The Victims of Terrorism: An Assessment of Their Influence and ...

9/11: Power in Numbers 9to prevent developers from rebuilding and inadvertently detracting from the importance ofany lasting memorial. She immediately began meeting with the planners of previous memorialsto identify the key elements for incorporation in a future memorial at the WTC site (Gest,2002c). Iken’s efforts led her to found September’s Mission as a means to ensure the creationof a memorial park in coordination with the commercial redevelopment at Ground Zero (September’sMission Foundation, undated).Iken’s efforts were rewarded when LMDC chairman John Whitehead appointed her tothe LMDC’s family advisory board in January 2002 (Alexandra Marks, 2002). She also sits onthe LMDC’s 12-member (four of whom lost a relative in the attacks on the WTC) memorialdrafting committee, responsible for having crafted the guidelines for design entries (Wyatt,2002b). Lastly, as acting president of the September’s Mission 9/11 campaign, Iken has alsoadopted the ambitious goal of raising over $100 million to support an array of programs memorializingthe tragedy (September’s Mission Foundation, undated).Iken has also been a vocal opponent of Arad’s design, “Reflecting Absence.” The memorial’sfocal point is two pools of water marking where the towers once stood, between whichwill be a large clearing surrounded by oak trees (Davidson, 2004). Unlike September’s Mission,many members of the Coalition of 9/11 Families do not approve of Arad’s plan to listthe victims’ names in a random manner, which will make it difficult to locate specific names.Furthermore, the latter group also wants full access to the bedrock footprints of both towersin addition to the incorporation of historic artifacts above ground to help retell the tragedy’sstory. Iken, who agrees that victims’ names should be listed on the correct tower in which eachlost his or her life, is adamantly against the other two points, the latter of which she claims hasthe potential to unnecessarily stir painful memories in visitors (Lerner, 2004).Among 9/11 victims’ groups, it is rare that any two share the exact same focus. Theother groups analyzed in this chapter are not diametrically opposed to one another, as thereis very little, if any, overlap among their goals. Thus, another reason for the proliferation ofgroups was that there were so many disparate opinions and a varying prioritization of issuesamong family members that, when initially attempted, made it impossible to form a single, allinclusivegroup. The result was that people seeking a leadership role took the initiative andformed their own groups based on their own ideas for missions and strategies (Lemack,2006a).9/11 Families for a Secure America (9/11 FSA), for instance, specifically seeks to makeU.S. immigration policies more restrictive. Its members believe that the terrorist attacks couldhave been prevented had necessary border controls been in place. Accordingly, the group hasidentified officials it holds responsible for policies that allowed the 9/11 attacks to occur andhas lobbied their removal from office while promoting the election of public office holders whosupport strict immigration policies. 9/11 FSA has also worked toward pushing for legislativereforms in those few states that do not prohibit the issuance of drivers’ licenses to illegal aliens(9/11 FSA, undated). Soon after the group’s inception, members began traveling to these statesto lobby, the results of which have included the passage of a bill in Virginia prohibiting thedistribution of licenses to noncitizens. 55 Gadiel (2006). Gadiel’s son died in the attacks on the WTC. Gadiel is the founder and president of 9/11 FSA.