July 8, 2004

Street Talk by Shari Kaplan

On July 4, the cornerstone was dedicated for a 9/11 memorial on the site of Ground Zero. The memorial will take several years to build and is expected to be the tallest building in the world. What are your thoughts on the memorial?
(Asked at Parma Park)


“I think people who lost someone during the 9/11 attacks want a nice place where they can grieve, but the people who own the land probably want a building again. I think putting something there may be a step toward closure, but I also see how terrorists might think we’re thumbing our noses at them, and that might make them want to try again. I don’t really know if rebuilding or keeping the space open is the right answer.”

Lisa Fraboni, 45
Almaden Valley
Self-employed and homemaker

“I think a memorial is very appropriate. It’s hard to believe today that people could forget 9/11, but if you look ahead to future generations, people might forget the significance of the event. I think there’s a symbolism attached to the idea of rebuilding bigger and better than before. It sends a message about resiliency. The war on terror is all about symbolism.”

Jonathan Burton, 34
Blossom Valley
School guidance counselor

“If they building something new, I think it’s going to be too busy there, and people are likely to forget what happened. I think a void does a better job of commemorating what happened. The idea of an engraved cornerstone is nice, but they should stop there. Maybe make the area into a park.”

Sharon Howard, 44
Blossom Valley
Homemaker


“I think it is OK to build another building at Ground Zero. Any type would be okay, but maybe a smaller building, or maybe something the same size as the World Trade Center towers. People talk about 9/11 a lot in Europe. It was really a terrible day for the world.”

Bettina Zeigel, 34
Munich, Germany (visiting family in Almaden Valley)
Homemaker

“For the people who live in New York, they may have strong opinions about it. I think they would want to have a way to remember the incident. I don’t really have any strong opinions on the topic. I think it might not be as important for people on the West Coast.”

Alton Lo, 36
Fremont
Computer engineer

“I think there should be a building, but the first floor should be dedicated to the 9/11 victims. That way, it’s not like you took anything away from the people who died, or those who lost someone. It should be a large building to use for different things, but you’d go through the memorial floor before going anywhere else. Rebuilding shows the world that what happened was tragic, but it’s not going to keep us down. We’re going to get on with our lives.”

Lenor Martinez, 27
Almaden Valley
Homemaker