In observation of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, join us at the Cathedral for a day of remembrance and a screening of 9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero, a documentary that explores the public decision-making process behind the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site.
After the 9/11 attacks, no one could agree what should be done with Ground Zero. And so New York decided to do one of the bravest—or stupidest—things in the history of city planning. They gathered 5,000 representative New Yorkers and asked them to decide. People expected chaos, yelling, maybe even a fistfight. But what happened was democracy.
At a time when people are losing faith in democracy, this story is more than an inspiration; it’s an example of what is possible. And it’s a lesson that good democratic outcomes require good democratic processes.
Introducing the documentary will be Dr. Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer, the founder of AmericaSpeaks, who was crucial in bringing together 5,000 New Yorkers to discuss the rebuilding of Ground Zero.
