Remembering 9/11: The Day New York's Art World Changed

(MENAFN- USA Art News) In September 2001, the Tribeca nightclub Vinyl, known for its Peter Gatien-era scene, transformed into a relief effort hub. By nightfall on September 11, the pavement outside was piled with plastic bags containing socks, t-shirts, and sweatpants, collected for anticipated survivors of the Twin Towers collapse. The author, who had worked at HBO Television's downtown satellite office, noted that euphoric substances had disappeared from the dancefloor, replaced by talcum powder for dancing.

On the morning of September 11, at approximately 9:15 a.m., while traveling to work at HBO's office, the author encountered Amin Miah, a corner fruit seller, who exclaimed in Bangla,“Duita biman marse, ami dekhsi,” meaning“two planes hit, I saw it.” Shortly after, HBO's Interactive Ventures head, Kevin Dowdell, insisted a staff meeting proceed at 10 a.m., just before the South Tower collapsed, visible from the office window.

During the chaos, cellular phone lines were jammed, a measure later revealed to be a protocol to prioritize emergency communications. The author's girlfriend, artist Reiko Yamamoto, did not own a cell phone in 2001, prompting the author to bike to Tribeca to find her. Crowds of businesspeople covered in white powder ran uptown as the author cycled against the flow. The Chambers Street office had already been evacuated, as Tribeca was within the towers' blast radius. Reiko Yamamoto arrived home four hours later, and the author urged her to acquire a cell phone, a decision many likely made that day.

A week later, the author met members of Youth Solidarity Summer (YSS) and Taxi Workers Alliance (TWA), South Asian activist organizations, at a vigil. The vigil, organized by Sreenath Sreenivasan of the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), honored a Sikh man who was a victim of a hate-crime attack following 9/11. Filmmaker Dina Hossain, who had just completed a PBS documentary on Leonard Bernstein and begun a new project on Islam, questioned the author's small American flag, observing,“You will understand that you and I are not going to be allowed to be part of that 'we,' not anymore.”

The event triggered longer memories for some; the author's cousin, Hassan, recalled being attacked in 1979 in California as an“Eye-ranian” during the hostage crisis. Poet Saba Waheed, who had joined the relief efforts at the Vinyl club, wrote about the experience, referencing the first Gulf War and concluding with“oh no, not again.” It took several days to learn that multiple Bangladeshi waiters working at the Windows on the World restaurant in the first tower had died. The author realized that“Bangladeshi” had been interpreted as“Muslim” in the media's focus on victims. These stories of Muslim victims became crucial as attacks on taxi drivers and shop owners continued, leading to a narrative of model minorities.

Three years later, scholar Mahmood Mamdani's book, Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror, resonated with the author, who recognized a similar“apologetic” approach to Islamophobia. Mamdani's son, Zohran, later pursued a different strategy, working to change the system directly rather than appealing to existing power structures. The author, then living in Hell's Kitchen, moved out of Manhattan due to fears of another attack. The landlord quickly returned the deposit, eager to raise the rent. The author's green card, sponsored by HBO, arrived in April 2001. His Oberlin College roommate, Saif, whose green card was due at the end of 2001, faced severe delays due to security checks, partly because of his common Muslim-Bangladeshi surname. Saif's H-1B visa expired, and he returned to Bangladesh to work in the business sector. Many immigrants, fed up with visa complexities, returned to their home countries in a“reverse brain drain.” Working-class migrants, however, often remained in the US, despite mass arrests on Coney Island Avenue, or crossed into Canada, as their extended networks abroad often relied on their remittances.

Source: Hyperallergic

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