Milwaukee leaders call for unity to mark Sept. 11
Several Milwaukee leaders Friday expressed their hope that the same kind of nationwide unity on display after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will win over Americans again as they battle the coronavirus pandemic.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Common Council President Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley briefly spoke at the Milwaukee County War Memorial on Friday morning to mark the 19th anniversary of the attacks.
The event was closed to the public but livestreamed online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Speakers repeatedly drew connections between the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people, and the pandemic, which has killed 416 people in Milwaukee County and more than 190,000 nationally.
Across the country, certain efforts to control the spread of the virus, such as wearing masks and shutting down parts of the economy, have become politicized.
“We came together and we rebuilt our country,” Crowley said. “When we sow the seeds of division, hatred and small-mindedness, we fall. When we sow the seeds of love, hope and optimism, we soar.
“In an unprecedented year, I hope this anniversary will awaken our responsibility to stand together, show compassion for our neighbors.”
Barrett, who at the time of the terrorist attacks was in Washington, D.C., as a congressman, said members of both parties in the House of Representatives and Senate gathered together on the steps of the U.S. Capitol after the attacks to send a message of unity to the country. He said those demonstrations are needed today.
“That spirit of coming together as a nation is something we sorely need right now,” he said.
And as a national dialogue continues over police brutality and reform in law enforcement, Barrett also said it’s important to remember the service that first responders provided on Sept. 11 and every day afterward.
“At a time in our nation when our first responders are being scrutinized, oftentimes very, very appropriately, I think it is important for us to remember the important role they play in our society. They were there when we needed them.”