9/11/2001 at the time really didn’t click in my head. At the time I was around 18 years old self absorbed and well living in Florida I just didn’t get it. Fast forward to 2006 I started making trips to New York to visit. Who would later think that fast forward about 2-3 years later I would be working right by what was then referred to as Ground Zero. I started working at that time on Zadroga cases. If you don’t know, it is the law that permitted first responder’s and survivors the ability to receive compensation and medical treatment for their ailments sustained as a result of 9/11.
When I started working on the cases, I have to say I still didn’t get it, but it was pivotal in my understanding what everyone went through and how it continues to affect them today.I can clearly recall people that I interacted with speaking with them and genuinely understanding what happened that day. A friend of mine asked me if I had heard of the new video game someone made that is based on 9/11. I was immediately disgusted, outraged and honestly so emotional that it made me cry.
This is something that people live with every single day. It’s not something to take lightly and joke about much less make a video game about it. I was so outraged this morning that I started a change.org petition to ban this game called 8:46. Some call it a game, some call it a virtual reality experience I call it plain wrong. I don’t particularly care what the intent was it’s offensive and disrespectful to the many thousands of men and women that have lost their live’s on that day, and that continue to pass from the adverse affects of their time down at world trade trying to save others. They selflessly acted and courageously so and to me those are hero’s. They say that firefighters are the one’s running in a building while everyone is running out that’s the truth, their the hero’s. They sacrifice their lives, to help others. But everyone firefighters, police officers, iron workers and so many more that went down there to help were selfless, they are in my eyes admirable. Everyday I wonder if I would’ve had the strength to help as they did.
So outraged I was that, I started a change.org petition, because no one should be re-victimized over and over again. Everyone lost something that day, a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, a cousin, an uncle and aunt or even just a piece of themselves. Sometimes, I’m saddened that as a society we forget to think about others, we forget to think about how our actions will affect those around us. I hope that you will join me in sending the message that this is not okay and I hope that we can rally as one for those families that have already lost so much and those that gave so much. Let’s show our support, to the families that already have enough challenges, because the truth is no one will ever forget.
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