More Than 76,000 Sign Petition Asking Mamdani to Skip 9/11 Ceremony as Some Families Defend His Attendance 

The annual ceremony at Ground Zero has no campaign speeches, policy announcements or applause lines. Families read the names of those killed while public officials stand quietly and bear witness. 

Yet weeks before the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a dispute over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s planned attendance is drawing contemporary politics toward a ceremony deliberately structured to keep it out. 

A Change.org petition started by 9/11 widower Giovanni Galante had collected more than 76,500 verified signatures as of August 6. The count continues to rise, making earlier reports of 22,000, 35,000 or even 72,000 signatures outdated snapshots of the same campaign. 

The petition asks organizers to consider whether Mamdani’s presence would respect the ceremony’s purpose and the wishes of families directly affected by the attacks. Mamdani has rejected calls to stay away, saying he plans to attend to honor the victims, survivors and first responders. 

The dispute raises a painful question. Should organizers prioritize objections from relatives who consider the mayor’s presence hurtful, or follow the ceremony’s tradition of allowing elected officials to attend quietly as witnesses?

For one widower, the ceremony remains deeply personal 

Galante lost his wife, Grace Catherine Galante, when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. She was 29 and worked on the 105th floor of the North Tower. 

“We felt that having Mamdani there would show a disrespect to our family members because of the people he supports,” Galante told CBS New York. 

The petition cites Mamdani’s public positions, associations, appointments and political endorsements as reasons its organizers believe his participation would conflict with the ceremony’s purpose. 

Those claims represent the petitioners’ interpretation of Mamdani’s record. They should not be presented as established proof that the mayor supports terrorism or holds contempt for those killed on September 11. 

“The 25th anniversary should remain centered on remembrance, unity, and an unambiguous rejection of the violence and extremism that defined that day,” the petition states. 

It asks organizers to “carefully consider” whether Mamdani’s participation would align with the event’s intention and “the expectations of the families most directly affected by the tragedy.” 

Monica Iken Murphy, whose 37-year-old husband, Michael, died while working on the 84th floor of the South Tower, also signed the petition. 

“We just want a little time for ourselves,” Murphy said. She expressed concern that the anniversary could become overshadowed by the controversy surrounding a mayor who had only recently entered City Hall. 

John Feal, a longtime advocate for September 11 first responders, also defended the families’ right to object. 

“Until he does something proactive for the 9/11 community, he should just sit there in City Hall,” Feal said. 

For these petitioners, the mayor’s attendance is not an abstract argument over political protocol. They see Ground Zero as a gravesite and September 11 as a deeply private day of mourning conducted in public. 

Mamdani says attending is part of honoring New York 

Mamdani does not accept the argument that his presence would undermine the commemoration. 

“I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them at this year’s 9/11 commemoration,” Mamdani said. 

He added that his attendance would reaffirm that New York and the country “will never forget” that solemn day. 

His decision also reflects the civic responsibility traditionally attached to the mayor’s office. Presidents, governors and New York City mayors from across the political spectrum have attended previous September 11 ceremonies. 

Public officials do not deliver political speeches during the observance. Instead, they remain in a designated area and bear witness while relatives read the victims’ names. 

That arrangement is intentional. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has consistently sought to keep the commemoration focused on remembrance rather than politics. 

“We have intentionally worked to keep the commemoration free of politics because remembering those we lost on 9/11 should never be a partisan issue,” a spokesperson told CBS New York. 

The organization has also explained that government officials from different political parties attend to bear witness. 

That position does not dismiss the pain expressed by Galante and other relatives. It distinguishes between allowing an elected official to attend and giving that person a speaking role or political spotlight. 

Some victims’ relatives defend Mamdani’s attendance 

Some relatives of September 11 victims have publicly defended Mamdani’s right to attend. 

Elizabeth Miller, whose father was killed in the attacks, defended the mayor’s right to attend in an August 3 interview with CBS New York. 

“Mayor Mamdani has assured 9/11 families that he wants to be there to honor our loved ones, and I think he should be allowed to do that,” Miller said. 

Miller, who serves as project director of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, argued that the ceremony should remain focused on those who died rather than on arguments about which officials attend. 

“The focus really shouldn’t be on who’s there, who’s not there,” she said. “It should be on our loved ones.” 

Dennis McKeon, who organizes a Staten Island survivor group, raised a similar objection to excluding the mayor. He noted that previous mayors and governors attended despite criticism over their records involving the September 11 community. 

“There’s been mayors and governors for the past 25 years that really did nothing to help the 9/11 family members,” McKeon said. “They were never banned.” 

Their responses reveal why the controversy cannot accurately be described as all 9/11 families standing against the mayor. Some relatives believe Mamdani’s presence would disrespect the dead. Others believe excluding him would politicize the ceremony even further. 

A petition reflects concern, but not a public verdict 

The petition’s growing signature count shows substantial public interest, but the figure requires context. 

An online petition is not a scientific survey of New Yorkers or members of the September 11 community. People may sign it from outside New York, and the total does not establish how many signers lost relatives in the attacks. 

Claims that the petition represents all, most, or thousands of 9/11 families should not be treated as verified without reliable documentation identifying those signers. 

What can be confirmed is that Galante, whose wife died in the North Tower, created the petition and that other identified victims’ relatives and first-responder advocates have supported it. It is equally clear that some members of the broader September 11 community oppose excluding Mamdani. 

That division makes the dispute more complicated than a fight between a mayor and grieving families. It is also a disagreement among people connected to the same tragedy over what respect, inclusion and remembrance should look like 25 years later. 

The argument may continue until September 11. However, the anniversary should ultimately belong to the names read aloud, not to the elected officials standing nearby or the political disputes surrounding them. 

The argument may continue until September 11. However, the anniversary should ultimately belong to the names read aloud, not to the elected officials standing nearby or the political disputes surrounding them. 

Galante and other relatives have every right to explain why Mamdani’s presence would cause them pain. Mamdani, as mayor, can also argue that bearing witness is a responsibility he should not abandon because some families oppose his attendance. 

The most respectful outcome may depend less on who wins the argument than on whether everyone remembers why the ceremony exists. On that morning, neither the mayor nor the petition should occupy the center of the story. 

That place belongs to the people who went to work 25 years ago and never returned home.