“The atmosphere here, it’s so unbelievably quiet for being downtown in New York City,” said Jorge Nunez, a 20 year old exchange student from Spain. “You can see the pain on people’s faces from what happened 20 years ago, but you can feel the peace and unity.”

A woman holds a paper with the times of the 9/11 attacks. Hundreds of people surround her in silence, tears, and hugging at Ground Zero to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Photo by Maggie Geiler

At 8:46 a.m. the first moment of silence began in remembrance of American Airlines Flight 11 hitting the North Tower of The World Trade Center. Although only families of the victims were allowed inside the ceremony, thousands surrounding Church Street could have been mistaken for family, hugging each other and streaming the ceremony live from their phones. One lady offered to share her phone with a group of strangers, crying while Bruce Springsteen’s “I’ll See You In My Dreams” echoed from people’s phones throughout Lower Manhattan.

 “I was down here the day it happened,” said Sheila Ondracheck, 54, from Chicago. “This is the first time I’ve been back. Every year on this day I write a letter to each of my closest friends to tell them how much I love them and to live life to the absolute fullest, because you just never know how much time you have left.”

 More moments of silence followed at 9:03 a.m., commemorating United flight 175 hitting the South Tower, 9:59 a.m., when the South Tower collapsed, and 10:28 a.m., when the North Tower collapsed. People continued to weep and hug, some of which were Millennials and Gen Z.

 “It’s beautiful to see all the people that have come together from different backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures and are respecting each other,” stated Makenna Murphy, 18, a student in New York City. “Even though I wasn’t born yet when [9/11] happened, I feel like I have seen the repercussions of it. Between The Patriotism Act and the amping of security, it’s crazy how one event can have such an egregious impact on the world.”  

 While close to 3,000 people died from the attacks, according to USA Today, nearly 10,000 first responders and others in the World Trade Center have been diagnosed with cancer and more than 2,000 have died from health complications attributed to 9/11. First responders and cancer survivors were not invited to the ceremony.

Dotti Cappola, Ground Zero first responder, returns 20 years later as a cancer survivor to advocate for those who’s health has been impacted from the attacks. “20 years ago, we came here to help people… today, I came for closure.” Photo by Maggie Geiler

 “We were set up right on the pile manning the tents nonstop, this is our first time back,” said Dotti Cappola, 62, a 9/11 Disaster Medical Assistance Team first responder from Boston. “We were hoping to get in but they won’t let us in, it’s hard because there’s so many of us.”

 Cappola said that not only is she a 9/11 first responder but a 9/11 cancer survivor.

 “I’m a 9/11 cancer survivor. Five from our team got cancer, one of our best friends who worked our tent passed. There was debris in our mouth and eyes for weeks. I came here for closure,” said Cappola through tears.

 Although Cappola said that it hasn’t been easy getting the care she needs, she said for her and friend Mike Vojak, it’s not about acknowledgement but remembrance.

 “We took a lot of pictures in our own mind that we can’t get rid of,” said Vojak, 62, also a 9/11 Disaster Medical Assistance Team first responder from Boston. “I remember part of the towers were on that highway over there, they fell in a way that looked like they were hands giving up souls to God. For 20 years I haven’t been able to get that out of my mind… today it’s nice to see people remember. This is my closure.”

Both Cappola and Vojak tied ribbons of remembrance for their teammate who died on a gate across from where the Twin Towers stood.

 “We just tell people we hope they don’t forget,” Cappola said. “There are so many lives affected – still so many dying from laten cancer. This country needs to come together now more than ever because this can happen again.”

 The ceremony continued while names of those killed in the attacks were read into the afternoon.

 “When we needed something during that time, people came together and provided,” said Cappola. “The letters, the lunches from students, the truckloads of socks for the firefighters burned feet… we stood together as a nation. It’s nice to see people standing together today.” 

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Friends and supporters of Ravi Ragbir gathered on the front steps of the Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan yesterday morning to stand in solidarity with the Trinidadian immigrant who was being forced to present himself for a second yearly “check-in” with ICE.

Led by Rabbi Joshua Stanton, the group also protested what they called the racist policies affecting immigrants and organizations that support them.

“We are here fighting for justice, fighting for the rights of immigrants across our city,” said Rabbi Staton. “And we are here because we are moved by our faith traditions, by our ethical framework, and by our love for a person who has become a true leader in our city in so many ways.”

Ragbir is the executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City who legally immigrated to New York in the early 90s. The Coalition works to protect the rights of immigrants and help them oppose deportation. In 2000, Ragbir was convicted of wire fraud, a charge that warrants deportation in most cases, but until recently, he had been granted temporary stays because of his work and family.

This is the second year the group has gathered to support him. Last year he came face to face with the possibility of being deported after being detained at his check-in, but ultimately was not.

The gathering started in a rally-like fashion, with speaker after speaker showing their support for Ragbir and calling for the crowd to join them. Savitri Durkee, an activist with the Stop Shop Choir, led the crowd in singing the freedom song, “Woke Up This Morning” before other choir members took the lead with “We Got the Beat of Freedom.”

“We will sing Ravi-lujah,” said Durkee.

And sing Ravi-lujah they did.

As the echoes of their songs began to fade, Ragbir left the group to face his check-in and Rabbi Stanton called for the crowd to prepare for a Jericho Walk around the building.

“We are going to begin our Jericho walk, showing with our bodies, with our hearts, with our spirits, that we will stand with Ravi,” said Rabbi Stanton. “That we are here today in support of immigrants and that we care.”

A Jericho Walk is a sort of prayer walk derived from the biblical walk that God instructed the Israelites to make around the walls of Jericho in Joshua 6. Today, those gathered formed a single file line and marched, without saying a word, in front of the United States Customs Court and Federal Building and around the entire building.   

The silent line of protestors stretches around the front of the U.S. Customs building  in a “Jericho Walk.”  Photo by Samantha Springer.

In the crisp morning air, they hoped their silence spoke volumes.

Barbara Young immigrated to the United States from Barbados in 1993. This morning, she came out to show her support for her friend Ravi Ragbir, but had to step out of the Jericho Walk after the first lap, her knee replacements preventing her from continuing her march. For her, being here to show her support is personal.

“I know him personally,” said Young. “I was involved with a local organization of domestic workers here in New York, and he was an organizer in the social justice movement. He came to our organization to speak to the women and give the support they needed at that time. Today, I am very sad at what’s going on.”

She is not sure what the future holds for immigrants and others like Ragbir who she, and many of the others gathered, believe are being targeted for their activism in immigration politics, but moments like this morning restore some of her hope in the solidarity of the movement.

“I’m here with a heavy heart,” said Young. “But it kind of lifted my spirit to know, when I see how many people are standing here with him today, to know that I can come out and support him.”

Protestors from an organization in Arizona called No More Deaths also participated. Holding signs that read “Water not Walls” and cardboard cut-outs of water jugs, these men and women demonstrated their outrage at the decision made by a federal court in Tucson on January 18th to convict volunteers who left water in the desert for migrants.

John Washington from No More Deaths took the microphone and spoke of the charges.

“Four of our volunteers…” said Washington, “just a couple weeks ago were charged and convicted of littering for leaving water out on particularly brutal stretches of western Arizona deserts.”

According to Washington, another one of their volunteers, Scott Warren, was charged for allegedly harboring migrants and faces up to 20 years in prison.

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Monday afternoon, when most have been urged to stay indoors, some of Lower Manhattan’s food truck operators are braving Winter Storm Juno and going to work anyway.

Kale Alfageh cupped his hands together, pressed them firmly against his lips, breathed deeply and muttered, “I hate this, I hate the snow.”

Alfageh, 48, has been operating The Coffee Place breakfast food truck on the corner of Mercer and Washington Street for six months now. He noted his distrust of weather reporting as his primary reason for setting up shop.

“Cause you know sometimes they say it’s going to be something and it ends up being something else,” said Alfageh. “ Last year they said there was going to be too much snow to go out and I didn’t work. The weather was actually really nice that day and I lost a lot of money. This happened three or four times so now I always go.”

Mia Alumghed, 50, who works out of the Halal food truck on the corner of Astor Place and Broadway, expressed a tone similar to Alfageh’s.

“Business on days like this is always terrible,” says Alumghed. “But it’s not really worth not going.”

“I’ve seen it all,” said Alumghed, who has worked out of his truck for five years now. “The weather has been worse, but the regulars still come.”

Despite the steady flow of steam rolling out the window of his truck the storm had Alfageh pining for the warmth of his home country. “I’m from Egypt and it never, never, never snows in Egypt,” he said. “Egypt has the best weather in all the world”.

Although Alfageh was thinking of Egypt, some of his regulars were thrilled to see him coming out to open up shop despite the bad weather.

“I really am thankful,” says Jessica Thomas of Queens. “The guys are always so nice and friendly no matter what the weather is. Whether it’s raining, or snowing, or a hundred degrees outside”.

Thomas, who works as an administrator in New York University’s psychology department, was happy that as everyone was heading inside there was still somewhere to grab a snack.

“They’re so close to the office,” she said as she pointed to the building she works in. “and I almost never see them packing it up.”

As the wind picked up, the snow began to stick to the ground. Alfageh looked out the window of his truck and said, “I plan to leave at 5, but we’ll have to see how the weather looks before I go anywhere.”

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Dave Cutolo used a plastic red horn to inspire fans at the Giants Super Bowl parade to cheer. Photo by Chris Palmer.

Thousands of Giants’ fans traveled from all over the New York metro region to attend today’s Super Bowl victory parade in Lower Manhattan, but one boisterous group of supporters on Cortlandt Street only had to walk a few blocks to catch the action.

“We do whatever we want, we’re stock brokers!” said Dave Cutolo, 44, oozing with bravado.

Cutolo, of Murray Hill, was standing with a group of work associates who all worked “down the street,” he said, without identifying the company they worked for. Wearing a black coat over his brown suit and patterned yellow tie, he held a plastic red horn that he bought from a street vendor in one hand, a coffee cup half-filled with beer in the other.

Cutolo and pals all wore suits and overcoats, standing out in a sea of people clad in Giants’ blue. But their attire didn’t prevent them from mixing in with the crowd: they hooted, hollered, laughed and screamed at passerby, passing the horn around and joining in the various “Let’s Go Giants!” chants that arose out of the massive crowd bordering Broadway.

Elvin Lopez, left, and Ron McClintock are stock brokers who were enjoying themselves at the Giants' Super Bowl parade. Photo by Chris Palmer

Ron McClintock, 32, a member of this stock-broking entourage, brushed off the idea that they were sacrificing time at work for a day of partying, saying that they could easily enjoy themselves while being productive.

“We’ll go back and forth,” he said, confidence dripping out of his pores. “We’ll go back (to the office), make some calls, make some money, and then come back.”

And the celebration would last all night, he said.

“See all these women?” he said, motioning to the enormous crowd. “I’m going to be like a fish net, scooping up everything.”

McClintock and Elvin Lopez, 31, were eager to express their love of this season’s Giants’ team, and Lopez said the way the team fought through the playoffs was representative of the city’s attitude.

“It’s such a New York story,” he said. “Everyone’s walking a little taller today, a little prouder.”

“It’s the greatest thing,” McClintock said. “No one stops (the Patriots) but New York.”

But Cutolo, despite being a Giants fan, wasn’t totally thrilled with the game’s outcome.

“I had money on the game,” he said, explaining that he needed the final score to end with the numbers five and three in order to take home the cash.

He wasn’t letting his lost wager depress him too much, though: while he and his friends attempted to whip the surrounding crowd into a frenzy, he cast an optimistic lens on the rest of his afternoon.

“I’ve got to go inside and make $2,000,” he said with a smile. “Then we can go back (here) and have fun.”

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The post Occupy Wall Street Braces for Winter appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Occupy Wall Street protester Shawn "Hero" Vincent, 21, is a public relations facilitator for the Occupy Wall Street protest in Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park. Photo by Louie Lazar.

Shawn “Hero” Vincent is an important man these days within Zuccotti Park, the block-long rectangular plaza in Lower Manhattan that, boxed in by skyscrapers and dark uniformed police, feels like the bottom of an urban canyon. A tall 21-year-old with wild and frizzy black hair, Vincent could barely move a few steps yesterday without someone shouting out “Hero!” or being the recipient of a ferocious high-five.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” said a beaming Vincent of his sudden rock-star status inside ‘Liberty Square,’ as his fellow protesters have dubbed the park. Vincent has emerged as a leader among “Occupy Wall Street” activists, a ragtag civilian army that seized control of this territory September 13 to protest U.S. financial system inequality, among other progressive causes. Several hundred protesters camp out here every night.

Vincent described his job title here as “public relations facilitator.” But outside the confines of Liberty Square, things have been difficult for Vincent. Unemployed for two months now, he recently returned to his family’s North Carolina home, where he had to deal with “family tensions.” His sister is struggling to pay for college. His father has been out of work for two years, a reality Vincent called “ridiculous” and “outrageous.”

“It’s a hard point of life to be there, but it’s something we have to deal with,” said Vincent, sounding determined. “That’s why I’m here fighting.”

Within moments, however, Hero re-emerged at the center of a media frenzy, smiling for a TV crew, and standing alongside Russell Simmons, the business magnate who came here to show his support. For the next half-hour or so, the two walked around together and chatted like long-time pals; every so often, Simmons could be seen slapping Vincent on the back.

Business magnate Russell Simmons (bottom right) participates in a meditation sit during Occupy Wall Street protests in Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park (Photo by Louie Lazar)

“He’s really cool,” said Vincent, speaking about Simmons as though the two were collaborating on a record. “I like Russell.”

For many protesters like Vincent, the past two weeks here have been life changing. The responsibilities they’ve taken on, and the human connections they’ve made, have injected them with hope, filled life voids, and even erased boredom.

One volunteer in dire need of a morale boost was Steve Smith, 24, who has been seeking employment for the past two months.

“I was getting pretty frustrated,” admitted the Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn resident, noting that non-stop phone calls and regular interviews have yet to bring him luck. “I have so much debt and no job.”

“I said, ‘I’m not doing anything else with my life and why not come down here?’”

At Liberty Square, people rely on Smith. A trained first responder, Smith volunteers at the medical station, administering basic first aid and handing out vitamins to depleted protesters.

“It’s really important [work],” said the tall, goateed Smith, who stuck makeshift Red Cross logos all over his clothes using red tape. “I don’t have to worry about getting depressed or getting down because I have something to keep me happy. It makes me feel great.”

Some volunteers are unemployed, but others, like 24-year-old graphic and web designer Drew Hornbein, have full-time jobs. Hornbein earns approximately $60,000 a year working out of his Crown Heights, Brooklyn brownstone.

“I have a great job. I make plenty of money,” Hornbein said. “But there is a certain emptiness to it, you know?”

Since joining the cause September 17, Horbein has been involved in “facilitating to show the outside world what we’re doing.”

Every day, Hornbein rides his bike here over the Brooklyn Bridge, then tries to nab a seat at the media center, a series of granite benches on the park’s east end where tech-savvy “occupiers” stare at laptops and help beam the park’s happenings worldwide. Sometimes, Hornbein stays here until 3 or 4 a.m.

“I’ve never been dedicated to anything [like this] in my entire life,” he said, his face radiating with joy. “I haven’t even checked Facebook. It’s amazing.”

“I’ve completely dropped all my work,” he added, his enthusiasm level escalating by the word. “I come out here, I have great conversations, I work towards something. But I don’t get paid for it. I don’t want to get paid for it.”

A crowd of Occupy Wall Street protesters cheer during a musical session in Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park. Photo by Louie Lazar.

At dusk, a festive vibe overtook the park: a saxophone and drum-led jamming circle, accompanied by sporadic yelps of joy, echoed from the park’s western edge. Chants broke out. There was a repeated whistle blowing, as if this were the inside of a dance club.

“I feel so connected,” said Hornbein. “When you come here, everyone smiles at each other. And we’re all happy.”

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Tarps and sleeping bags lined the surface of Zuccotti Park on Wednesday night, as Occupy Wall Street continued for an 11th straight night. Photo by Chris Palmer

Amber Oestreich has been at the Occupy Wall Street protest for 11 straight days. She has no intention of leaving anytime soon.

“I’m excited for winter,” said Oestreich, 18, from Grymes Hill, Staten Island. “I know how to build snow shelters.”

Brian James, left, Amber Oestreich and Dylan O'Keefe hang out on a half-inflated air mattress at Occupy Wall Street. None were sure of when the occupation would end. Photo by Chris Palmer

Oestreich was one of hundreds of occupiers hunkered down in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan last night, and, like others who have lived at the site since the occupation began 12 days ago, she was not sure when it would end.

She sat with two friends, Dylan O’Keefe, 19, and Brian James, 23, both from Northampton, Mass. All three said they were there to express their dissatisfaction with government oversight of corporations and a lack of corporate accountability.

“We’re trying to raise awareness,” Oestreich said.

When asked what would constitute a successful end-point to their demonstration, there was no consensus.

“We’re here for as long as it takes,” said James.

Zina Goodall, 22, from Sunset Park in Brooklyn, has visited the site several times but hasn’t stayed overnight yet. She said the occupation was organized to get a reaction from the public, government and corporations, but wasn’t sure how to define a sufficient public response.

“I think there’s a lot of different opinions,” she said.

Charlie Goff, 59, flew up from Cuernavaca, Mexico on Wednesday morning after seeing that activist filmmaker Michael Moore had attended the occupation over the weekend. Goff said he was inspired by the dedication of the people occupying the site.

“People never demonstrate, they never do anything,” he said. “But this is so much more effective than a single march.”

Lying in a sleeping bag underneath a beach umbrella, Goff said the occupation had no end in sight, but he wondered aloud how long it could continue.

“It’s a big project to feed this many people,” he said, noting that much of the food was donated. “How long can that go on?”

Goff’s friend, Katherine Derby, 47, from Rochester, New Hampshire, said that she wanted to see reforms made to America’s capitalist system, but that no one person has the solution.

“A lot of people (here) are searching for answers,” she said. “Together, we can search for one.”

Togetherness and a sense of community were two things that many of the occupiers were eager to express. They explained how committees had been formed to take care of daily living concerns, such as food distribution, security and sanitation, and that the consensus-decision making model, with no hierarchical structure and open to expression of all opinions, was one of the defining features of the community.

Emery Abdel-Latif, who volunteers on the food committee at Occupy Wall Street, puts a late-night snack out at the food table. Photo by Chris Palmer

But some wondered whether the growing number of occupiers would strain the effectiveness of the operation, and how long the success could last.

Daniel Levine, 22, from Sunset Park, Brooklyn, said that several committees have duties that overlap or are somewhat redundant with other groups.

“Maybe there are too many people making decisions,” he said. “But it’s really worked well so far.”

Colby Hopkins, 32, of West Harlem, said that general assembly meetings – held twice daily to discuss topics such as goals for the occupation and community rules – can be long and difficult because there is a wide variety of opinions among occupiers.

“There really isn’t a common message,” he said.

Despite these challenges, most occupiers were at least united in the idea that their demonstration was about more than just forcing corporate or government reforms.

“This experiment is useful,” said Alan Knox, 23, from Kensington, Brooklyn. “The example is good for people to see.”

Hopkins agreed, stressing that the occupation’s means were more important than its ends.

“Of course this will end at some point, but it’s not just about being here,” he said. “It’s not just about causing change. It’s about us living that change.”

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