The World Trade Center memorial on Church street is a place that I pass by quite frequently. On Thursday March 13th, I was able to spend an hour at the site for the first time. Nothing looked out of the ordinary that day, unless the given surroundings were viewed with a sociological perspective in mind. One thing that really struck me at first, was the differences between people who appeared to be New Yorkers/Commuters, and people who appeared to be tourists. The people who obviously were New Yorkers, rushed by without even turning a glance. Some traveled uptown, and some to the NJ transit entrance, connected to the memorial by a long concrete staircase. The people who appeared to be tourists, all looked very sad and shocked. People just kind of shifted around the information booth, located directly in the middle of the memorial. They were reading all of the information printed on the exterior of the building, which included a timeline of the attacks. One thing about this situation that really grabbed my attention, was the diverse mix of people. They were of all races and ages, and I heard quite a few accents and languages spoken. In my time near the booth, I saw many people come and go. One thing that I found odd, was that most them didn’t even take a look at where the buildings themselves once stood. Although it is merely just a hole in the ground now, isnt the site itself just as important as the information area? As far as police presence, I saw quite a few Port Authority officers. Although only one seemed to be circulating the area itself. I thought the man playing the flute was very interesting. I believe his songs kind of set the sad moods for everyone at the site, which clearly was shown by the expressions on their faces. Before I left the site, i wrote down some of the Regulations on the sign in front of the memorial, which caught my eye.
1)no distribution of printed materials within 25 feet
2)no distribution or sale of merchandise in absence or agreement with the port authority
3)no coordinated continuous expressive activity as part of a group of 25 or more people in the absence of a permit by the Port Authority.
