Ground Zero Uproar: Leaders Told Stay Away

Retired Port Authority police say two top New York leaders should skip the 25th Ground Zero ceremony, warning their presence would turn a sacred day into a political fight.

Story Snapshot

Retired Port Authority police urged Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul not to attend the 25th 9/11 memorial.
Mamdani says he will still attend to honor families and first responders, calling 9/11 a “horrific terror attack”.
The 9/11 Memorial and Museum says officials attend as silent observers in a set area, not as speakers.
Port Authority police lost 37 officers on 9/11, the single deadliest day for one U.S. agency.

Retired Officers’ Objection And Their Stated Reason

Retired Port Authority police leaders sent letters asking Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul to stay away from this year’s Ground Zero ceremony. They said the two leaders have not earned the privilege to stand with families and first responders and that their presence would cause pain. The New York Post reported the letters and quoted the association’s president by name. The group says they speak from lived loss and duty tied to that site and day.

Port Authority police paid a heavy price on 9/11. Thirty-seven officers died that day at the World Trade Center. That remains the largest number of officers from one American agency killed in a single day. For many in that community, Ground Zero is both a workplace memorial and a personal grave site. That framing helps explain why attendance by any polarizing official can feel like a new wound, even a quarter century later.

What Mamdani And Hochul Say About Attending

Mayor Mamdani says he will attend the commemoration. He says he will stand alongside families, survivors, and first responders to honor them. He has called the attack a “horrific terror attack.” His stance frames attendance as respect, not politics. This positions him within a long civic ritual where leaders show up but do not speak. That choice aims to lower the political heat while keeping a visible promise to remember.

Governor Hochul has a record of taking part in related memorial events and honoring first responders. She has delivered remarks at other 9/11 remembrances and praised Port Authority personnel for their service. Those appearances show a pattern of participation that many past governors have shared. Her prior statements focused on sacrifice and the lasting pain for families, not on policy fights. That tone matches the ceremony’s norm of solemn witness.

How The Ceremony Handles Politics And Presence

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum says elected officials from across government may attend as observers. They do not deliver remarks and are asked to remain in a designated area. A museum spokesperson has said the commemoration is kept free of politics on purpose. That structure reduces the chance that any one official turns the day into a rally. It also explains why attendance disputes focus on symbolism more than on speaking roles.

Retired Police Officers Say Mamdani and Hochul Are Unwelcome at 9/11 Memorial https://t.co/BG6gcv5pBV PajamasMedia pic.twitter.com/jn01rhDroI

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This year’s clash shows a larger tension many Americans feel. People across the spectrum think leaders use public grief as a stage while daily problems go unsolved. Families of the fallen, first responders, and taxpayers want dignity, not spin. A ceremony built on silence and names can still become a proxy battle over trust and power. Keeping officials present but quiet tries to balance respect with reality. Whether that still works is the open question.