New York City
September 2001
Union Square is a public park in the center of Manhattan, at 14th Street and Broadway, where Midtown becomes Downtown and the East Side meets the West Side. Long a gathering place for dissidents and activists, in the days after September 11 it became a site of public remembrance and reflection, a place where ordinary people gave expression to their grief, uncertainty and solidarity. Impromptu shrines with candles, poems, photographs, children's art and personal mementos of the dead or missing were juxtaposed with American flags, advertisements for counseling and therapy, and flyers announcing meetings, demonstrations and vigils. An open mike provided a forum for poets and performers. Belligerent assertions of patriotism were also part of the scene, but they seemed outnumbered by warnings against vengeful retribution and calls to respect the human and civil rights of Arabs and Muslims. The photos below were taken on September 18. The Ferlinghetti poem was to be found there on a flyer that evening.
Design by
Aram Azeem, NY Transfer
