Two years later…
The 'living' victims of 9/11 reflect

By Felicia Persaud

A day of mixed emotions, Ms. Leticia Gomez and Ms. Agustina Pichardo, who lost her father an employee at Windows on the World meet again at the Windows memorial Thursday (Bill Farrington Photo)

Friday, September 12, 2003

New York, New York: Two years have already passed since Haitian immigrant Ms. Anconine Lindor last worked a regular job. Ever since terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center, felling the twin-towers, Ms. Lindor's world collapsed too.

Yesterday, Ms. Lindor, a former employee at Windows on the World restaurant, joined fellow colleagues in remembering those lost at a ROC-NY (Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York) memorial in honor of the second anniversary of 9/11.

But while this Brooklyn resident paused to pay tribute to her murdered colleagues and recognize how lucky she is to be alive, her own problems are never far from her mind.

She herself is among the 'living' victims of 9/11, in a city that still remains deeply scarred by the 2001 attack. This mother of two says the only source of income she currently has is a Social Security check, garnered because of the passing of her husband.

The Coril, Haiti national, who has called Brooklyn home for the past 18 years, says times could not be tougher. The financial aid that once came from government and local charities after the attack has dried up now and the Social Security check must take care of all the bills that pile up each month.

"It's not enough," said Ms. Lincor in a voice that betrays the hopelessness she feels. "I pray God will do something for me. I need a job."

Mr. Mohammed Shamin holds a plaque engraved with the names of those Windows employees lost on September 11th 2001. (Bill Farrington Photo)

On the other side of town, in the predominantly populated Dominican migrant area of Washington Heights, 13-year-old David Mendes yearns for the life he used to know before 9/11. His mother, who also worked at Windows on the World and barely escaped losing her own life, faces tough financial constraints, David revealed. They were forced to move in with their grandmother for a while and now this family of four, must start the process of rebuilding their lives all over.

David, his mother, sister and older brother have since moved to the Bronx to begin anew, but he says he's surrounded by the loss everyday. "Many people lost their lives … but we lost financially and emotionally. They're not making documentaries about us though," said the 13-year-old.

The tragedy he says caused him to become bitter towards "certain groups of people." His grades fell and in school he kept to himself. Now, young David too struggles to cope with the reality and life in the post-9/11 era. 

ROC-NY staffmember, Ms. Rosa Fana, a native of the Dominican Republic, joined colleagues too to remember friends gone forever. She spoke fondly of her Trinidadian-born 'guardian angel," Mrs. Clara Hinds, who was killed in the attack. For a brief moment the joy in her voice as she speaks of Mrs. Hinds is obvious. But sadness soon returns as she reveals that it's her son's birthday but there can be no celebration. No candles to blow out or party to plan. The day has been spoiled forever.

Yet, they go on in spirit, these immigrants who have called this city home and are lucky to be alive. But in their hearts, September 11th has marred their lives forever. And while they stop and pay respect to the dead and hope for a memorial at which they can visit and pray, their own daily lives have become living memorials to that historic Tuesday of 2001. 

Bearing candles, Ms. Indira Fabian looks through the fence at the site of the former World Trade Center (Bill Farrington Photo)

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