Were there ceremonies bringing the community together to acknowledge one of the most horrific days of our lives? Were there groups gathering, lighting candles to remember not only the brave rescue workers the Oceanside community lost, but the innocent men and women working at the World Trade Center that day? I regretfully answer no.
It pained me to inform family members of a World Trade Center victim last week that there was virtually nothing planned to acknowledge the day or the lives lost. I didn't even have a reason for them. I told them about a small tree-planting dedication, but I shouldn't have said anything at all.
I'm sick of this lack of community participation! Where is it?
Only one thing would have prevented me from visiting ground zero last Thursday: Some sort of remembrance in Oceanside or Island Park. A ceremony, a vigil, a newsworthy event that I could cover. Nothing.
Calls to town officials and county leaders went unreturned. School districts proclaimed that a "low key" approach would be taken. An approach they failed to elaborate on. While neighboring communities such as Baldwin and Long Beach gave residents a place to go, this community decided to take a pass.
Twelve Oceanside residents lost their lives in the terrorist attacks. While some streets are now adorned with the names of firefighters, the lost lives of people such as James Barbella, Jeffrey Nussbaum, James Kelly, Laura Marchese and Tim Haviland have failed to be acknowledged by the very community they either grew up in or lived in two years ago. Nor has the public been made aware of any dedication for Janice Ashley, who was a graduate of Oceanside High School.
On Thursday night I was glad to be in Middle Village, Queens, where the lives of former residents were remembered. Hundreds gathered at Juniper Valley Park to mourn their former neighbors and support their families. In Glendale, Queens, I was happy to see that the life of my friend Mike Marti affected so many. All through the boroughs and Long Island as well as Westchester and Rockland Counties, into New Jersey and Connecticut, there were ceremonies, vigils for the lost.
Last year, individuals were not acknowledged because maybe a victim would be missed. While honoring some victims, what if we weren't aware of others? I guess doing nothing at all for these families, who have been part of the community for years, is playing it safe.
I don't blame residents. I'm sure they all lead busy lives. It's the responsibility of the "powers that be" to inform residents of an event, a gathering, anything. Last year's ceremony at Schoolhouse Green was an emotion-filled event at which hundreds adults and children came together.
I'm not asking for this every year, but to not remember those lost in your own community is wrong. It's time Oceanside did that. Its time for someone to step up and make sure Oceanside doesn't spend another anniversary ignoring reality.
