Dear Members,
Here is the statement we issued today in response to the Department of Justice announcement that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind behind the September 11 terror attacks will be tried in a military commission at Guantanamo Bay.
Sincerely
Steven Spinola
STATEMENT FROM STEVEN SPINOLA, PRESIDENT OF THE REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NEW YORK The Real Estate Board of New York commends the United States Department of Justice for its decision to hold the terror trials for 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed at Guantanamo Bay, and not in Lower Manhattan as was originally proposed.The decision is a real victory for the businesses and residents of Lower Manhattan, which would have been devastated by the impact of this trial. Holding the terror trials in Lower Manhattan would have undermined the progress and rebuilding of this neighborhood, and it would have eroded the economic development efforts and successes over the last 10 years.
We are relieved by the decision and we believe the successful effort resulted from the hard work of our federal, state and local elected officials in collaboration with the Alliance for Downtown, Community Board 1, and the business community, which REBNY helped to organize through the Move The Trial web site and the REBNY Action Center. The effort's success demonstrates the importance of bringing together the public and private sector when issues such as the terror trials could have such a monumental impact on our city, its businesses and, of course, its residents