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STATEMENT FROM BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARKOWITZ ON THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF SEPTEMBER 11th

“Today marks two years since the tragedy of September 11th. We pause to honor the memory of the thousands who were lost - mothers, fathers, children, boyfriends, fiancés, co-workers - people from all walks of life, from every ethnic and religious background, Americans and visitors from countries around the world. We mourn for America’s lost innocence, but know that our sons and daughters will forever hear about the bravery and courage of our heroes. Every time we look across to our beloved skyline, we see the physical void of what were once majestic towers of strength and beauty, and it still hurts.

“Today, we are different, different than a year ago and certainly than two. That’s because as much as we continue to feel the pain, the process of healing and renewal are underway. Today, we have a plan for the World Trade Center site that honors the memory of those we lost and rebuilds what once was - differently, informed and inspired by what happened.

“If you noticed the parades of yellow daffodils that lined our streets and sidewalks throughout Brooklyn this spring, they were planted by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a beautiful memorial that will bloom every year. The bulbs were donated by a Dutchman who wanted to do something to help with the healing. Last week, I was at the planting of a memorial grove of trees in Prospect Park. There is comfort in nature, in living things that grow, bloom, fade and bloom again, every year. Brooklyn’s wealth of natural settings - from Prospect Park, the Botanic Gardens and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade to Sheepshead Bay, Marine Park and Shore Road, to name just a few - offer us quiet moments of tranquility and beauty where we can remember and reflect, replenish and renew.

“In a sense, we are all survivors. And while we will never forget, we must also take pride in what we have done to rebuild, both our inner lives and those of our communities, our great borough, our city and our nation. We have reached out to our neighbors and to people we never knew before. We have comforted our children and educated them about this brave new world we live in. We have held the hands of those flooded with grief until they were calm again. We have renewed our commitment to celebrate diversity because that is what Brooklyn is all about. We have changed. My greatest dream is that someday the rest of the world will be more like Brooklyn. Here, we live together side by side, peacefully and with respect - people of every faith, creed and color, from every nation and walk of life, all children of god. Just imagine if the rest of the world was more like Brooklyn - and it can be, if people of good will make it happen.”