Posted on 09/26/2001 5:14:04 AM PDT by Movemout
NEW YORK (AP) - Emergency crews worked through the night to dismantle a seven-story fragment of metal facade, all that remained standing of the World Trade Center and one of the most photographed scenes of the destruction.
But people who walked to the police barricades hoping to take pictures of the demolition early Wednesday were met by new signs warning that all cameras and video equipment were forbidden there and could be confiscated.
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani issued the order Tuesday because the site is a crime scene, according to a statement from his office. No one was available early Wednesday to explain why the order wasn't issued earlier.
Officer Michael DiFrancisco, standing guard at a barricade, said the ban was also "out of respect for the families and all those concerned."
Giuliani on Tuesday also said single-occupant cars would be barred from entering the city at certain times starting Thursday to ease congestion. The mayor planned to meet with transportation officials Wednesday to discuss the details.
Bridges and tunnels into Manhattan were choked with traffic for much of Tuesday while police searched vehicles and inspected drivers' licenses, causing some delays of more than two hours.
The security increase began shortly before Attorney General John Ashcroft told Congress terrorists may be planning an attack using a truck carrying hazardous chemicals. Twenty people have been charged with trying to obtain fraudulent licenses to drive tanker trucks, officials said. Some may have connections to the hijackers, the Justice Department said.
Late Tuesday, 287 people had been confirmed dead and 6,347 were listed as missing at the World Trade Center in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
History teacher Bill Homan, 27, had been in the financial district taking photos for several hours before he heard about the ban, but said he planned to continue. Four of his friends from high school died in the attack, he said.
"On TV, you've got all these preppy guys reporting from ground zero, but that's not even one 100th of what it really looks like," Homan said.
As crews began tearing down the remaining facade Tuesday, voters across the city were choosing candidates for mayor.
Billionaire media mogul Michael Bloomberg defeated Congressman Herman Badillo in the primary for the Republican mayoral nomination, and Public Advocate Mark Green will face Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer in a runoff to decide the Democratic candidate.
Giuliani is barred by term limits from running again, though some people, including Gov. George Pataki, suggested writing in the mayor's name. The write-in count wasn't available early Wednesday.
At ground zero, the demolition work kicked up dust, and the sounds of drills filled the night. Rescue workers emerging from the area were applauded by bystanders. Nearby, sanitation workers hosed off streets as they prepared to re-open them to traffic.
The seven-story chunk of facade, which looked like a piece of rusty lace stretching out of the rubble, was slowly pulled on top of the debris pile in large chunks by workers using cables and cranes.
Francie Clavin took Tuesday off, boarded a train from Philadelphia and stood with several dozen people at the barricades for hours to watch the remaining pieces come down.
"It was my last chance to see this," said Clavin, 43. "I had to come and see for myself. It's an important part of history."
Giuliani said the structure had to be removed to make cleanup efforts safer and easier. He assured residents that as much of the facade as possible would be saved in case it is wanted for a future memorial.
Preserving the ruined remnant of the south tower - struck by the second jetliner and the first to collapse - as a memorial was suggested by Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It has been captured in hundreds of photos of ground zero since the Sept. 11 attack on the 110-story towers.
Architect Alphonse Diaz, who watched workers tearing it down, approved of the removal.
"It was unsafe. And who wants to be reminded anyway?" he said.
The city will begin providing free legal assistance Wednesday to help victims' families obtain death certificates, even though their loved one's remains have not been found. The process will make it easier for families to collect insurance benefits and workers' compensation and gain access to bank accounts.
Some families also are receiving grants up to $30,000 from the American Red Cross to help with short-term expenses such as mortgages, rent or funeral costs.
The mayor, meanwhile, encouraged residents to get on with their lives.
"Life is risky," Giuliani said Tuesday. "You can decide to live your life afraid of that happening, or you can decide to live your life the way Americans live their lives, which is unafraid."
Now this is disturbing.
Sounds arbitrary and capricious and sets a curious precedent. Aside from that, the "out of respect for the families and all those concerned is a stretch".
It's PC in it's ugliest form during an event that concerns family... every American citizen.
"All those concerned" includes all of us, whether acknowledged or not.
This notion that nanny government has the rights of an individual is really disturbing.
I think you have captured the essence of the order.
Also, they're now finding pieces of airplane fuselage and the like. If it's truly a war, why risk letting the enemy see something useful on TV?
This warning serves to assure an ample supply of photographs made all the more valuable by the risk and the rarity.
I read a book many years back about how easy it would be to totally destroy NY City by taking out the bridges and tunnels, along with other things...
Trapped on that isalnd, millions of people, no food, no heat, etc...
Maybe we are going to have to understand what we are up against. They use the very freedom we treasure against us.
That is a valid reason?
Are we a nation of children? Does the least common denominator apply?
Do all aircraft disaster include such restrictions? I can undertand "interfering with an investigation" but it is a real stretch here.
"Sanitizing" the extent of the Mass Murder for the rest of us is so PC. And so counterproductive!
It would be a gross outrage to have the rotting, maggot infested hamburger of former loved ones splayed across the front pages of National Inquirer, but for posterity, there needs to be some record, just as there are films of the victims left in holocaust's evil wake.
Challenge and adversity bring out the best in some people!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.