CHARLIE XIANG-FORNIER
Age27
ResidesManhattan
OccupationTeacher
What do you think of the proposed changes to the firefighter memorial? I think emotion is getting the better of everyone. I'm a liberal, but I'm not politically correct. The flag raising was a unique moment in history, and you lose the spontaneity if you change it.
Should street vendors be allowed to sell fake FDNY and NYPD T-shirts?I don't understand the complaints.
Have you been to the WTC viewing platform?No, I live too close. I lie in Hudson River Park and stare at the sky where the buildings used to be. They're gone. It's very depressing.
PHILIPPE ROC
Age31
ResidesManhattan
OccupationFilmmaker
What do you think of the proposed changes to the firefighter memorial?It's bullshit—99 percent of the fire department is white. Until the fire and police departments change their recruitment policies, their ranks won't reflect the diversity of New York City.
Should street vendors be allowed to sell fake FDNY and NYPD T-shirts?Yes. We live in a capitalist society. I wonder if any of the thousands of people waving flags noticed that those flags were made in countries like China and Mexico and Ecuador.
Have you been to the WTC viewing platform?I've passed by. It's a big tourist attraction. That's sick.
GARRETT BURTON
Age24
ResidesBrooklyn
OccupationSecurity guard
What do you think of the proposed changes to the firefighter memorial?I don't think they should have changed the original image.
Should street vendors be allowed to sell fake FDNY and NYPD T-shirts?No. Giuliani promised the fire and police departments that they'd get raises, and they never did. I think they deserve some of the profit from these T-shirts.
Have you been to the WTC viewing platform? No. A friend of mine died in the attack, and I haven't felt like going down there. Her friends had a small get-together in Brooklyn to celebrate her life. We sat and talked and reminisced. That's all you can do.
JULIET JONATHAN
Age27
ResidesManhattan
OccupationAdvertising
What do you think of the proposed changes to the firefighter memorial?I'm against them. Wanting to increase minority recruitment is one thing, but this was a real photograph of a real event, and the memorial should represent things the way they happened.
Should street vendors be allowed to sell fake FDNY and NYPD T-shirts?It's not a big deal. The people who are buying these shirts are doing it out of respect for the fire and police departments.
Have you been to the WTC viewing platform?No. I'm not sure how I feel about the platform. You're viewing a huge graveyard.
FRITZ PROPHETE
Age29
ResidesNew Jersey
OccupationAcademic manager
What do you think of the proposed changes to the firefighter memorial?If we're talking about diversity, where are the women firefighters? The original image is much more representative of what the department is—predominantly white.
Should street vendors be allowed to sell fake FDNY and NYPD T-shirts?I don't think they're hurting anybody.
Have you been to the WTC viewing platform? No, not yet. I understand the families of the WTC victims being upset about all the tourists. It's a burial ground.
LAUREN ACAMPORA
Age 27
ResidesManhattan
Occupation Fundraiser
What do you think of the proposed changes to the firefighter memorial?It's ridiculous. If they remain true to the picture, then the statue has to be of three white men. And what's wrong with that?
Should street vendors be allowed to sell fake FDNY and NYPD T-shirts?Yes. I have no problem with it, even if they're doing it at ground zero. I can understand people's complaints, but it's just one more commercial enterprise.
Have you been to the WTC viewing platform?No, I haven't.
RAY ROGERS
Age32
ResidesManhattan
OccupationWriter-editor
What do you think of the proposed changes to the firefighter memorial?I have mixed feelings. I may be naively optimistic to think that it might prompt the fire department to actually diversify. But I think there's validity to the firefighters' objections, because it's as though these three men had just been erased.
Should street vendors be allowed to sell fake FDNY and NYPD T-shirts?Yes, it's the American way.
Have you been to the WTC viewing platform?I went down to the site over the holiday. I still find it unbelievable and very painful.
