Put It Above Ground

Dear Friends,
As you may have seen in the media and in the newspapers, nearly 600 additional human remains have been found at the Deutsche bank building alone in recent weeks. Led by the Skyscraper Safety Campaign & the Advocates for Fallen Heroes, & with the support of several 9/11 family groups, we have have recently appealed for federal military assistance (see www.jpac.pacom.mil ) to help find & identify the remains of our still missing loved ones , which are surely still strewn around the perimeter of GZ. Our heroic uniformed services members, and the innocent civilians who fought so valiantly to remain alive, deserve the honor of having their remains found and identified.

Yesterday, Sen Chuck Schumer of NY became the champion of this cause and appealed to the federal government to send in the same units that have searched for our POW/MIA remains of US soldiers for decades with incredible success.

If you wish to offer your gratitude and support to Sen Schumer’s office for his support, please make a quick phone call to : 212-486-4430 and leave a message for him. It will mean a lot as we await the response from the White House. If no answer, just re dial, because they may be getting a number of calls. Thank you.

As you can see from the press release below, the LMDC has just named a Chief Curator for the Memorial Museum. We have no problem with Dr. Ramirez as she is an ideal candidate for the job. We have worked with her in the past and she has been actively involved in the 9/11 recovery process.

Our problem is with the LMDC and the press release itself.

First of all an organization that has not raised a fraction of the money needed to build and maintain the museum should not be hiring anyone.

They should use the funds they have to hire the forensic experts needed to properly canvas the buildings surrounding Ground Zero and recover and identify any of the remains that are most certainly on the rooftops and window sills.

They should use the funds to hire forensic experts to examine what has already been removed and discarded fro 130 Liberty. (At this point they will not even tell us where this has been sent. Please note that do to the condition of the building it should have been transported to a special facility because of asbestos etc.)

They should use the funds for postage so that they would be able to distribute important information on safety and security to the families and the public.

They should use the funds to redesign the Memorial and make it a safe and secure above ground structure and eliminate the random placement of names as is the wish of the majority of family members. They would be able to hire many more people as this would be done at a fraction of the cost of the current memorial.

They should not be using a press release to ask for donations. At this point they should not be allowed to proceed at all as they do not have the money in place, or even a plan to raise the money to build and maintain the memorial, which is a requirement of the Urban Development Corporation Act which governs the LMDC.

This press release is about the Memorial Museum yet they quote:

“The Memorial, “Reflecting Absence,” will remember and honor the thousands of people who died in the horrific attacks of February 26th, 1993 and September 11th, 2001 and recognize the endurance of those who survived, the courage of those who risked their lives to save others, and the compassion of all who offered their support in the aftermath.”

Unfortunately the current memorial makes no mention of those who survived, risked their lives or who offered support in the aftermath. It doesn’t even include any remnants or historical artifacts.

This Memorial which has been described as representing the cradle of democracy does not even include an American flag.

Once again they confuse the public by speaking of the Memorial and the Memorial as one when it suits their purpose. They quickly separate the two as when they stated “We will only charge admission for the Museum”

This press release gives you a link to view the Memorial. This view once again only shows aerial and street level views even though the Memorial will be 3.5 stories underground.

Below please find a link to the true Memorial Experience as envisioned by Michael Arad.

http://www.renewnyc.com/images_WMS/memorial_final/multimedia/movie2.asf

 

They Just Don’t Get It. It Is Up To Us To Make Sure They Do.

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, April 24, 2006

 WORLD TRADE CENTER MEMORIAL FOUNDATION NAMES CHIEF CURATOR AND DIRECTOR OF COLLECTIONS FOR MEMORIAL MUSEUM
Jan Seidler Ramirez Brings Five Years of 9/11 Curatorial Experience to the Job

The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation today named Jan Seidler Ramirez as Chief Curator and Director of Collections for the Memorial Museum. Dr. Ramirez has worked for almost five years as a curator of 9/11 collections, most recently as Consulting Curator to the Memorial Museum with Howard + Revis Design and previously as Vice President and Museum Director of the New York Historical Society.

As Chief Curator, Dr. Ramirez will oversee the collection’s development and its conservation, preservation, documentation, use and analysis for the Memorial Museum. She will report directly to the newly appointed Executive Vice President for Programs/Director of Museum, Alice Greenwald.

World Trade Center Memorial Foundation President & CEO, Gretchen Dykstra said, “We are delighted to have Jan join our team. The Memorial Museum will be a world-class facility which will both inform and inspire. Jan brings with her extensive experience working on historical collections and an in depth knowledge of 9/11 exhibits. I am confident that Alice and Jan will develop a sensitive and meaningful program.”

Jan Seidler Ramirez said, “It is an honor to be involved with a project of this tremendous significance. The Museum will preserve the stories of the individual lives which were lost and educate visitors about the horrific events of the day and the courageous recovery. It has been a privilege to work as a consultant on this project since its inception and I look forward to bringing the Memorial Museum from concept into reality.”

In her new role, Dr. Ramirez will formulate the procedures for creating the Museum’s collection and develop acquisition strategies which adhere to the WTC Memorial Museum Collections Management policy, professional museum operations and collections management, including proper preservation techniques, conservation and digitization; serve on the creative team to develop, organize, interpret, and present Museum exhibitions; ensure the proper integration of the collections with other Museum programs and bring knowledge of 9/11 collections to the development of events and education programs related to the Museum’s mission.

Memorial Museum Director Alice Greenwald said, “September 11th had a profound impact on New York, the nation, and the world. Jan began working to preserve the historical memory of this event shortly after the attacks and brings this experience and perspective to the Foundation. She understands the sensitivities, challenges and significance of this project and I look forward to working with her to develop a Museum program which preserves the story of 9/11 for generations to come.”

Dr. Ramirez has extensive experience working on 9/11-related projects. She has served as a Resource Member of the WTC Memorial Museum Committee since 2004 and on the Professional Services Committee of the September’s Mission educational website project. In addition, Dr. Ramirez is a content consultant for the documentary film “Objects & Memory” which explores museums and their response to 9/11.

As an independent museum consultant, Dr. Ramirez has worked on a variety of interpretive, collections development, and long range planning projects for a range of clients.  She has also served as Deputy Director at the Museum of the City of New York, Chief Curator at the Hudson River Museum of Westchester, and as a Research Associate at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She holds a Ph.D and M.A. in American Studies from Boston University and a B.A in English Literature from Dartmouth College.

The World Trade Center Memorial Museum will commemorate the events of September 11th, 2001 and February 26th, 1993 through multi-layered exhibitions. The Museum’s objective is to educate, inform, and inspire visitors by telling the individual stories of those lost in the attacks and the contributions from around the world toward the rescue, recovery, and relief efforts. Artifacts and exhibits in the Memorial Museum will range from personal objects marking everyday life in the Twin Towers to steel rescued from the wreckage of the site to witnesses’ accounts of the devastation. A central exhibition will weave together the story of September 11th and February 26th, drawing on multiple perspectives and documentation to recount life in the towers leading up the disaster, the events of September 11th, the immediate aftermath and the world-wide response.

ABOUT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation established to raise funds as well as build and operate the Memorial and Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center site.  The Memorial, “Reflecting Absence,� will remember and honor the thousands of people who died in the horrific attacks of February 26th, 1993 and September 11th, 2001 and recognize the endurance of those who survived, the courage of those who risked their lives to save others, and the compassion of all who offered their support in the aftermath.  “Reflecting Absence,� designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, was selected from among 5,201 submissions from 63 countries in what was the largest design competition in history.  Donations can be made through the Foundation’s website, and more information on the Foundation can be found at http://www.buildthememorial.org/.

Construction on the Memorial and Museum are expected to be complete in 2009.

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PLEASE NOTE: Renderings of the Memorial design are available at http://www.buildthememorial.org/, under the “News� section, click on “Media Images.�

Click here to download this press release

Contact: The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation at 212-312-8800

 I was in Oklahoma City this week for the commemoration of the 11th year since the Oklahoma City Bombing.  Their Memorial is awesome - designed and built with love, heart and soul.  It so respectfully and sensitively memorializes the victims, celebrates the survivors and honors the rescue workers.  It is about the “people” - not about the “absence of Towers” or about the “rebuilding of a site”.  Visiting the Memorial and the Memorial Museum was an overwhelmingly powerful - yet, comforting, uplifting and unforgettable experience. I will fight for an above ground Memorial with my last breath, but I don’t believe we will ever have a Memorial as fitting, respectful and powerful as Oklahoma City has. 

 Joyce Gales

Senator Schumer became the first to step forward and support our efforts to get JPAC involved with the recovery effort at Ground Zero. (see articles below). This is a step in the right direction. Hopefully others will follow.

We have placed a call to Senator Clinton and hope she comes on board as well.

We need to let them know that this is just one example of how the LMDC has continued to ignore the requests of the families.

Please note that the LMDC has still not answered our request for the location of the deris that has been removed from 130 Liberty. We would want JPAC to examine that as well.

We will also be contacting our lawyers to see if we can get the LMDC to release the full report from the Governor’s counter-terrorism expert. We would like to compare the report to the testimony presented to the City Council.

Schumer: Ground zero search needs military help

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=9_11&id=4108788

Call for help in WTC remains search

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/am-wtc0424,0,378216.story?coll=ny-top-headlines

Schumer Seeks Aid in Hunt for 9/11 Remains

http://www.forbes.com/technology/ebusiness/feeds/ap/2006/04/23/ap2689983

After reading the articles and editorials over the last few days it appears that at least a few people are listening. Hopefully our elected officials are listening as well. For too long the LMDC has been allowed to totally control what information is released to the public. They have continually ignored the safety and security concerns that have been raised by the family groups. When information from the Governor’s counter terrorist expert confirms these suspicions the LMDC ignores the recommendations and withholds the information from the public and the City Council. They continue to act as judge and jury with everything from the memorial to the proper handling of remains. They continue to act as if they do not answer to anyone but themselves. Instead of beginning an investigation as to who leaked the report to the Times, as recommended by Mr. Kallstrom, it is time that someone calls for a formal investigation into how the LMDC has been operating over the last four years. The time has come for this to be done, and then maybe we can get something done at Ground Zero.