News

Sept. 6th Rally: Forgotten Victims of 9.11 Demand that Pataki Protect Our Health!

PRESS CONFERENCE & RALLY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 12 NOON @ GROUND ZERO (corner of Liberty St. & Church St.)

TRAINS: Fulton St.: 2/3/4/5/J; Broadway/Nassau: A/C; Cortlandt St.: R/W; World Trade Center: E

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WE DEMAND that the government make reparations and immediately:

  • ADMIT that government officials lied and covered-up the 9/11 toxic fallout
  • FUND a comprehensive long-term health study and treatment program
  • PAY monetary compensation to workers/residents suffering from permanent 9/11 health damage and subsequent economic hardship
  • PROVIDE quality health insurance to all 9/11 affected workers & residents
  • GUARANTEE immediate & lifetime Workers’ Compensation monetary benefits and medical treatment

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SPEAK OUT FOR OUR HEALTH!

On Wednesday, September 6, 2006, Ground Zero clean-up workers, Lower Manhattan residents and other workers with 9/11-related illnesses will speak out near the World Trade Center site to demand that Governor Pataki immediately address their growing health and economic needs arising out of 9/11.

The upcoming fifth anniversary of the September 11th disaster marks a tragic moment for our city and nation. Thousands of forgotten victims—immigrant clean-up workers and low-income residents from the Lower East Side and Chinatown—continue to suffer debilitating injuries as a result of their exposure to the poisonous dust of 9/11.

To date, there is no government funded treatment program to meet the increasing needs of residents and local workers caught in the WTC dust. The government’s failure to guarantee specialized, long-term medical treatment for all 9/11-affected workers and residents reflects the overall dismal response by government at all levels. Governor Pataki’s recently signed Workers’ Comp law does nothing to address the bigger obstacles that Ground Zero workers will face at the broken NYS Workers Compensation Board. The future is very bleak for workers who have become unable to work due to 9/11 illnesses and a lack of timely, quality medical treatment—they face years of endless hearings and fraudulent tactics by insurance companies to delay, deny and slash benefits.

Contact the Beyond Ground Zero Network at (212) 358-0295 or mailto:nmass@yahoo.com for more information.