Governor Hochul: "Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for travelling here this weekend to share with us this occasion. The weather here today just reminds us of what it was like exactly 20 years ago, a spectacular day, bright blue skies, a day of great possibilities. And we all know what happened when the terrorists decided to threaten New York City because we are the beacon of freedom. We are the place that has the Statue of Liberty in our harbor. So we continue to be a threat to all freedom-hating individuals around the world, and we're aware of that. And that is why your presence here today signals the cooperation, which has been ongoing for years and years, and I thank you for your leadership as well as the leadership of the entire [Biden] Administration."
Hochul: "I just want to alert New Yorkers. You will see increased presence. We've deployed more resources for the Port Authority, the MTA, you'll see more people. You'll see individuals with longarms. You'll see them looking a little bit militarized. But the idea is to let anyone know that you mess with New York, there'll be consequences. And I want to let them know that we feel very confident at this very moment, after assessing our threats, that we'll be able to handle the events of this weekend and welcome people from around the world who come to this place of reflection, to think about what it means and how New York came back. After that horrific day, those horrific events, 20 years later, we never forget, but we go forth into the future steeled in the conviction that yes, we were knocked down, but we are never out. Whether it's a terrorist attack, whether it's the pandemic, don't bet against New Yorkers."
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul joined U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD leadership for a 9/11 security briefing.
VIDEO of today's remarks is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
B-ROLL is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of today's remarks is available here.
PHOTOS are available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for travelling here this weekend to share with us this occasion. The weather here today just reminds us of what it was like exactly 20 years ago, a spectacular day, bright blue skies, a day of great possibilities. And we all know what happened when the terrorists decided to threaten New York City because we are the beacon of freedom. We are the place that has the Statue of Liberty in our harbor. So we continue to be a threat to all freedom-hating individuals around the world, and we're aware of that. And that is why your presence here today signals the cooperation, which has been ongoing for years and years, and I thank you for your leadership as well as the leadership of the entire [Biden] Administration.
I'm also here to lend support to our mayor's efforts and the incredible NYPD, and to let them know that we are ushering in a new era of collaboration, and I believe that that is going to give our mutual constituents, the City of New York and throughout the State of New York, a sense of confidence that we believe no stone unturned to protect the individuals we have pledged to represent.
So it was important that I come here in person to thank the leadership, to thank Commissioners, the individuals who are working round the clock to identify and potentially thwart any threats that could be, perhaps because we're involved in the weekend, we have identified this as a vulnerable weekend. But I stand here after having a very detailed briefing, and I think the analysts and the individuals, again, they work, unseen heroes. They're in buildings like these all over in cooperation with our State Police and our state resources to make sure that people can sleep better tonight, and the next night, and the next night. That's what this is all about.
I just want to alert New Yorkers. You will see increased presence. We've deployed more resources for the Port Authority, the MTA, you'll see more people. You'll see individuals with longarms. You'll see them looking a little bit militarized. But the idea is to let anyone know that you mess with New York, there'll be consequences. And I want to let them know that we feel very confident at this very moment, after assessing our threats, that we'll be able to handle the events of this weekend and welcome people from around the world who come to this place of reflection, to think about what it means and how New York came back.
After that horrific day, those horrific events, 20 years later, we never forget, but we go forth into the future steeled in the conviction that yes, we were knocked down, but we are never out. Whether it's a terrorist attack, whether it's the pandemic, don't bet against New Yorkers. And Mayor de Blasio. I thank you for the leadership you continue to show, the partnership, the hand you've reached out to me since the infancy of my administration, which is now two and a half weeks old, and I know there's much more we can do together. So thank you and to your incredible team.
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