Port Authority retirees push leaders to skip Ground Zero’s 9/11 anniversary ceremony

Retired Port Authority police urge Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul to skip Ground Zero’s 25th anniversary 9/11 ceremony, saying attendance would cause “deep pain” to victims’ families; they advocate a written statement or separate event. A petition by Giovanni Galante—whose wife Grace Galante died on 9/11—has collected over 95,000 signatures urging Mamdani be barred from the ceremony. Hochul’s office defends attendance, while Mamdani has said he intends to attend to honor those affected; memorial organizers say politics should be kept out of the commemoration.