646-537-1755
Rally for the NYC 9/11 Ballot Initiative
Apr. 30th, 2008
We had a great rally at St. Marks Church on Wed. night with around 150 people including many new folks who signed up to work with us. We had 2 men from Staten Island who have been working on their own there getting signatures over the last few months. One of them lost 2 family members in 9/11! He's totally committed to the Initiative. We had an elderly couple who handed in over 50 signatures which they collected on their own. We also had 2 people visiting from the San Francisco Bay area, which underscored the point that there is national interestin the Ballot Initiative.
We heard from first responder Bill Gleason (see statement below), family member Bob McIlvaine, peace & 9/11 truth activist Erik Anders-Nilson, attorneys Lynne Stewart, William Pepper, and radio talk show hosts Ralph Schoenman & Mya Shone who all promoted the necessity of creating a new independent 9/11 investigation through this campaign. The event brought a lot of new energy and inspiration to the cause. We're planning for another rally on Wed. May 14th.
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Bob McIlvaine, |
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Bill Gleason, |
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Erik Anders-Nilson, anti-war activist |
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Mya Shone, |
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Lynne Stewart, "the people's attorney" |
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William Pepper, |
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Jack Pollack, |
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Statement from Bill Gleason, 9/11 first responder
Ed. note — This statement sums up what the first responder community feels. It's important to realize that the NYC Ballot Initiative includes the intention of investigating the circumstances which caused the exposure to toxic environmental conditions to thousands of first responders and seeking remedy for their health, financial and emotional well-being. Consider paragraph 9 from the petition...
9. The Commission will also endeavor to consider the effects of the 9/11 attacks on the health and well being of police, firefighters, the enormous numbers of other first responders, local residents and others affected, and examine ways and means of alleviating the health care crisis which afflicts many of the above through the enforcement of their right to health care services and compensation.
On September 11th 2001 Rescuers from the police, fire, EMS, construction, the trades and everyday citizens responded to the call of the attack on our country. With out hesitation or question the Rescuers stepped into harms way putting their health and very lives on the line to do their duty. The Rescuers trusted that the health and safety organizations that were present would not endanger their health and lives. Today we know they were not forthcoming with truthful information, Today the Rescuers are paying the price for that deception, some with their very lives.
Our founding fathers created this nation on the beliefs of freedom liberty and truth. They believed that our nation is a nation of laws and risked everything to achieve those truths; that would become the United States of America.
Rescuers from NYC, all 50 states and even overseas responded to the World Trade Center to help bring the lost home. This national crisis showed what is best in America. In the Rescuers community we stand together as family, when we say we have your back; we mean it.
Now there are Rescuers from all over the nation; who are being affected by their toxic exposure at the World Trade Center disaster. We need help. We need a federal health care program that will ensure medical care that is complete and uncontested. We need medical monitoring and care for the rest of our lives.
We as a people and a nation must ensure that our Rescuers who stand in harms way in future national disaster or crisis have their health and financial futures undeniably and irrevocably protected. Rescuers need assurances that in the future the truth and the law will prevail. For future Rescuers; who we as a nation will need to save us in a crisis, this is the least we can do for them.
We were called heroes, but we felt we were just doing our duty. Now we need someone to be our heroes.
