Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Next Month, Nation to Stop to Remember 09-11

Aired August 06, 2002 - 10:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Next month, the nation is going to stop to remember a day that none of us could ever forget -- September 11th. Next hour, New York's mayor is set to announce plans for a solemn ceremony.

Let's check in now with our Michael Okwu, who's got more on all that for us.

Good morning, Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, good morning to you.

The mayor's office confirmed to us this morning that the one-year anniversary of September 11th will consist of full day of events taking place throughout the course of the entire city, starting in a very early morning of September 11th, and lasting right through into the late evening hours on that night.

Now the idea here is to involve the entire city. We're told there will be all kinds of events at some of the parks around the city, that there be concerts as well as a little bit of tribute. The idea here is to involve everyone in the city, and to be very light on speeches. That's something that went over very well when they closed the recovery efforts at ground zero earlier this summer. Very light on speeches, and people thought it was one of the classier events associated with this event.

Now all the details are going to be made more specific at a press conference the mayor is having. We understand that Governor Pataki will also be on hand. This is going to start in about the next 20-25 minutes or so. The centerpiece we're told of all of this will be a 102-minute ceremony at ground zero. Now of course, 102 minutes is the time that elapsed between the first tower being hit by the plane and the last tower to collapse that afternoon. We are also told that, of course, President Bush will be here on that day, that he will have his own ceremony at some point in the afternoon at ground zero. And again, we're waiting to get details coming from the White House on that.

There are also reports this morning that there will be a pipe and drum procession, that will be several of them originating from all five borrows in New York City, and they will make their way through the city and end up at ground zero. At that point, we are told that the family members may very well be allowed to descend into the site for the first time, and that some of the relatives and others there will read the names of all 2,823 people who died.

This is not a day, as you can imagine, Leon, that people have been anticipating with indifference. People are dreading it, and they are also looking forward to it, oddly, looking forward to it, because some of the victims families that I have spoken to say this is going to be an opportunity for them to finally close the first chapter on this very dreadful event and perhaps try to move on with their lives.

In fact, a coalition of seven different families met last night when they were basically having discussions about how to commemorate their loved ones on September 11th. They met last night, and they said that one of the things they really want for there to be some sort of banner of the names of all of the people who died. They also want to hoist flags of all the countries that were affected by this. Again, as some of us might remember, it was not just Americans who died at the World Trade Center. They say that for the past 11 months, this has been a very dreadful for them, that they have been trying to move on, but each day is just as raw as it was back on September 11th.

So they're all waiting to hear the mayor's press conference, which again starts at about 20 minutes from now. They want to make sure that this is going to be a day full of events that they will be proud of -- Leon.

HARRIS: Exactly, Michael, there is just so many different emotions still in people's minds and hearts about all of that. And I have to say, I was talking to an old high school friend of mine who lives in New York, who was telling me about how many people he knows who are still seeing counselors 11 months later about what happened that day. Amazing.

Michael Okwu, reporting live from New York.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com