Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

Plans to Cut Back Recovery Crew at Ground Zero Causes Controversy

Aired November 03, 2001 - 08:04   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In New York, tempers flared yesterday at Ground Zero over city plans to cut back on the World Trade Center recovery force. Police officers were injured and firefighters were arrested.

Details now from CNN's Brian Palmer. He's live there at the site -- Brian, a lot of emotions. I can just imagine.

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed, Kyra.

The firefighters were saying their goal was to get into Ground Zero to hold a moment of silence for the fallen firefighters from September 11. Now, they were also protesting the mayor's decision to scale back the number of police officers and firefighters that took part in the recovery operations on a day-to-day basis.

That number previously has been up in the dozens, in the hundreds, the mayor saying because of safety reasons, he's going to cut it back to 25 firefighters, 25 police officers per shift. The result of these scuffles yesterday, five injured police officers, 12 artist firefighters or retired firefighters. Ten of those firefighters have been arraigned and charged. Two of them were not. Charges ranging from inciting a riot, criminal trespass, obstructing governmental administration.

The firefighters say that their message was very, very clear -- let us keep searching for our missing comrades.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HEFFERNAN, NEW YORK FIRE DEPARTMENT: The people of the city of New York are being fooled by the mayor. He wants us out of there. He doesn't want to recover any more people because there's no money to be made down there. They have to put up buildings, get tourism back, start bringing in the public again so they can spend money and we're slowing them down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PALMER: Now, Kyra, as you say, a very, very emotional event that may be complicated by the fact that the New York City Fire Department no longer runs Ground Zero. Up until a few days ago, Fire Commissioner Thomas von Essen was the incident commander. They were running this as an emergency operation. Now authority has been transferred to another city agency called the Department for Design and Construction. So the Fire Department is no longer in the driver's seat -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, Brian, did you get any type of response from the mayor or any of the folks close to him about what that firefighter said about wanting to clear firefighters out to start building new business and get going in that area?

PALMER: Well, we have no specific reaction to that firefighter but what the mayor says is this is about safety, A, and B, that no breaking the law will be tolerated. We understand, he says, the very strong emotions of the firefighters who want to recover the remains of the remaining firefighters there. But there's zero tolerance for violence, for confrontations -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Brian Palmer, live at Ground Zero, thank you.

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