This piece was written by a college student in Georgia. It is inspiring to read how deeply he cares about this issue and how significant he believes it to be for all Americans. He sent his essay to many of our leading newspapers, certain that surely one of them would let him speak for the millions who share his conviction – particularly the young people we hear from so frequently. His words eloquently express why we will never accept anything less than the World Trade Center we deserve.

Rebuilding the Twin Towers Transcends Politics | by Justin Ove

It may be fate, but I managed to convince my father I was too sick to go to school on September 11, 2001. Watching the horrific scenes that day and the national unity that followed made me realize like no other event what it meant to be an American. Five years on, I still remember the overhead highway signs reading “Airport Closed-National Emergency” and the plethora of American flags and patriotism, and wonder why it took such a tragic event to bring us together.

Fortunately, the rebuilding-not-replacement-of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center site can easily galvanize Americans on either side of the political spectrum to work together to achieve a common goal and make the new Towers an emblem of our resolve to unite against our deadly enemies. We must not allow the wishes of a few elitist developers and political cronyism to overpower the desires of everyday Americans to see their towers rebuilt. This is no Willet Creek, but it is easy to imagine how Jefferson Smith* would view our failure as citizens of the United States if we don’t do our duty to stand up and be counted.

After the tragedy of September 11, Governor George Pataki was presented with a crisis like none other in the history of his state. As such, there were no precedents that would have indicated how he should have acted. Unfortunately, the “public process” for selecting the design for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center (WTC) site was given merely the appearance of being public and set a sad precedent.

If only Pataki had said, “This is a terrible tragedy, and we must come together to rebuild the area together. You elected me, and as your representative, I will listen to your wishes and together we will restore our skyline and pride.” But, instead, by resorting to cronyism and behind the scenes deals, Governor Pataki effectively stifled the will of the people of his state.

In a recent press conference, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC, the organization tasked with rebuilding the WTC site) president Stefan Pryor was asked why the towers were not being rebuilt. His replied that it was, “…an imperative to restore the street grid to Lower Manhattan.” The normal grid was disrupted when the Twin Towers were originally built in the 1960s and 70s.

This callous reply shows the opportunistic, perhaps vulture-like attitudes of the LMDC. The designers and urban planners, who never liked the Twin Towers to begin with, are taking advantage of our greatest tragedy to redesign the skyline as they see fit. They like to say that nobody liked them, but they are wrong; many more millions loved them and they represented New York to the world like a soaring goalpost.

The design Pataki, not the people of his state, chose could not have been less appropriate and universally despised. After a number of overhauls, the so-called “Freedom Tower” (FT) and its accompanying buildings are supposed to inspire our future generations of Americans. Larry Silverstein, the developer, actually said that a hundred years from now our citizens will say “we did them proud.” If the Freedom Tower is built instead of the Twin Towers it is much more likely to be remembered as a low point in our history and a monument to a society that lost its identity.

The design of FT is uninspiring at best and dangerously shallow at worst. And recently, an architectural review published in the Financial Times lambasted the latest addition to the site plan as “a curiously sterile mismatch.” The single tower, intended to replace the twin towers, will stand at 1,776 feet tall. As awe-inspiring and symbolic as this height may imply, in reality there are only some 82 occupied floors planned. Therefore, more than half of the tower will be empty and hollow. Is the message of “externally impressive, but hollow on the inside” one we really want to send to our allies and enemies? As Americans, we have become frighteningly desensitized to corruption and below the table dealings, but this should shock and anger every American, regardless of political leanings.

At a recent rally for rebuilding the Twin Towers, a heckler was present. When asked by one of the participants why he did not want to see the site rebuilt as it was, he replied, “Of course I think that is the right thing to do, but it isn’t going to happen. Move on.”

Move on? There can be no greater indictment of the apathy of the American populace than letting the politicians get away with symbolic murder. I was taught in school that if you perceive a wrong, you fight tooth and nail to see it corrected, much like Jefferson Smith and his never-ending filibuster.

The remark by the heckler made me painfully aware that not only are the politicians and urban planners to be held accountable for this travesty, but also the apathetic American. This sort of “lay down and take it” attitude must be fought and defeated. If we do not become more firm willed in our citizenship, and understand our obligations as well as our privileges, we may well be on the way to our downfall.

The inability for the American citizen to hold his elected officials responsible for their actions makes me sick. I am fully aware that no country is immune from corruption, but this symbolic rape of some of our most hallowed ground must not be tolerated. The deaths of 2,602 Americans in New York City on that horrible day must not serve to profit a select few.

As a younger American, I may be somewhat naive, but I refuse to allow this calamity to befall my country. The cronyism and shady dealings that led to the decision to build the “Freedom” Tower disillusion me. Unlike the heckler at the recent rally, I will not take this sitting down. I remember going to New York City in 1996 and seeing the simplicity yet majesty of Yamasaki’s Twin Towers. I refuse to allow anything to hinder my children from being greeted by the same sight.

How could we look the next generation in the eyes and tell them we could have rebuilt the towers, taller and better than before, but because of apathy and complacence we built a disgusting shadow of the site’s former glory?

The recent events in the world have turned American against American. Liberal, Conservative, Republican and Democrat are thrown about not as adjectives, but slurs. It seems to me that many in the country see themselves as Republican/Democrat first, American second. This is a dangerous and tragic occurrence. If there is one thing that liberal, conservative, libertarian and socialist should be able to agree on, it is that as Americans, we have a right to decide what is done to our cities.

I realize we will never totally agree on anything, but we can at least agree that we are all American citizens, and as such we have a duty to ourselves and our country to see that our best interests are looked after. It took the destruction of the Twin Towers to bring us together, therefore it only stands to reason the effort to restore them to the skyline of New York City is a worthy goal that can be supported by all Americans. Rebuild-not replace. This is our tragedy, therefore it must be our memorial as well. Do not let yourselves, your children or the millions of Americans yet to be born down. We can all be Jefferson Smiths.

© 2006 Justin Ove

* TTA Note: Jefferson Smith was the hero on the Frank Capra classic, “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.” It is startling how similar the situations are – and that it has repeatedly been young people who have pointed that out to us. It is worth noting that in the movie it was not Jimmy Stewart/Senator Smith’s filibuster that saved the day. It was Claude Raines/Senator Paine’s admission of corruption that created the happy ending, after Senator Smith collapsed on the Senate floor of exhaustion. We believe that a change of heart on the part of someone who has been opposing the Twin Towers, but knows we are right on this, could bring on a bright new day for our country.