dojR002905.xml

dojR002905.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2002-03-18

Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick
Director, Office of Management Programs
Civil Division, US Dept of Justice Main Building
Room 3140
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530

March 18, 2002

Dear Mr. Zwick:

I am writing to you as a survivor of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United
States. I worked in 2 World Trade Center, Floor, at . On September 11th, I was following my normal routine, walking up Church Street from the A/C subway towards the plaza of the World Trade Center to enter 2 World Trade Center on the Mezzanine Level. I was 2 blocks away when the
first plane struck 1 World Trade Center and stood in shock with others on their way to
work. While Mayor Guiliani, yourself and others were encouraging Americans to get
back to a sense of normalcy, all of us who worked in the World Trade Center, had no
normalcy in our lives. I spent several weeks volunteering with the Red Cross at Respite
1 and 3 for recovery workers and everyone participating in the recovery efforts.

The Respite Centers were incredible places that offered services to everyone involved
in the recovery efforts without distinguishing workers by rank, position, or any type of
difference. Everyone was treated with respect and equality. This was very important at
the Respite Centers to not treat differently the National Guard, fireman, construction
and iron workers, sanitation workers, Verizon workers and all different groups who were
critical to the recovery process. In fact, many of whom did not receive praise for their
efforts in the media such as a sanitation truck driver who was working 15 hour days
transporting trucks filled with wreckage and debris to Fresh Kills.

I have recently learned that same sex partners are excluded from the September 11th
Victims' Compenstion Fund and that Mr. Kenneth feinberg, on March 10th, stated on
NBC's Meet the Press that he is not including same sex partners as eligible for
compensation although all other groups are eligible. I am very saddened by this
decision to discriminate against the partner's of individual's who were killed on
September 11th. The September 11th Fund is not a sate fund and was created for a
unique reason, to help families of those who were killed in a terrorist on the United
States and on the United States government. To point to state laws that do not
acknowledge same sex partnerships is not a valid reason to deny same sex widows
and widowers compensation. In fact, many companies that were located in the World
Trade Center had domestic partnership policies that did recognize same sex
relationships and that benefits, such as health insurance were extended to same sex
partners. To deny same sex partners eligibility for the September11th Fund is to say to
the world that some Americans are not as valued and that we do not consider all
Americans to be equal.

I urge you to reconsider this policy that excludes some victims from the Septmber 11th
Fund and let all Americans know that you consider every life lost on September 11th to
be of equal value and that the pain and sadness to those family members of the victims
is not distinguished by the type of relationship. Regardless of state laws, federal law
and personal beliefs, the partners of lesbians and gays on September 11th should not
be treated differently, given that their loved ones were killed for the same reasons as
their co-workers and all those who worked or were at the World Trade Center,
Pentagon and on 4 airplanes that day, as a result of terrorism targeted at all Americans.

The World Trade Center was for thousands of workers, our ssecond home, and in many
ways an ordinary place with diversity in types of people who worked and visited there.
It will now be remembered as a place of immense horror and with great sadness.
Please do not let this be a place that will be remembered as disregarding the lives of
some who worked and were killed there because the September 11th Fund currently
discriminates against gays and lesbians. I hope that you will send the message that
you do not condone discriminating against victims of the September 11th terrorist attack
on the United States.

Sincerely,

Individual Comment
Brooklyn, NY

2002-03-18