Statement by State Senator Daniel Squadron on Alternate Locations for 9/11 Terrorism Trials

Immediately after the announcement of the proposal to hold trials for accused 9/11 terrorists in Lower Manhattan, I pushed for a public discussion with NYPD of whether the community could bear the measures needed to secure Lower Manhattan and Chinatown. Commissioner Kelly and the NYPD deserve credit for facilitating that discussion. While civilian federal court is the correct venue for terrorist trials, the current proposal shows that holding these trials at 500 Pearl Street would have devastating consequences for our community. For this reason, along with community leaders and other elected officials, I have called on Attorney General Holder to find alternate locations outside Lower Manhattan for the trials and ensure that the residents and businesses of Lower Manhattan are not further burdened.