Role at the time: President of the Port Authority Retired Police Association
Condemned
Statement summary
McDevitt asked Mamdani not to attend on behalf of retired Port Authority police officers.
“We believe your presence at Ground Zero ... would cause deep pain.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Retired Port Authority officers tell Mamdani and Hochul to stay away from Ground ZeroJohn McDevitt’s August 14 letters and Michael LaRosa’s petition statement
Why we used this label
The association's letter explicitly opposed attendance and proposed alternative forms of remembrance.
Rudy Giuliani, George Pataki, and some September 11 victims’ relatives opposed Zohran Mamdani attending the 2026 memorial, citing his rhetoric and associations. Mamdani said he would honor victims; other elected officials and a family group said excluding the sitting mayor would politicize the commemoration.
