LACP.org
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LA Remembers 9/11
reflections from LACP members

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September 11th - LA Remembers America's Heroes

LA Remembers

  Residents of the the City of Los Angeles commemorated the anniversary of 9/11 by participating in a number of activities ranging from quiet, simple, grassroots events, to the ceremony on the south lawn of City Hall, at mid-day, followed by a foot procession that proceeded to Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral for an interfaith remembrance service.

Others chose to viewing a rolling caravan of vehicles traveling through the City carrying mementos, poems, and artwork, all tributes to the fallen heroes of the tragic incident.

In many neighborhoods, communities came together to express themselves and share their thoughts, not so much about what had happened a year ago, but more about where we are now and the future.

Here's a small sampling of events attended by LACP participants:

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13 Grassroots Events - 7:00am

Early Wednesday morning, a small group of Angelenos gathered at the "Super A" Grocery Store on York Boulevard in Highland Park. The 7am ceremony they'd come to participate in was being simultaneously duplicated across LA, one at each of the 13 "Super A" s
tores.

The stores each represented an original Colony ... this one stood for Virginia.

Local firemen, the store manager and the market's staff, joined residents from as far away as Riverside to read the President's Proclamation declaring 9/11/02 as Patriot's Day. We observed a moment of silence, and homing pigeons were released. Each had a leg band that bore an inscribed with the name of a 9/11 victim.

It was all over in a few quiet minutes. We watched the birds swing around in the sky, get their bearings, and begin their flight home.

We reflected that over 3,000 birds were in the skies of Los Angeles, each representing a person who'd lost their life a year ago in New York, Washington or Pennsylvania.

This unassuming ceremony was the dream of a small grassroots group, and was the brainchild of two friends, Tom (Slim) Lattimer and Leo J. Eiffert Jr.

They called their event "Respecting Our Privileges"

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City Hall and the Cathedral - 11:30am

On the Day of Remembrance in LA for 9/11 at the Los Angeles City Hall and the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels, my wife and I attended the procession. We were there with others showing solidarity in extending our sympathy to those who lost their loved ones, and showing respect and honor to those brave souls who lost their lives in the call of duty.
 

We were there also in the call of duty from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) sponsored by the Los Angeles Fire Department to march from City Hall to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels behind the 100 or more firemen. As it turned out, since we had not completed the training, and needed one more class, and not been issued a green helmet, jacket and emblem, we were not able to march with them. Very disappointing indeed, since they were able to attend the Interfaith Remembrance Service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels which was not open to the general public. We had to settle for watching the service on a large outdoor screen on the patio which was awe inspiring and enjoyable to watch and hear.

Our overall view of the procession beginning at the opening ceremony was somber but yet it had a healing quality by having gathered together city officials, community members, and Consulate representatives from several countries at the ceremony at City Hall and at the Interfaith Remembrance Service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. We hope that the City of Los Angeles officials and community members took this day as an opportunity to heal any wounds encountered by 9/11 and move forward with a new understanding of how to deal with each other's cultural and religious differences.

Everett and Mary Littlefield

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Neighborhood Townhall - 6:30pm

The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, in conjunction with Occidental College, presented "A Conversation with the Community; Reflecting on September 11th" which was followed by a student-led candle light vigil.

The tasteful event was held in Keck Hall, and was hosted by Dalila Sotelo of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council. Ross Aikins, President of the Associated Students of Occidental College gave a welcome address.

Opening remarks followed by Councilman Nick Pacheco, LA Fire Department Battalion Chief Edward Bushman, and LAPD's Northeast Division commanding officer, Captain Kyle Jackson.

The heart of the evening was a panel and audience discussion moderated by veteran broadcast journalist Warren Olney. The panel consisted of local residents, Ted Mitchell, Occidental College President, Jervey Tervalon, an award winning writer, Carol Baker Tharp, Ph.D. candidate, Dr. George Shapiro, Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce President, Joanne Turner, The Eagle Rock Association(TERA) President, and Eric Warren, President of the Eagle Rock Historic Society.

Each gave a short opening remark, and the discussion that followed, which included community members keyed not so much on what had occurred a year ago as on what the future would hold.

Afterwards, attendees were invited to proceeded to Gilman Fountain to join a student sponsored candlelight ceremony, which featured Interfaith Readings, Musical Selections, and a slide presentation.

The tasteful evening was concluded with a quiet reception in Lower Herrick Chapel.