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New outrage is brewing in New York as retired Port Authority officers — the very men and women who ran toward the smoking towers on September 11 — are demanding that Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani stay away from the 25th‑anniversary Ground Zero commemoration. Port Authority Retired Police trustee John Gorman discussed the push on America’s Newsroom, while the retirees’ group has made its objections plain in formal letters and public statements.
The demand is not a whisper but a formal appeal: letters dated August 14 from John McDevitt, president of the Port Authority Retired Police Association, implore the two Democratic politicians to skip the ceremony because, the retirees say, the site is not a stage for politics. McDevitt warned that public officials using the memorial for photo ops or political signaling would inflict “deep pain” on families, survivors, and first responders who still carry the scars of that day.
This call has clearly resonated with grieving Americans; a petition to bar Mayor Mamdani has reportedly gathered more than 95,000 signatures and was launched by a husband who lost his wife on 9/11. Prominent voices, including former administration staffers, have warned that Mamdani’s presence could become a distraction and turn the solemn remembrance into a political lightning rod.
Governor Hochul’s office has pushed back, telling reporters she “has enormous respect” for victims’ families and will “proudly stand alongside them” at this year’s commemoration, adding that Muslim New Yorkers served as first responders and deserve respect. That response, however, only fuels the argument from retirees who say the choice to use One World Trade Center lighting for Muslim American Heritage Month crossed a line and made the site a venue for modern identity politics.
Mayor Mamdani, for his part, insists the memorial must be about remembrance and not politics and says he intends to “proudly honor” victims, survivors and first responders. His office and public remarks emphasize solemnity and the need to protect New Yorkers, even as critics argue past statements and political associations make his presence controversial. The mayor’s stated intent to focus on healing does not erase the fact that families and fellow first responders are pleading for a day free of political theater.
Let’s be blunt: hardworking Americans who bled and died in the name of our country deserve respect, not a photo op for career politicians who pander to interest groups. Elected officials who choose symbolism over sensitivity — lighting a sacred skyline for partisan observances or courting controversial allies while expecting to stand shoulder to shoulder with victims — show shocking tone‑deafness to the sacrifices memorialized at Ground Zero. The retirees are right to put principle and memory first.
If this nation still values decency and the memory of those we lost, then politicians should listen to the families and retired officers who lived through the horror and its aftermath. Courage now means letting grief have its quiet day, resisting the urge to politicize tragedy, and honoring those who answered the call on 9/11 by protecting their memory rather than exploiting it. America’s heroes and their families deserve nothing less.
