For those of us old enough to be able to say we remember Sept. 11, 2001, like it was yesterday, the memories and the horrors of that day are still quite vivid. For survivors, like Lyndhurst’s Brian Branco, who was in the South Tower when the North Tower was hit, and who lost friends, the memories are even stronger. And sadly, they’ve remained with him, as they have for most, for 20 long years. Those memories will, as they say, never dissipate.
And so now, all these years later, the sheer notion that the Township of Nutley decided it was wise to host fireworks on Sept. 10, 2021 — one day before the 20th anniversary of terrorist attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives — is simply absurd and, frankly, unfathomable.
No one, anywhere in this country, should be involved a celebratory or festive atmosphere that day, which for some may also bring back sacred memories of the last time their loved ones spent a full day on this earth.
Branco told us the build-up to the anniversary for him, each year, often lasts a few days. We suspect he’s nowhere near alone in that regard.
And that a local town would use such a date for extremely loud, explosive fireworks to celebrate the nation’s independence is unacceptable.
But it’s not too late.
As Branco and retired Nutley PD Lt. Steven L. Rogers (also a former Nutley commissioner) suggested, the township still has time to rectify this abhorrent blunder. They may still cancel the planned festivities scheduled for Sept. 10. There’s no reason to reschedule them either. There will be a July 4, 2022. To do anything else in this matter is an insult to the memory of all who died and to all those who survived the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
There is still time to make the one and only decision here that makes any sense at all. The only question that remains: Will Mayor Mauro Tucci and the board of commissioners have the courage to actually do it? Nothing else will suffice.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.