About_folsp

The Appeals Court ruled against our cause of saving the priceless views toward Ground Zero, Lower Manhattan and the entire NYC skyline and of saving the Public Plaza from the existing hill and planned huge walls 9/ll memorial. Not valuing the views or public input, they ruled on a technicality instead of the case's substance, that the DEP got the wrong permit and one that excluded public hearings. Our dedicated attorney Cynthia Hadjiyannis did an excellent job. We hope Gov. Christie (NJ has provided $ 6 million) or the Port Authority (has provided $7 million) won't provide anymore public funds so the Memorial Foundation must raise the remaining $10 plus million for the memorial, on which $4 million has already been spent. Thank you for your steadfast support during this necessary battle on behalf of present and future park users!

existing memorial hill photo by Ricardo Kaulessar
courtesy of The Jersey City Reporter rendering of 30 ft high by 200 ft wall (one of two walls)
view from CRRNJ Terminal Concourse on southern side
of Empty Sky's walls and hills
rendering done by Barteluce Architects and Associates

The Friends of Liberty State Park's cause is to save the NYC skyline views and the Public Plaza. The "Empty Sky" 9/11 memorial was selected with no NJDEP public hearings. NY and PA had public hearings for its memorials. The already existing 10 ft high by 200 ft long hill standing in the place of the now demolished popular riverside CRRNJ Terminal Public Plaza already blocks the NYC skyline views, and the planned two 30 ft high by 200 ft long steel Walls would cause a worse obstruction of the panoramic and inspiring NYC views from the busiest and closest place in LSP looking toward lower Manhattan and the entire skyline from the Battery to the GW Bridge. The memorial hill blocks Ground Zero views.

The memorial either should be moved to another location in the park away from the Hudson River's edge, for instance to the lawn adjacent to the existing 9/11 memorial, the beautiful and peaceful 750 tree Grove of Remembrance or the inspiring Grove should be the only LSP 9/11 memorial. The lawn would still line up with where the Twin Towers stood and the lawn is one tenth of a mile to the west of the current site. The Friends' goal is for LSP's only Public Plaza, adjacent to the 1889 restored landmark CRRNJ Terminal, to be rebuilt for the public's passive recreation uses such as NYC and river vista-watching, free summer concerts, festivals, weddings, photos, etc.

We have always expressed compassion for the victims' families. If there had been public hearings, this treasured skyline vista wouldhave been protected for future generations and there wouldn't have been a need for our lawsuit seeking to invalidate the NJDEP's wrong permit which excluded public hearings.

The People have a right to public hearings on this memorial in this public park behind Lady Liberty, We urge you to read the links below, including the Daily News and the New York Times stories, the Bergen Record column by James Ahearn, and our lawsuit Briefs.

Your voice is important in supporting this important cause of urging the Governor to protect sacred dramatic "national shrine" views. Please voice your opposition to Governor Corzine to the 9/11 Memorial Design for LSP's Terminal Public Plaza area. The design includes the 10 foot high by 200 foot long north to south Hill blocking views across the river to Ground Zero, lower Manhattan, and the river on which people were evacuated on 9/11. Also in the design are two mostly east to west stainless steel Walls, that are 30 feet high and 200 feet long and block views up and down the river, and also to and from the historic landmark Terminal. The design also eliminates the former Pubic Plaza gathering space on which there were twice a week free concerts each summer, festivals, and on which people would walk or sit and take in the powerful, open panoramic vistas of the river and NYC skyline. This chosen with no public meetings and the state has refused to have a public meeting and has falsely said that there were public meetings. The August news story links at top of page go to the press accounts of the Friends own public meeting by the Hill on August 16 at which people spoke passionately about the Governor relocating or radically revising this 9/11 Memorial design.


existing memorial hill photo by Ricardo Kaulessar courtesy of The Jersey City Reporter	rendering of 30 ft high by 200 ft wall (one of two walls) view from CRRNJ Terminal Concourse on southern side of Empty Sky's walls and hills rendering done by Barteluce Architects and Associates