With Lower Manhattan and the site of the September 11 attacks in the background, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday called on people to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 victims—as well as those who have died of illnesses stemming from toxic air at the site of the attacks—by caring “for one another” as thousands of people “cared for strangers” as the tragedy was unfolding exactly 25 years ago.
Mamdani honored the 2,753 New Yorkers—“parents and children, husbands and wives, friends and colleagues, 2,753 universes gone in an instant”—and said the city and country remember September 11 as “the darkest day” when hijackers flew airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and passengers aboard a fourth plane fought to stop another target from being struck.
The mayor urged viewers to remember the actions of thousands of New Yorkers in the immediate aftermath of the attack—those who donated blood and “opened their homes to those who could not get home.”
“We remember the workers who carried their colleagues down hundreds of stairs, then turned around and went back up to find someone else who needed help,” said Mamdani.
On social media, as the country marked the 25th anniversary of the attacks, many users spoke about specific acts of bravery, including those of Rick Rescorla, the head of security at Morgan Stanley, who was killed at the World Trade Center after he led roughly 2,700 of his colleagues to safety.
In a separate social media post on Instagram, Mamdani highlighted several lesser-known New Yorkers who “sprang into action to help however they could,” including teachers, firefighters, sanitation workers, and healthcare providers.
His office interviewed Roseann Caruana of the city’s Department of Transportation, who described a triage center that was set up for victims, and Rashel Dorleans—now a New York City public school teacher, and a high school student at the time of the attacks.
“I think it’s a credit to the teachers that were there,” said Dorleans. “They did not seem panicked. I’m sure they were panicked on the inside, but they were kind and calm with us.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@nycmayor)
Mamdani said that “we have a sacred obligation to those who were stolen from us to care for one another as they cared for strangers, to live lives worthy of the sacrifices they made, and to build a city worthy of their courage, a city where we run toward one another. That is how we remember.”
Ahead of the anniversary this week, the mayor released long-hidden files regarding how New York residents were misled about the toxicity of the air at the World Trade Center attack site. He said the number of people who have died thus far from related cancers and other health issues has likely surpassed the number of victims on September 11.
Mamdani was also the target of attacks this week from Republicans including former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and City Council members Vickie Paladino and Joann Ariola, who explicitly cited Mamdani’s Muslim faith as they said he did “not belong” at the September 11 memorial ceremony held on Friday.
“I’m proud to be the mayor of this city. I love this city. I love this country,” Mamdani said when asked about the racist remarks. “What I want this week to be a focus on is the families whose loved ones were stolen from them 25 years ago in the horrific act of terror of September 11, and a focus also on the first responders who did everything they could.”
The mayor was seen shaking Giuliani’s hand and speaking to him at the ceremony.
“Let us remember the extraordinary compassion, resilience, and bravery that carried our city through its darkest day,” said Mamdani. “Today, New York remembers.”
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