A group of retired Port Authority police officers is calling on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul to stay away from the 25th anniversary 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero, arguing that their presence would cause renewed anguish for victims’ relatives, survivors and the first responders who lived through the attack.
John McDevitt, president of the Port Authority Retired Police Association, made the appeal in separate Aug. 14 letters to the two Democratic leaders, asking them not to attend the Sept. 11 remembrance at the World Trade Center site, where the deadliest terrorist attack in American history unfolded.
In his message to Mamdani, McDevitt stressed that the anniversary should not be treated as a political event, media moment or stage for elected officials. He described September 11 as a sacred day to honor those killed, the responders who rushed in, the survivors who endured the horror and the families who have carried their grief for a quarter-century.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attends a news conference at the headquarters of the New York Police Department in New York City on Jan. 6. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The association emphasized its deep connection to the World Trade Center, calling it “our home,” and pointed to the devastating toll within its own ranks: 37 Port Authority police officers and 47 additional members of the broader Port Authority community were killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001.
“Thirty-seven of our brothers and sisters made the ultimate sacrifice,” McDevitt wrote. “Their memorial should not become the center of political controversy.”
The letter said the retired officers have “profound concerns” about Mamdani’s public statements, political associations and positions, which they believe are inconsistent with the sacrifice of victims and law enforcement officers.
“We believe your presence at Ground Zero on this 25th anniversary would cause deep pain to many members of the 9/11 community,” McDevitt wrote. “It also risks shifting attention away from the people whose lives, courage, and sacrifice the ceremony exists to honor.”
Names of victims are read during the commemoration ceremony on the 22nd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)
McDevitt suggested Mamdani could instead recognize the anniversary through a written statement, public message or a separate event.
“This is our day to remember,” he wrote. “Please allow us to remember in peace.”
The association struck a similarly blistering tone in its letter to Hochul, taking issue with her decision to illuminate One World Trade Center for Muslim American Heritage Month.
The retired officers said they did not object to Hochul’s proclamation itself, but to the decision to use the World Trade Center and Ground Zero for the observance.
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“We believe that political pandering played a role in a decision that showed such disregard for the significance of this sacred site,” McDevitt wrote.
The association called the decision “insensitive, tone-deaf, and an affront” to those who served at the World Trade Center, victims’ families, survivors and first responders.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference in Manhattan in New York City, Feb. 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
“Because of that decision, we believe that you have forfeited your right to stand alongside us at Ground Zero on the 25th anniversary,” McDevitt wrote to Hochul.
Hochul’s office pushed back on the retired officers’ demand in a statement to News Media, saying the governor “has enormous respect for all the families who lost loved ones on 9/11” and will “proudly stand alongside them at this year’s commemoration.”
The spokesperson added that Muslim New Yorkers “served as first responders and helped unite the city in the aftermath of 9/11,” and said, “The Governor knows we can respect these families while being clear that Islamophobia has no place in New York.”
Mamdani previously said he plans to attend the commemoration and “proudly honor” the families, survivors and first responders forever affected by the terror attack.
The retired officers’ demand comes as a petition asking organizers to bar Mamdani from the ceremony has drawn more than 95,000 signatures.
The petition was launched in July by Giovanni Galante, whose wife, Grace Catherine Galante, was killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Speaking as the husband of Grace Catherine Galante, we are taking measures to shield our loved ones by barring anyone who opposes our way of life from the ceremony,” Galante wrote on the petition page.
Former Jill Biden spokesman Michael LaRosa, who also served as a special assistant to former President Joe Biden, signed the petition and warned that Mamdani’s presence would be a “lightning rod” that diverts attention from victims and their loved ones.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum previously told News Media that it keeps the annual commemoration free of politics. Government officials who attend do not deliver remarks and are asked to remain in a designated area, a spokesperson said.
News Media has reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment.