On Friday, we will remember the 25th anniversary of the worst tragedy in our city’s history.It was the darkest day New York City has ever known, and the real truth is that the pain didn’t stop once the smoke cleared and the dust settled, said Mamdani at a press conference.
For many New Yorkers who lived, worked, or studied near Ground Zero, and for the thousands who helped clear the rubble, that was just the start of years of suffering and sickness, he explained.
Mamdani’s government has now shared over 170,000 pages of documents that were kept secret before.
These show that city officials at the time, under Mayor Rudy Giuliani, knew the air near Ground Zero was dangerous to breathe.At the same time, these officials were publicly saying there was no problem and telling people to stay calm.
“Thousands of ironworkers, firefighters, and office workers still remember September 11th not just on the anniversary, but every time they have a hard time breathing, every time they take a pill, every time they get another chemo treatment,” Mamdani continued.
“And as the years go by and more people suffer, we feel the cost of September 11th every time another New Yorker dies too soon.”
“Now, nearly 25 years later, more people have died from illnesses linked to 9-11 than were killed on that day itself,” he said.
“It would be one thing if the government had stood by survivors and supported them at every step.But the truth is, that’s not what happened at all.”
“People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them the air was safe,” he continued.
“And when they started dealing with the effects of those illnesses, the same government that had sent them into danger was nowhere to be found.”
This is what real leadership and responsibility look like.
Mamdani is focused on doing what’s right for his city, which means uncovering the whole truth.The MAGA groups who are loudly pushing for him to stay away from 9/11 memorial events should feel ashamed of themselves.
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