9/11 vigil held in McKinley Park

Never forget.

Locals gathered Sunday near the flagpole in McKinley Park to honor the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The event was hosted by E and J Boutique, 7001 Fort Hamilton Pkwy., and sponsored by the Dyker Heights Civic Association and the Brooklyn Tea Party.

“I see people who are here to remember the thousands of lives that not only did we lose on September 11, 2001 but since,” said Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis, the Republican congressional nominee in the 11th District. “Here we are, 19 years later, and we read about police officers, firefighters and first responders who are dying. The loss continues each and every day and it’s up to us to remind the rest of our nation of the sacrifice that day and to teach the next generation who were not alive on 9/11 the significance of what occurred that day.”

Vito Bruno, the Republican nominee for State Senate in the 22nd District, was also in attendance.

“Now is not the time for vengeance or blaming people and causing division,” said Bruno. “We must all come together and find common ground no matter what our political ideology is. We must find a better way to support each other and unify our neighborhoods and community by honoring all those that lost their lives on 9/11.”

“Dyker Heights, like many communities on 9/11, suffered a great loss,” said Fran Vella-Marrone, president of the Dyker Heights Civic Association. “It’s so apropos that we stand a block away from St. Ephrem’s Church, and that’s because there’s a beautiful memorial there for those that were lost in that parish. Those are our friends and neighbors and all they did that day was go to work, never thinking they wouldn’t return. But that’s what happened.”

“Over 3,000 people that day,” said former State Senator Marty Golden. “Think about the people that have died since then. How many people lie in ICUs today that are dying from cancer? How many wakes and funerals have we gone to? We can never forget, and this community didn’t forget.”

Photos courtesy of Fran Vella-Marrone