Staff Reports
The 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero is supposed to be a quiet hour of memory and mourning, not a stage for political grandstanding. Patriotic artist Scott LoBaido reminded New Yorkers of that simple fact on “Bianca Across The Nation,” urging people not to turn the service into a protest over the presence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He’s right — the victims and their families deserve better than a headline chase.
Respect the Moment, Not the Mayor
Let’s be blunt: Mayor Zohran Mamdani is a political figure with a lot of people who love him and a lot who don’t. That’s democracy. But a list of policy disagreements does not give anyone the right to hijack a ceremony meant to honor nearly 3,000 dead. Scott LoBaido—known for his patriotic public art—made a common-sense plea: if you want to protest the mayor, do it someplace that isn’t dripping with grief. Protest is a right. Timing matters.
Why This Matters: Memory, Grief, and Political Theater
The 9/11 memorial is about memory. Families, firefighters, police officers, first responders and ordinary people marked their grief that day and every year since. Turning that grief into political theater cheapens the sacrifice and distracts from what should be the focus: the names on the panels, the stories behind them, and the quiet moments of remembrance. Conservatives and moderates alike should defend the right to dissent—but also defend the dignity of mourning.
A Call for Common Sense: Protest in the Public Square
If you disagree with Mayor Mamdani’s agenda, go to City Hall, hold signs, vote, run candidates. Don’t march into a memorial service and claim righteousness. Real patriotism respects the dead while fighting for the living. LoBaido’s point is modest and fair: make your political statement where it belongs, not where families are trying to remember a lost child, spouse or parent.
Wrap Up: Honor First, Politics Second
So here’s the bottom line: show some decency. Let the 9/11 ceremony be what it’s meant to be. If Mayor Zohran Mamdani attends, let the focus stay on victims and survivors—let their names, not political fights, fill the day. And if you’re itching to make a point, take it to the public square where it belongs. We can have fierce politics and still keep our moments of national sorrow sacred. That’s not weakness. It’s common sense.
