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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

On September 11 They Died Anonymously

Prior to 9/11 many homeless used the World Trade Center as a place to sleep reports New York’s United Homeless Organization. With no apparent family, no one papered the city with missing posters and no one brought in a toothbrush for DNA sampling. More than likely no one even knew they were there except for those who saw them daily in the bustling atmosphere of the concourses. Shopkeepers and other survivors continue to hold them in their memories. They contemplate how their homeless friends died on 9/11, anonymous in much the same way as they lived.

They remember …
  • A lady named Arlene.
  • Maryann.
  • A shoeshine guy, Jack.
  • Keith.
  • An elderly woman Rose who sat by the PATH train bathroom.
  • Marvin, a tall, gray-haired man with a dark complexion, stood every morning by the N train.
  • Carlos, a tall Jamaican some called Ras.
  • An old lady that sat by a bathroom…

The best they can, the United Homeless Organization is keeping a tally of the missing, a list that so far contains more than 50 names and whatever descriptions people could provide. (For more information see http://www.villagevoice.com/)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow! I never ever thought of people living at/near the World Trade Center on the street and what happened to them. I'm still mourning former college mates who died. Their deaths plunged me into a 2-year depression.