9/11 Families Angry That Remains of Victims Still at Garbage Dump
EmailSix years after the 9/11 attacks, frustrated families of 9/11 victims say the unidentified remains of their loved ones are still at an area landfill and have sued New York City in an attempt to have the remains moved to a garbage-free area. All debris from Ground Zero was transported to the landfill in the months following the attacks. The city says the debris was "thoroughly searched" for all discernible remains. THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS Blotter Harsh Criticism for EPA’s New Plan to Test for Contamination at Homes Near WTC Blotter Ex-EPA Chief Whitman Agrees to Testify Click Here for to Check Out the Latest Brian Ross Slideshows But one group says the city moved too quickly through the process of removing the remains and asserts that even the smaller unidentifiable remains should not be left at the landfill. A group comprised of 9/11 families, WTC Families for Proper Burial, Inc., filed suit two years ago against the city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the heads of the departments of Sanitation and City Planning, seeking to have the remains moved from the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, N.Y. "We’re not asking for compensation for pain and suffering," said Diane Horning, the WTC group’s president and co-founder, whose 26-year-old son, Matthew, was killed at work in the North Tower. "We are asking for remedy. Fix the situation," she said. According to a letter from the New York City medical examiner, which he sent to Horning in 2003, the sifted debris, known as "fines," likely does contain the remains of victims who were incinerated by the intense heat and flames of the attack. The city says, however, that individual members of the group cannot positively assert that their relatives’ remains are amongst the fines. The lawsuit calls for the fines to be relocated to any area that does not contain garbage. Both sides have disagreed on how much the relocation would cost. Among the plaintiffs are three of the four "Jersey Girls" - Kristen Breitweiser, Mindy Kleinberg and Lorie Van Auken – who along with fellow Sept. 11 widow Monica Gabrielle lobbied Congress for the creation of the 9/11 Commission. Fresh Kills, which has been closed since 2001 and only reopened for the recovery effort, is slated to become a park that includes a Sept. 11 memorial at the site where the debris has been stored. The city, which is requesting that the suit be dismissed, is expected to submit its final response by June 29 in Manhattan’s federal district court. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who hears the majority of Sept. 11-related cases, may decide by July or early August whether or not to hold a hearing, according to Norman Siegel, the group’s attorney. Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?
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It’s apparent now the hurry to clean up the crime scene wasn’t to quickly rebuild the World Trade Centers.
Posted by: Kevin Good | June 22, 2007, 9:37 am 9:37 am
Kevin, what was left of the site was a heaping pile of toxic debris and human remains…in the middle of lower Manhattan.
I’m not sure if I get your point, because it’s a bit vague, but cleaning up that mess pronto was certainly in the best interest of the city.
And as for the pace of rebuilding, and placed in its correct perspecive, I can’t really say that it’s going THAT slowly…
Posted by: Jazz | June 22, 2007, 2:16 pm 2:16 pm
That ‘America’s Mayor’ myth shatters more and more…seems Americans are getting over their collective-fear since 9/11.
Posted by: Shawn Fassett | June 23, 2007, 10:00 pm 10:00 pm
I can’t imagine how empty and unsetteling it must be to have your loved ones remains unrecovered. I feel very sympathetic for those who lost family and friends.
However, sadly those remains will never be completely recovered. It seems an impossible task.
It was best for the city of New York and also best for the entire country that the site was cleaned up with haste. How else could we have moved past this tradegy?
Rebuilding is not something to be taken lightly. Sure, something could have been built rather quickly, but in my personal opinion it takes time to develop the proper memorial. This will serve as a monument that will honor those lost. That in itself will offer some peace I believe.
Posted by: ROBYN J SPEARS | June 24, 2007, 7:55 pm 7:55 pm
It’s time for victims’ families to work on their own healing and stop expecting the city to cater to their every new thought. Their loved one is gone, and in many cases so are intact remains. Don’t take your frustration out on the court system and the City of New York.There have been thousands of families over the years who have not had their loved ones remains returned to them –and they have coped with it. Wars, car accidents, mine explosions, fires, etc. each claim the body. Very sad, but a reality.
A park is a lovely way to commemorate the “sifting” place. It’s time to celebrate life.
Posted by: Bethany Uhl | June 25, 2007, 9:40 am 9:40 am
Why don’t we put the money that will go to looking for remains into something worthwhile? I agree with Bethany. A park is a great way to remember these people, and wars leave people without the remains of their loved ones.
Posted by: Anonymous | June 25, 2007, 9:58 pm 9:58 pm
Give me a break, people. The blame needs to be pointed at the Islamo Fascists who murdered those people in the first place. Had that not occurred, we would not be talking about this!!!! Damn Liberal meatheads – always blaming the USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Ed Stanowicz | June 26, 2007, 2:53 pm 2:53 pm
It’s unsettling that no one seems to be getting the point here. The depraved indifference of this greed obsessed govt has rubbed off on the people I fear.
The loss of a loved one is traumatic and painful whether it’s due to something as incomprehensible as 9/11, or something as prevalent as cancer. The last thing anyone deserves is having to come to grips with the reality that their loved ones body was tossed into a trash heap and left there. Every year since this despicable, inhumane, insensitive act was carried out those families have had to live with knowing their families and friends bodies were thrown away like so much irrelevant garbage, and in a place called Fresh Kill, and that nobody cared how insulting and cold hearted it was.
I would have to assert that it’s not up to you how long these people should hurt. What do you have to give up to allow them whatever time they need to become whole again? Would some patience and respect be too expensive?
The govt did nothing for these people, nor did they do anything for the rescue workers. Whatever pay offs the govt disingenuously offered was to protect the airlines from having to lose as much as these people lost and those pay offs were rejected over and again because they also required these families to give up their legal rights. Why does our govt need to ask anyone to forfeit their rights?
This govt also had to be petitioned by these grief stricken families just to do an investigation. Can you imagine the crime of the century and our govt saw no need to investigate it? No wonder these families are angry. No wonder they’re still traumatized. The govt has added insult to injury time and time again, without exception, without fail, and without any possible need.
Granted, it would be unbelievably difficult to approach the problem with the aim of finding remains. But these people have been victimized repeatedly over the years since 9/11 and it would have gone a very long way if someone from the govt had at least tried to show the compassion and respect the families deserved, and tried to work with them, including them, until they were able to reach a point that something could be worked out. They aren’t asking for much here, just a little basic respect for their feelings and their loved ones remains. No one should end up in pieces in a garbage dump when they die. It’s horrible in my eyes that Americans can so casually shrug it off, as if human life means nothing at all. More so, that we cannot find the compassion within ourselves to put ourselves in their place and feel what it would be like to wake up every morning in pain, thinking of your son or daughter or spouse lying decomposing in a garbage dump. We can do better than this, I think.
Posted by: angie | June 27, 2007, 5:48 am 5:48 am
I’m not sure that “we” CAN do better…what exactly would you recommend? Those victims were pulverized into ash, along with the buildings…tons and tons of fine debris. There’s really no way of separating the human matters from each other, or the buliding debris…do you just move the contents of the [toxic] dump back to the WTC site, so it can be fused into the memorial? Divide the toxic dust among the number of unclaimed victim’s loved ones? Not really healthy or practical…Not happening…
As sad as it is, and Ed nails it in his post above, but what can be done? Sometimes, nothing can be done. Hopefully, these people at least have the former possessions of the deceased to cherish their memories.
I think that, in practicality and reasonable judgement, the city may find that this specific case brought by the families will be dismissed in federal court this summer…
Posted by: Jazz | June 28, 2007, 12:53 pm 12:53 pm
There are a lot of good things pointed out by all the posts but I think Angie is right. “We” can do better. This is our country and our people. Its bad enough that the ones responsible for all of this are still sucking air and will probably never get their punishment. The victims families deserve more.
Posted by: Wade | June 29, 2007, 12:38 pm 12:38 pm
I wonder how some of those families feel about Fresh kills landfill becoming a nicely groomed park. It’s a devastating feeling knowing your family member’s remains are sitting in basically a dump.
Posted by: Ajlouny | June 14, 2009, 3:51 pm 3:51 pm