Transcript: Mayor Adams Delivers Remarks at the Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for NYPD World Trade Center Command

April 4, 2025

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much. And when you think about it, the number of years that have passed. I was lieutenant at the time, in the 88th Precinct and it was election day. It was early in the morning, I was out on the Upper West Side, canvassing and starting the process for our primary.

I remember when the first plane hit, and automatically I thought to myself, this must be terrorism. And the second plane struck. And as many of us know that our police officers, when you have an incident of that magnitude, you start making your way to the nearest command or to your home command. And I started walking down towards the 88th Precinct on Dekalb Avenue at the time. 

And by the time I crossed the bridge, I looked back over my shoulder, and the builders were gone. The subways were closed. It was closed down at that time. And we were doing 12-hour tours. I was the platoon commander on the first platoon and during the 12-hour tours, late that night, I went down to what we now call ground zero. 

And as a transit police officer, at the beginning of my career, I used to have that post on Chambers Street. And the immense building structure, seeing the photos, does not do any justice to the devastation that we experienced. I remember watching sanitation workers, military personnel, police officers, they were all sitting there, just filled with soot and smoke and that toxic dust. And there was this eerie feeling that just stayed with me. 

I remember reaching out to Bernard, my younger brother, who was a sergeant at the time. And we could not connect because, remember, the antennas were on those towers. So cell phone service, for the most part, was gone. And I was saying to myself when I saw that, you know, are we going to make it? We didn't know what was going to happen next. 

We saw the plane drop in other parts of the city. We saw the attack on the Pentagon. And it just was a question. But that question mark turned into an exclamation point on September 12th. We got up. We got up. Teachers taught, builders built, retail workers opened their shops. And those who thought we were going to run in fear got a rude awakening of our resiliency. And I believe the entire country was holding its breath to see how New York responded. 

We were the epicenter of the attack. We were the most attractive target to terrorism. They thought they would take down our center of trade and we will abandon who we are. But something else happened. The flags went up. And we lived out the chorus of the rocket’s red glare of the bombs, gave proof through the night that our flag is still there. 

Our flag is still here. And it's here because of the men and women that wear police uniforms across the country in general, but specifically the New York City Police Department. I was proud to wear that uniform. And I was proud to be here to bring back a level of normalization to the people of this city during a very fearful moment of uncertainty. 

And so the opening of this command center to look after the World Trade Center. This place is where the world comes. There's no place like New York. And those who are assigned here with that awesome obligation of dealing with the large number of subway stations that are here, the millions of visitors that come here, those who visit the site and get a full understanding of what was here, all that comes with it, it falls on the backs of those who are assigned here to protect this site. 

This site has become a symbol of America's resiliency. And I want to thank you. So cutting this ribbon is more than just a ceremonial moment. It is a symbol of our resiliency. It's who we are. It's who we are as New Yorkers. It's who we are as Americans. This is the greatest country on the globe. And the pinnacle of that greatness lies on the streets of New York City. We are representatives of the greatness of America. Thank you, and God bless our country, and God bless our city.