Flowers were placed in the fountain while some sat and others slowly moved around the area in an almost aimless fashion.
Once in a while someone would silently shake hands with the fire fighters. We stayed maybe 30 minutes, feeling a crowd energy rarely experienced. We were one people, filled with resolve and promise. Life would go on, return to normal but each of us knew, we would never forget.
photos taken by Bill Stankus
5 comments:
A thoughtful post.
Just feeling quiet and sad here in NY.
All best wishes.
Your photos are striking, Bill.
your photographs are stunning...and thanks for mentioning my name too! sorry i have been slack at blogging of late....life gettin' in the way...oh and love the pic at the top, of the twinkling lights and the crescent moon! WOW! x j
love the starkness of the black & white photos.
on actual 9/11, we went to some friends' who happened to live near the american embassy in copenhagen. one point, around 9 or so, we drifted down there on foot, to find a very silent crowd, many with candles lit, had spontaneously gathered there. it was eerily quiet and someone started singing. i don't even remember what they sang now, but in the silence, the song was very powerful. a feeling of community among strangers. i wish it hadn't gone again so quickly and turned into something ugly instead...
In one's life time ... a series of questions, usually asked by a casual acquaintance.
Where were you when JFK was shot?
Where were you when RFK was shot?
Where were you when MLK was shot?
Perhaps too
Where were you when Medger Evers, Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, Harvey Milk, George Mascone, John Lennon, George Tiller, Chauncey Bailey was shot?
Death has stamped their names and causes into our collective memory. Our times are filled with iconic symbols, unwanted because they were created from violence.
With distance and time most of these names will fade until nothing of the horror and anguish remains.
However, 9/11 is still a fresh wound, garbled by the media and egotistic politicians ... but the event itself remains a powerful memory for common folks.
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