Summary of the Memorial Relocation Cause

Key Points on LSP’s 9/11 Memorial Location Opposition

The Friends of Liberty State Park, an all volunteer, non-profit Officially Recognized Friends organization of the NJDEP’s Division of Parks and Forestry, was founded in 1988 as an open space advocacy organization to protect, preserve, conserve and promote LSP. FOLSP has worked to guide and improve LSP and to encourage and facilitate public participation in LSP decision-making on major issues. The Friends strongly opposes the memorial replacing the waterfront Terminal Public Plaza in LSP’s northeast corner. The Friends of LSP is opposing the memorial on behalf of future generations.
The Friends of LSP and individuals opposing the memorial have tremendous empathy for the deep pain the victims' families have experienced.
Design and Dimensions of the memorial are 2 stainless walls that are 200 feet long and 30 feet high and 16 feet apart, and the walls would be inserted into a hill that is 10 feet high and about 200 feet long. The Hill covers over LSP’s Public Plaza located adjacent to the historic landmark CRRNJ Terminal.
No public hearings were never held by the state on the 6 finalist designs chosen by the Jury. There were only “open design competition orientation meetings” for designers. The NJDEP has lied repeatedly in stating “there was an open process” and officials were quoted as saying there were 2004 public meetings.
The consensus of park users who have become aware of this memorial is that it is wrong for this location and sacrifices sacred views and the Public Plaza. The consensus is that the memorial as proposed is a massive monstrosity that obstructs powerful views that need protection for future generations.
The memorial obstructs the closest and best views toward Ground Zero and Lower Manhattan, and the powerful, panoramic and dramatic views of the NYC skyline from lower Manhattan up the river toward the George Washington Bridge, and views of river activity in the Hudson River. The memorial does severe harm to people’s experiencing their memories of 9/11 and of the New York City skyline and the Hudson River. Before the hill was erected, people walking on the sidewalk from the ferry parking lot on the cobblestone Zapp Drive up to the Terminal’s ferry ticket office; people on the very moving approach road, Zapp Drive, as they drove toward the Hudson River; people engaging in passive recreation in the “North Field” between the 2 hour parking lot and the historic Morris Canal: and people in the 2 hour parking lot area as people walked toward the Plaza and Terminal experienced those powerful views that the Hill now obstruct. People would be taking in this dramatic view, that got more powerful, the closer one got to the river. That view, as many people have said for 5 years, was the best memorial to 9/11, seeing the entire skyline” with the Twin Towers missing.. People should not have to walk up or around a 10 feet high by 200 feet long Hill or walk through 200 foot long walls to see the sacred views of downtown NYC and entire skyline, and River on which people were evacuated on 9/11.

Besides obstructing culturally sacred and meaningful views, the memorial also covers over and removes the park’s “Public Plaza”. This has been a commons for the public to enjoy next to the historic landmark 1889 CRRNJ Terminal which is part of the “Historic Trilogy” of the Terminal (from which most Ellis Island immigrants traveled to their new homes), Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. On the Plaza, urban people and visitors from around the county and the state enjoyed free biweekly summer concerts, ethnic and cultural festivals that were presented in the Terminal Concourse and on the Plaza. LSP’s Master Plan of 1978, which had 38 statewide public hearings, envisioned the Plaza as a public gathering space for festivals, celebrations, etc. In American terms, reflecting the park’s close proximity to Lady Liberty and Ellis Island, the Public Plaza has been called the “People’s Plaza” in the “People’s Park”. The Public Plaza has also been one of the prime viewing spaces accommodating thousands who came to enjoy July 4 fireworks. Besides the Plaza’s use for public events, many people came to the Plaza to sit and relax and view the panoramic vistas of the NYC skyline and River. The NYC skyline has been called a “signature” of modern civilization”, and its obstruction is taking away a priceless treasure from future generations.

Some history of the communication with DEP Comm Jackson and Gov. Corzine

The Friends began expressing its view that there needs to be a public meeting on the Memorial starting in April, 2006 when the Hill had emerged to everyone’s surprise. Park users had not been made aware that a 10 foot hill would be replace the whole Public Plaza and that it therefore would block skyline and river views. FOLSP began requesting a meeting with NJDEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson at the April meeting of the LSP Public Advisory Committee. She didn’t communicate with the Friends until after a late May news story on the memorial and then she met with Friends representatives on June 13, 2006, the day before LSP’s 30^th birthday. At that meeting with state officials and 4 victims’ family members, there was hope that the process would be opened up and that there would be a re-evaluation of the memorial. The Friends continued to write to the DEP requesting the first public hearing on the memorial design. However, the Commissioner in July gave her approval for the memorial, the day after the DEP gave permission for FOLSP to hold its own public meeting on August 16^th. Meanwhile the Friends had written to the Governor on July 17th expressing opposition to the memorial and asking for a public hearing in the spirit of democracy. He ignored that letter and a September letter asking for a meeting to him to discuss legal issues regarding memorial’s permits and a relocation.

Over 2000 park users have sent postcards, emails and letters or signed petitions to the Gov opposing the memorial. Over 250 park users came to a summer evening FOLSP public meeting to express opposition. Several Hudson County officials have expressed opposition including Assemblyman Lou Manzo, Sen. Joe Doria, Sen. Joan Quigley & JC Mayor Jerramiah Healy.
10/ 6: The Gov., ignoring strong opposition by park users and the lack of public hearings, and having refused to meet with the Friends of LSP on a relocation solution, approves the memorial based on the victims’ family committee’s desire for “closure”; and so the Gov. shows no respect for democracy and fails to protect the Public Plaza and the priceless skyline/river views and forces a legal case.