story11295.xml

story11295.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2005-02-15

I just got out of my first class, Temple University in North Philly. It was about 11:40. I was walking east on Montgomerry between 13th and Broad street. A bunch of people were gathered around a lunch truck listening to KYW Newsradio 1060 am. "Terrorists attack World trade Center." "Planes crash in D.C., New York and a plane crashed outside of Pittsburgh." I said "Im glad were in Philly," half joking, but I was serious. No one heard me. When I realized the enormity of the situation, as I let the news roll through me, I was ashamed that I made that comment.
I called my father who happened to be bricklaying at Temple that morning. I started crying a little, I was a little scared. He told me not to go downtown, but I had to. Bob Dylan's new CD came out that morning. I told my dad I wouldn't go downtown, but off i went. I sat on that SEPTA bus and pondered. I was the only white person on the bus. I asked this kid next to me if he heard, he said no. I informed him. I was emotional. He seemed less emotional. Did he care? I got the Dylan CD. Everyone in Center City was getting the hell out of there, rushing out of the skyscrapers and City Hall. Panicking! But I did not feel that Philly would get hit. Philadelphia used to be the economic and political capitol of America. The money moved north and the politics moved south.
I walked back to Temple. Same lunch truck..different crowd. Some guy walked by and said real loud "Alright, get over it people. Life goes on." I watched him walk away, stunned. I saw this kid who went to my high school. "Got any weed?" "Na, you?" "Na" "Wanna get a beer?" "Yeah okay."
I was 19, but I knew where to get beer, a few blocks north and west of campus, the ghetto, but I wasn't really scared. "Did yous hear what happened?" I said to the crowd of black dudes outside of the small food and beer joint. This guy told me that it was our own fault that it happened. Us, America. Or white people? I don't know. I think he meant rich powerful white men, the few, but that's an assumption. We sat on a stoop and downed these malt liquor pounders, sharing our shock. We went our seperate ways.
I made my way to this building that was showing the footage. This was the first time that I saw it. I would see those images thousands more times. It hurt.
Life did go on though. I had to start a new job that afternoon. I went in and worked.
In the coming weeks and months, September 11th was the issue of the day. For some reason I turned to the American Civil War. I found peace in this bloody event. I related to those Americans. They had their tragedy and we had ours. They couldn't escape history, nor should we. Still it hurt.
The music... The Battle Hymn of the republic, Ashokan farewell. Abraham Lincoln. Grant. Lee. The Irish. The slaves. The masters. New York City. Washington D.C. The fields of Pennsylvania. Bob Dylan. I got closer to the past that Fall. I could feel the presence of the Indians of the past.