiron Building, Manhattan 10th September 2002. -
NEVER FORGET 9/11/01
Fire Crew led by Edward Wagner at Ground Zero 9/11/02 -
UNION SQUARE GIRL MANHATTAN
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AND THEY WALKED FROM ATLANTA TO NEW YORK TOGETHER
United under the flag on Broadway 09.11.02 -
NEW YORK BABY – EDDIE’S SWEET SHOP 105-29 METROPOLITAN AVENUE #1FLUSHING NEW YORK 11375 28TH MARCH 2007
Tomorrows children and for a generation that will only ever be touched by 9/11 in the history books it's party time for Ellie held by her mum outside the local Ice Cream Parlour here in the Forest Hills district of Queens nicknamed ‘Little England’ by the locals. The owner Vito Citrano Junior isn’t sure if he’s going to stay in the Ice Cream Parlor business all his life. His father Giuseppe and his paternal grandfather also called Vito have been running Eddie’s for over 30 years. Vito’s mother Connie and his younger sister Maria are also kept busy here. Mrs. Citrano was there on the day of my visit and immediately started wiping up, exclaiming in Italian “The problem? Long hours, lugging heavy containers of ice cream and mixing the cherry vanilla by hand along with a great deal many other tasks, how can Vito even think of leaving behind the ice cream business.?”
There is no Eddie and having been here for over seventy plus years the Citranos simply liked the name and decided to use it when they bought the place. The family makes its own syrups, toppings and ice cream (16 percent butterfat) in the “Dungeon” as Vito likes to call the basement. Some patrons partake daily and Vito and his mother tell a story about the 91-year-old woman who had to have a scoop of coffee ice cream every day right up until the day before she died.
In the peach and brown parlour wooden seated stools sit at the marble counter under the stamped tin ceiling with flowers painted on it waiting for the regulars and any passing trade in need of refreshment. I climb onto my stool at the counter and a sundae of mint-chocolate chip ice cream crowned with marshmallow syrup, real whipped cream and a maraschino cherry is put in front of me to sample while behind me in the far corner of the parlour a kids birthday party is hosted by a clown pulling an Iguana and a variety of other exotic animals and birds from a series of boxes. All the while the children gasp and coo with excitement tucking away on their pistachio pineapple, tutti-frutti and blueberry and other peculiar exotic flavoured ices.
Sundaes are $2.35 to $3.75, Ice Cream Sodas are $2.35 and a dish of ice cream which includes two scoops just $2.35. Eddie’s is open from 1PM to 11:30 PM Tuesday through Friday and noon to 11:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
Take the R, F, E or G subway lines to Continental Avenue and walk along Continental Avenue to Metropolitan Avenue; Eddie’s is a twenty minute walk from the station and at the corner of 72D Road and Metropolitan Avenue. -
MAJOR JONES NEAR PRINCE STREET MANHATTEN NYC NYC 2003
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THE ARREST - UNION SQUARE NEW YORK
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ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER SEPTEMBER 2009
West Side of Ground Zero, One World Trade Center begins to rise from the ashes.
West Street looking across to Ground Zero and the construction site of One World Trade Centre 09th September 2009. -
JOSEPH - GROUND ZERO SEPTEMBER 2009
West Side of Ground Zero, with the beginnings of One World Trade Center starting to rise from the ashes behind.
West Street looking across to Ground Zero and the construction site of One World Trade Centre 09th September 2009.