Mayor Sayles Belton Delivers Heartfelt
"Report from the Homeland" in Nation's Capital
October 24, 2001 (Minneapolis, MN) - At the US Conference of Mayor's
Emergency Safety and Security Summit in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis Mayor
Sharon Sayles Belton today delivered a heartfelt "Report from the Homeland"
to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, mayors, police
chiefs, fire chiefs, and emergency management officials from across the
country.
The purpose of the historic two-day summit is to discuss:
* Federal-local cooperation and coordination in the war on
terrorism;
* Recommendations by mayors for the new Office of Homeland Security;
* Local emergency management preparedness;
* Transportation security, including aviation, rail, port and ground
transportation;
* Communications and technology issues; and
* Public health issues.
In her remarks, Mayor Sayles Belton said, "Minneapolis, though located 1,000
miles from ground zero, was jolted by the events of September 11th. In the
wake we are uniting across all faiths and ethnic backgrounds to display our
resolve to uphold the principal of our democracy. People everywhere are
gathering together to celebrate our collective will to stand united... But
while we stand united, we must also stand prepared. Governor Ridge has
stated that the security of our nation is directly linked to our
preparedness at home, and I want to assure him, and the nation, that many
cities were prepared before the 11th, and are ready today, to protect their
citizens and their community."
"Minneapolis responded swiftly and efficiently," said Sayles Belton. "Within
two hours of the attack, the entire City of Minneapolis was on alert status
with security and preparedness in place. Our response was made possible by
our long established preparedness measures and the capable leadership in
place to enact our procedures."
Below is the complete text of the Mayor's Report from the Homeland:
"Thank you. And thank you Secretary Thompson for your leadership as we
address safety and security needs. I am proud to present a report from the
homeland.
Minneapolis, though located 1,000 miles from ground zero, was jolted by the
events of September 11th. In the wake we are uniting across all faiths and
ethic backgrounds to display our resolve to uphold the principal of our
democracy. People everywhere are gathering together to celebrate our
collective will to stand united.
As Americans we are coping with our sorrow and our anger by working together
to help those in need. In fact, all across the United States we are
witnessing incredible displays of compassion and charity. Money and supplies
for those in need being donated in record amounts.
Day after day we are witnessing a response of compassion and kindness from
our citizens.
The children of Willmar, Minnesota collected 10,000 pennies to send to a New
York City relief fund. The town of New York Mills, Minnesota crafted a
quilt graced with handprints as gift for the public school children of New
York City. 5,000 of my neighbors from across the Twin Cities gathered "in
the dawns early light" to make a "human American flag" affirming that we
care, and that we love America, our homeland. There were preschoolers, high
school students, parents, clergy...all walks of life were represented. It
was incredible.
These acts of patriotism and generosity keep us united. But while we stand
united, we must also stand prepared. Governor Ridge has stated that the
security of our nation is directly linked to our preparedness at home, and I
want to assure him, and the nation, that many cities were prepared before
the 11th, and we are ready today, to protect their citizens and their
community.
Minneapolis responded swiftly and efficiently. Within two hours of the
attack, the entire City of Minneapolis was on alert status with security and
preparedness in place. Our response was made possible by our long
established preparedness measures and the capable leadership in place to
enact our procedures.
Our Director of Emergency Preparedness, Deputy Chief Dick Turner of the
Minneapolis Fire Department, is here today and I want to thank him for his
professional conduct and commend him for his years of commitment to the
safety of Minneapolis.
Cities across the country stand ready, but we also realize that we will not
be able to sustain our readiness or our preparedness without a strong
partnership with the federal and the Office of Homeland Security. We
welcome the opportunity to discuss our needs, and to help train and equip
our first responders to ensure their ability to protect our country and the
citizens who live in our cities, our towns and our villages across America.
Additionally, the aftermath of September 11th has taken a toll on our
economy. Minneapolis, like many cities, is feeling that strain. Our
tourism, convention, retail and hospitality industries are being profoundly
impacted by the loss of business. Many of these workers are women, people
of color, immigrants and those making the transition from welfare to work.
To encourage our community to return to the skies, I invited local business
and labor leaders to join me as I flew to Detroit to meet with Mayor Archer,
and then onto Boston where we met with Mayor Menino to exchange ideas about
rebounding our economies. Many of these ideas are being implemented back
at home.
On October 5th, I hosted a local economic and safety summit with business
leaders, public safety officials and representatives of our local faith
community. We discussed the state of our city, the concerns of our
residents, the plans in place to assure our safety, and heard the calming
words of our faith leaders who encouraged us to not allow our fear and anger
to target other religions or ethnic groups for retribution or retaliation.
A message that we must all be resolved to heed.
While we look to the Office of Homeland Security for assistance to aid us in
our preparedness measures, we also need a strong economic stimulus package
from Congress to jumpstart our economy and put our people back to work!
Through personal commitment, and unified action at all levels of government,
we can help restore calm, and help return prosperity and peace to this great
nation. We are in this together.
Thank you.
_______________________________________
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