Kin of 9/11 Victims Protest Giuliani at Bay Ridge Manor

Brooklyn Eagle | May 31, 2007  

 
Yesterday evening, former mayor Rudy Giuliani was scheduled to come to the Bay Ridge Manor to celebrate his birthday, part of a citywide sweep through the boroughs that began in City Island in the Bronx that morning.

His supporters were scheduled to greet him. Giuliani’s support is considered very strong among Brooklyn’s Republicans, and those in New York in general. At least one club, the Bay Ridge Young Republican Club, has officially endorsed him for president.

“He, more than any other candidate, understands the most critical issue facing us, and that is the need to stay on offense in the terrorists’ war against us,” said Bob Capano, Brooklyn Young Republican leader and staffer for Congressman Vito Fossella, D-Southwest Brooklyn/Staten Island.

However, a press conference was also expected by some of Giuliani’s opponents — not the Democratic faithful, in this case, but firefighters and relatives of firefighters who died in the 9/11 tragedy.

One of the leaders of the group was Sally Regenhard of the Bronx, whose son, Chris, a former Marine assigned to the Red Hook firehouse, died in the tragedy. She faults Giuliani for not upgrading the two-way radios that failed in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, for rushing the cleanup of ground zero, and improperly protecting ground zero volunteers.

A spokesperson for Giuliani’s campaign did not return phone calls to the Eagle by press time. Another leader of the group is Jim Riches, an FDNY deputy chief who lives in Bensonhurst. Riches’ son, who was assigned to Engine Co. 4 in Manhattan, also died on 9/11.

“After the 1993 bombing, we knew the radios we had issued didn’t work,” said Riches. “Giuliani had eight years to order new radios. And when he did order them, from Motorola, they weren’t tested and we had to return to the old radios.

“On September 11, one hour before the North Tower collapsed, Chief Callan gave orders to evacuate the tower. But the firefighters didn’t hear him because their radios didn’t work.”

In addition, he said, volunteer workers at the site were not issued masks until November, two months after the collapse. “If FEMA were in charge, we would have gotten masks immediately,” he said. Finally, said Riches, “Mayor Giuliani was warned not to establish his ‘bunker’ at 7 World Trade Center [because of the location’s vulnerability], but he did it anyway.”