Confetti is thrown from the windows of an office building during a ticker tape parade on November 6, 2009. The Yankees were celebrating their victory over the Philadelphia Philles in the 2009 World Series. (credit: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)
Filed under
Heard On 1010 WINS, WCBS, WFAN, Local, News, NY News, Radio.com - News, Syndicated Local, Syndication, Watch + Listen
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A Queens man who did recovery work at ground zero has been pushing for months for a celebration in the Canyon of Heroes honoring 9/11 first responders.
TJ Gilmartin, 51, tells 1010 WINS the city informed him this week that it would not grant a permit for a ticker-tape parade.
Gilmartin said he filed all the correct paperwork and received approval from the community board but he believes the decision came down to the cost of the event.
“I did everything they asked of me, and I assume, but I can’t say for sure, that it’s all about the money,” Gilmartin said.
He believes the first responders deserve a parade for the sacrifices they made on and after Sept. 11, 2001.
“When everybody 10 years ago were running out of Manhattan, including probably most of the politicians, we went in and nobody has ever said thank you,” Gilmartin said.
All hope is not lost, Gilmartin has been told he can refile the paperwork with the NYPD.
“I don’t know what kind of game is being played, I’m sure police want the parade,” Gilmartin said. “It’s called the ‘Canyon of Heroes;’ they’ve called us all heroes, so why can’t we walk down that ‘Canyon’ just like the Giants are going to do.”
A Facebook group supporting a parade for 9/11 first responders has over 950 members. Many expressed outrage over the city’s decision and vowed to put the pressure on City Hall.
The city’s last ticker-tape parade was held in 2009 to honor the World Series champion Yankees. If the New York Giants win the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots on Feb. 5, a parade may be held for the team through the Canyon of Heroes.
Do you think the city should change its mind? Let us know below…
63 Comments
Look, I’m a WTC First Responder, and played a prominent management role in the events following the attacks of 9/11. I wasn’t a civil servant, or even a citizen of New York. I don’t want to state my exact title for obvious reasons, but what I can tell you from personal experience is this.
Conditions at the site were unfathomable. None of us had ever been through anything like this before. Indeed, it was an unprecedented disaster, and none of us could predict the consequences of exposure to a catastrophe of this magnitude. It was uncharted territory for all of us.
Yes, many of us have been sickened, or have died, as a result of our exposures. There are a few who tend to keep demanding attention. For my part, I can only say that I desire no statues, monuments, memorials, or any other public acknowledgement of my work there. I’m grateful for the healthcare the government (taxpayers) has (have) afforded me, albeit too little too late. I THINK I’m thankful for the Zadroga Bill, although I’ve not benefitted from it yet, and wonder if I ever will.
But you Marxists at the top of the Comment list need to take a deep breath; look around; and realize that the only reason you can say what you’re saying is because you’re living in a free America. I’m talking to you, “need to be” and “occupy”. You sound like a couple of young punks who have never had to sacrifice anything. Tell me, what have YOU done for your country?
January 28, 2012 at 3:46 pm
Then there’s that criminal Dubya Bush, who just couldn’t get enough attention or enough of a parade; and his criminal buddy who ran the WH, cheney, who made sure dubya was kept busy with frou frou so he (cheney) could hop from Afghan to the oil fields of Iraq on lies. May they both have a long, long walk in life thinking of their lies, the murders they are guilty of, the lives they have ruined..
January 28, 2012 at 6:30 pm
Puleeze. So you want a parade? This guy sounds like one of those people in every job that needs an occasional “attaboy” to keep doing the job he’s getting paid to do in the first place. What about all the people who weren’t on the government dole as “first responders,” who volunteered all their time to help the city get back on it’s feet since 9/11. Where’s their parade?
People have been saying “thank you” for ten years so get over it. You signed up for the job and you’re getting paid to do it. So shut up and do your job.
January 26, 2012 at 4:02 pm
what an asshole
January 26, 2012 at 8:10 pm
I actually agree with the Mayor on this, believe it or not. Ticker tape parades are for celebrating happy things. All respect and admiration for the 9/11 first responders, but this is not something that we want to have cast as a celebration. I bet most of them would agree and would not feel comfortable sitting there with all of that confetti raining down on them, in remembrance of such a heartbreak for the city. I think we ought leave this one alone.
January 26, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Liberal, neo-conservative, useful idiots and critics of Assembly, and frankly haters of truth and freedom, exist by feeding on the entrepreneurial, middle class.
Which explains why the nation’s respect and admiration are with Occupy and with the Anonymous, Wikileaks and Ruckus brigades. Thank you heroes for all your fvcking service, and congrats on being Man o’ the Year.
For they know, proletariat’s bad children and parasites, sic Zionist apparachik of the Fed, IMF and World Bank, will never admonish the Crony Capitalism feeding their addictions and narcissism. A special interest needful and earnest of all the hearty, steamy excrement patriots can provide. Sh!t and p!ss on, noble defecators, lest the streets flow with blood.
January 26, 2012 at 4:58 pm
OK. Take your Valium and lie down now.
January 28, 2012 at 3:14 pm
YES i definitly feel they should be honored in the parade.
IS IT NOT BAD OR SHAMEFULL ENOUGH THAT THE CITY/ GOVERNMENT DIDN’T GIVE OUR FIRST RESPONDERS TO 911/ (OUR HEROS) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE DUST THEY BREATHED IN WHILE HELPING RESCUE AND SEARCH FOR OTHERS IN THE RUBBLE….WHEN THE EPA STATED THE AIR WAS SAFE TO BREATHE,
January 26, 2012 at 3:47 pm
This is shameful.
January 26, 2012 at 3:45 pm
Never said thank you? For the past ten years, and especially the first 5 years after, everybody from Manhattan, the Bronx etc. to Barrow, Alaska has been tripping over themselves to express gratitude to those who responded. What a farce, if you’ve taken all the thanks for granted thus far, then you don’t deserve a parade.
January 26, 2012 at 3:33 pm
It’s “racist” to brown-skinned people.
Nuetron weapons are a good alternative to war.
January 26, 2012 at 3:25 pm
They should have applied for a permit to honor the murdering Muslim hijaackers. Bloomberg would have bent over backwards and broken his hand to approve it.
January 26, 2012 at 3:05 pm
While grateful, you were doing the job you signed up for a s a first responder. So, if you feel a “parade” is due for you……maybe let someone else do it. I never received a parade for doing my job.
January 26, 2012 at 3:01 pm
Making this an issue about money is insane. It is not like New York city is run by a bunch of Conservatives who are cheap with the cities money. It seems to be only an excuse to believe that is was about money alone. If the Yankee’s won the World Series the city would spare no expense to make sure that they had a parade, so there is more to this than money.
January 26, 2012 at 2:32 pm
I call this pig!
January 26, 2012 at 2:28 pm
Who me? Your a pig, would you sacrafice?
January 26, 2012 at 3:29 pm
CBS is posting replies all over the place, as usual.
January 26, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Of course no one wants to be reminded about building 7 … the 47 story building that they admit they ‘pulled’ 5pm on 9/11 that was preloaded with explosives … just as the towers.
——- http://911essentials.com
January 26, 2012 at 2:24 pm
It were the reptilian shape shifters from beyond the stars it were!
January 26, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Your handlers will not be impressed with your degenerate and decrepit come back. See you at the treason trials as your family is on TV crying, ” he was doing his job as a government blogger.” Read up on the Night of the Long Knives, your future.
January 26, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Seriously, STFU already with your tin foil hat conspiracies. I’ve read your little web page and its marred with so many inaccuracies its a joke.
January 26, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Please refute one thing there with facts. See you too when you’re on TV on your way to prison.
January 26, 2012 at 3:59 pm
What ever!
January 26, 2012 at 3:43 pm
It’s one word you illiterate low grade moron.
January 26, 2012 at 4:01 pm
Everyone gets a big Fu from satan
January 26, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Awww. No one validated his feelings. Poor Satan.
January 26, 2012 at 2:38 pm
There was a fire, FDNY responded . They set up their command post in the lobby of one of the towers . FDNY & PAPD ordered the people in the South tower to remain in the building . Everyone who worked @ WTC since 93 ‘ knew the drill . GTFO . The evacuaction might have gone better if no one was trying to go up the stairs . NO ONE thought the Towers were going to fall that day. Enough with the hero crap..
January 26, 2012 at 2:10 pm
That is just wrong in so many ways. I would use a more strong sentence to show my dislike to you but even I would blacklist myself for what I would like to say.
January 26, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Gilmartin says: “…we went in and nobody has ever said thank you,”
Geez Louise buddy – we’ve done nothing BUT thank every EMT, Firefighter, Police Officer, excavation worker, etc. Family members – Good God man, I was in NYC a few months after this and a Fireman couldn’t buy his own drink in a bar.
And yes – there does come a point where it comes down to the money, so let us all hold hands now and MOVE ON.
January 26, 2012 at 2:09 pm
Group up,
You need to take into consideration all the volunter squads that took part on 9/11/2001. Many were volunteers from department from all over the tri-state area. A volunteer fireman or EMT from an ambulance corp has a regular job like myself, was an internet manager for Sam Penske Motors and his line of car dealerships. I have been unable to work since. Subsisting on meager SSDI funds and friends. I might die also, because of cardiac enlargement and reactive airway. Between the WT C victims fund care and MEDICARE my medical expenses are mostly covered up to 80 percent. I have not paid any co[-pays and most doctors are putting liens on any 911 money. So, I could care less about a parade, i want my life back. But, I can barely work now. I rely on a nebulizer to breath, a machine at night and multiple medicaitons. So how dare you say that we don’t deserve anything.
January 26, 2012 at 1:57 pm
So, here we are over 10 years later, arguing about whether or not we should shower with praise and adulation, a bunch of people who were doing their damned job, a job that, as far as I know, no one made them take. Enough of the deification of human beings, Lefties!
January 26, 2012 at 1:08 pm
The cops and firemen never get tired of trying to cash in on that fateful day. Not a week after the disaster, their union representatives were declaring that every cop and firemen on the island of Manhattan be allowed to immediately retire with a full pension, no matter their age or even if they were at ground zero.
The greed is astounding.
January 26, 2012 at 1:04 pm
How much more recognition do they want??? Lets be honest, when Mr. Gilmartin makes comments like “While everyone was running away, we ran toward it” well news flash!!!!! It is your JOB! You chose it, you are not not civilian who jumped into the fray. Truly, this is getting to the point of idol worship of first responders and I am personally disgusted at how easy we now throw around the word “Hero”, these first responders even refer to themselves as hero’s, that is ballsy. Look, what you guys do on a daily basis is appreciated by all, but enough already with 9/11. It happened, we overcame and kicked azz.
January 26, 2012 at 12:44 pm
THROW A PARADE or THROW THE RATS OUT
January 26, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Are you people still beating that dead horse? Get over it. Tin foil hat truther!
January 26, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Mayor Bloom-tard cant be bothered to unstick his lips from his Muslim terror buddies long enough to realize who the REAL hero’s are in NYC. I hope he finds some intelligence before he needs their services some day as everyone eventually does. When he does, they will respond in their usual professional manner to the scene as always despite the disrespect they’ve been shown. As a 30 year veteran of emergency services work, no one asks for praise, its all in a days job, but the NYC Emergency services people have earned this little bit of recognition from the city, Fight for whats right.
January 26, 2012 at 12:27 pm
becasue Clinton and Reno and other libs put a wall up between the CIA and Domestice authorities.
January 26, 2012 at 12:16 pm
the only blame that lays on the US for 9/11 is libs and jerks like you
January 26, 2012 at 12:14 pm
‘Scuse me beacher, but wasn’t it Billy Jeff Clinton who was repeatedly warned about OBL during his 8 freakin’ years in office. Wasn’t it Clinton who was offered OBL’s head on a platter, but declined? From Mansoor Ijaz (former Clinton adviser and member of the Council on Foreign Relations:
“Clinton’s failure to grasp the opportunity to unravel increasingly organized extremists, coupled with Berger’s assessments of their potential to directly threaten the U.S., represents one of the most serious foreign policy failures in American history.”
Nevermind. With beachers like you, it’s always easier to blame Booosh!
January 26, 2012 at 1:37 pm
No man like we call him like shrub because shrub is like another word for bush so like it’s like hilarious and like totally a burn, ya know? We’re like smart and stuff like that.
January 26, 2012 at 2:49 pm
How are sportstars Heros?? That gets me sick!! This mayor along with Dictator Obama refused to allow a heros welcome to the Military people returning because it may upset our enemy!!
These Libs are sick!!
January 26, 2012 at 12:12 pm
There should be no parades in NYC. If they don’t have the money to balance their budget, there shouldn’t be a “Parade Budget”. Simply insane. You’ve been paraded at countless sporting events, Disney parades and Bowl game parades. Can you just let us know how many “thank yous” are enough so we know that you’re done riding this train of self-centered appeasement?
January 26, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Yet they allow a Mosque at ground zero and punish those doing antiterorism training. I miss Rudi. Bloomberg is a dolt.
January 26, 2012 at 11:46 am
Mr. Gilmartin, What do you expect from NY, most of them are rude a$$ people anyways. I believe this country has went to crap, thinking that a sports team deserves more than OUR REAL HERO’S. I bet that if you send any of these guys from NY Giants or any other team to a battle field with gun fire and people trying to kill them, they would crap their pants and CRY for their mommies to come help em. All sports teams make way more than their are worth, while our real Hero’s can hardly keep their lives.
GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS
AND GOD BLESS THE USA
January 26, 2012 at 11:32 am
oh, the very original “New Yorkers are rude” comment from someone who’s probably never been there. The classics never die.
You has good grammar.
January 26, 2012 at 3:32 pm
Let me see – Barry closes down disneyland for a day to give a campaign speech
oh ya a jobs speech
pathetic socialism!
Hope the union MEMBERSHIPS wake up – useful minions
January 26, 2012 at 11:29 am
O.k. a parade. -cool. But for Mr. Gilmartin to say no one has said “thank you” may be a bit of a strech. Thanks is all we got when our team was deployed to NYC to support efforts. I have complete respect for all the first responders that were there and made life changing sacrifices. NYPD, MTA, and FDNY are always on alert for the next event that may threaten NYC. Without verbally saying it daily, New Yorkers always say a “silent” thanks whenever they see someone from theses great agencies.
January 26, 2012 at 11:26 am
This.
A parade to honor those that died and those that responded would be a nice thing. It gets my vote, especially since there’s a parade for every thing else these days. we may as well have one for something that this city can find a little pride and sense of community in.
But, saying that nobody ever thanked the responders is flat out wrong. i live in NYC and trust me folks, responders have and will continue to be thanked in many ways.
January 26, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Mack, I think Nick was being sarcastic. What he means is the city dosen’t give a damn about it’s civil service workers and those who sacrificed to save and recover at the expense of thier own health and welfare, yet if you win NY a title, they will exploit that with front page news and call these sports figures HERO’S!
Not everyone is into sports, but I think everyone has to agree that a thank you to our first responders is LONG OVERDUE! They are sick and dying and nobody cares….Bloomberg needs to put HIS MONEY where his mouth is, he should pay for the parade, after all the Police and Firemen are making him look good. Wake up Mr. Bloomberg and do the right thing.
January 26, 2012 at 10:27 am
Not all were paid civil service. Some were all volunter rescue services from outer area of manhattan and long island.
January 26, 2012 at 2:04 pm
really? First off, i don’t recall even the NY media calling the Giants “heroes” when they won their last SB. And to suggest that the SB is not front page news in the USA is ridiculous.
This also implies that 9/11 and it’s responders have never made the front page. Wrong again.
And you actually think that Bloomberg should pay for the parade with his own money? Because the police, of all people, are making him look good?
Let me guess, you wrote this on your iPhone from Zucotti Park, right?
January 26, 2012 at 3:43 pm
What the hell does that have to do with the fact that over 14000 people worked to find survivors and recover anything possible for families! Get on with it theorist! This is about the Champions who went and stayed! And the over 1000 who’ve died since that day! Get on with it! Take care of them! You want to be outraged! Be outraged about how the Champions of September the 11th are treated!
January 25, 2012 at 8:06 pm
Disgraceful! If you can have parades for baseball and football, the least you can do is have this parade for those who were first on the sence that horrific day 10 yrs ago.. These are TRUE HEREOS,, not baseball players and football players.. it’s absurb!!! You really need to think this though and do the RIGHT thing.. TJ is only one of many that day who saved and comforted those is need. Give them the parade.. It’s the American thing to do!!
January 25, 2012 at 8:05 pm
Just tell the city they are all gay! Problem solved.
January 25, 2012 at 6:47 pm
“When everybody 10 years ago were running out of Manhattan, including probably most of the politicians, we went in and nobody has ever said thank you,” Gilmartin said
Listen, I was there and did my job. Not every one wants to keep reliving that day and not every one is looking for a thank you.
January 25, 2012 at 5:08 pm
Exactly my point. It’s hard to say because it’s not warm and fuzzy, but it’s true. When I lived in NYC, the Police and Fire Dept act as if they are the reason the city exists. You have 1 really really bad day in your career and you want to run that 15 minutes for 10 years.
January 26, 2012 at 12:04 pm
No ticker tape parade for the 9/11 responders, but the NEW JERSEY Giants got one (and maybe another). Talk about hypocrisy.
January 25, 2012 at 4:14 pm
That’s because the 9/11 responders did not do anything heroic. They’re just peons toiling away at the site.
Now, the football players, they’re Real Heros. They throw and carry a ball around for hours. They deserve the ticker tape parade.
What did you expect from the libs?
January 25, 2012 at 5:03 pm
Nick … Check out the history of the 9/11 First Responder (Zadroga) Health Bill. The bill took forever to pass and when it finally did (as the last vote in Congress in December of 2010) it only did so thanks to the Democrats. The GOP actually held this bill hostage until they got enough Democrats to agree to vote in favor of continuing tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. I’ve been a registered Republican for 34 years, but the GOP’s only concern is to continue corporate welfare and tax breaks & loopholes for the wealthiest Americans. The GOP doesn’t support first responders, the middle class, elderly or the disabled (including our wounded warriors). BTW, I was a first responder to the 9/11 attacks and am disabled as a result. I personally don’t want or need a ticker tape parade, but I have no issue with anyone who does … the city throws these parades for far less important reasons.
January 25, 2012 at 9:23 pm
Hey why should the whole country pay for your responders you all claim to be (the riches city in the world) pay for your own protection.
how much money did the victims of Oklahoma federal building get for their loss, thats right not a nickel. next time save your own a$$es what bunch of cowards
The hell with NYC
P.S. Mack Seagrave your a liar too.
RHINO IDIOT
January 26, 2012 at 12:44 pm
You hateful hypocritical libtarded idiot – you hate people that save lives? Do you people even hear yourselves?
January 26, 2012 at 2:19 pm
No, I just hate tax-feeding parasites including you. Don’t use the name of the Lord in vain!
January 27, 2012 at 1:05 pm
if you are a disabled civil servant, why are you registered with the political party who’s “only concern” is that other than you? The one who “doesn’t support first responders, the middle class, elderly or the disabled (including our wounded warriors).” Don’t you fall into at least three of those four categories?
Thanks for playing.
January 26, 2012 at 3:55 pm