Retired Port Authority police officers are demanding that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov.Kathy Hochul skip Ground Zero’s 25th anniversary 9/11 commemoration, saying their attendance would inflict "deep pain" on victims’ families, survivors and first responders.In separate letters dated Aug.
14, John McDevitt, president of the Port Authority Retired Police Association, urged the two Democrats not to attend the Sept.11 ceremony at the site of the deadliest terror attack in U.S.
history."For us, September 11 is not a political occasion, a photo opportunity, or a platform for public officials," McDevitt wrote to Mamdani."It is a solemn day of remembrance for those who were murdered, those who responded, those who survived, and the families who have carried these losses for twenty-five years."GOP SENATORS RALLY BEHIND 9/11 FAMILIES IN PUSH TO BAN MAMDANI FROM ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY: 'HE'S A DISGRACE'New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attends a news conference at the headquarters of the New York Police Department in New York City on Jan.
6.(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)The group said the World Trade Center was "our home," noting that 37 Port Authority police officers and 47 other members of the Port Authority family were killed in the 2001 attacks."Thirty-seven of our brothers and sisters made the ultimate sacrifice," McDevitt wrote.
"Their memorial should not become the center of political controversy."SEE IT: MAMDANI BOOED OFF STAGE AT NEW YORK CITY PRO-POLICE CELEBRATION: ‘WALKED OFF IN SHAME’The letter said the retired officers have "profound concerns" about Mamdani’s public statements, political associations and positions, which they believe are inconsistent with the sacrifice of victims and law enforcement officers."We believe your presence at Ground Zero on this 25th anniversary would cause deep pain to many members of the 9/11 community," McDevitt wrote."It also risks shifting attention away from the people whose lives, courage, and sacrific...