Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. 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 September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002905.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-18