New Delhi: Retired Port Authority police officers have joined the growing ranks of September 11 survivors and members of the 9/11 community demanding that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul stay away from the 25th anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero.
The Port Authority Retired Police Association, representing around 600 retired New York and New Jersey members, sent strongly worded letters to Mamdani and Hochul, insisting that neither political leader should attend the September 11 commemoration. The association argued that their presence at the 9/11 anniversary ceremony would cause pain to survivors, families and first responders.
In an August 11 letter to Mamdani, Port Authority Retired Police Association President John McDevitt said the retired Port Authority police officers did not believe the mayor had earned the right to stand alongside the 9/11 community at Ground Zero.
“We do not believe you have earned the privilege to stand at Ground Zero alongside us, the families, survivors, and our fellow first responders,” McDevitt declared in the Aug. 11 letter addressed to Mamdani, writing on behalf of the group’s 600 New York and New Jersey members.
Port Authority police cite Mamdani’s political rhetoric
The letter stated that Mamdani’s presence during the September 11 anniversary observance could deeply upset those directly affected by the terror attack and could transform the solemn 9/11 ceremony into a political controversy.
“Your presence at Ground Zero on 9/11 would cause profound pain to members of the 9/11 community and risk turning a solemn day of remembrance into a political controversy.”
The Port Authority police association pointed to Mamdani’s criticism of Israel, along with what it described as rhetoric and affiliations hostile to law enforcement. The retired police officers also referred to political statements they regarded as sympathetic to anti-American movements or individuals while demanding that Mamdani stay away from the September 11 anniversary ceremony.
NY Governor Kathy Hochul is now wearing a hijab. pic.twitter.com/tzd7VIRxoS
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 30, 2026
The letter sent by the Port Authority police association to Governor Hochul was similarly severe. McDevitt criticised the governor’s decision to illuminate One World Trade Center alongside her proclamation recognising January as Muslim American Heritage Month.
“To those of us who served there, your decision to utilize the WTC for this purpose was extremely tone-deaf, insensitive, and an affront to us, our families, and all those affected by this attack. Your action displayed neither concern nor reverence for the fallen,” the president wrote.
“Because of that insensitive and tone-deaf decision, we believe you have forfeited the privilege of standing alongside us, the 9/11 families, and fellow first responders at Ground Zero on this 25th anniversary.” Thirty-seven Port Authority Police Department officers were killed in the line of duty during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The latest demand by retired Port Authority police officers follows an earlier campaign by family members of 9/11 victims and the Catholic League, the largest Christian civil rights organisation in the United States, urging Mamdani to stay away from the 25th anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero.
In August, relatives of those killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks described Mamdani as a “divisive figure” and supported a petition calling for his exclusion from the memorial ceremony, arguing that his presence could create controversy at an event meant to honour the victims, survivors and first responders. The campaign has since gathered more than 95,000 signatures, adding to the pressure on Mamdani as the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches.
