Rudy Giuliani: Urban Legend
Encyclopedia
Rudy Giuliani: Urban Legend is a video produced by the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF). On July 11, 2007, the IAFF released the 13-minute video in DVD
format to fire departments across the U.S. The DVD outlines its complaints against Rudy Giuliani
. It is critical of the 2008 Republican Party
presidential candidate and former New York City
mayor
. As the video has been issued on a website, and not just DVD, it is classifiable as a viral video
.
immediately prior to their collapse. They note that there were unresolved problems with radios dating back to incidents in the early 1990s, including the first attack on the World Trade Center, the bombing in 1993.
The video rebroadcasts images of the collapsing Twin Towers. In the video, New York City Uniformed Firefighters Association
president Stephen Cassidy
said, "The things that we needed to do our jobs even better, we didn't have, because of his administration." He added, "On the heroic memory of 343 dead firefighters, he wants to run for president of the United States. It's a disgrace." Deputy Chief Jim Riches added, “We have the remains of dead heroes at the garbage dump because of Giuliani and his administration and they’re still there today and they won’t remove them." [This statement refers to the dump at the Fresh Kills Landfill
on Staten Island
.]
Interviewees also criticize mayor Giuliani for terminating the search for buried firefighter
s and other first responders after the recovery of gold at the Ground Zero site, or "pile."
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
format to fire departments across the U.S. The DVD outlines its complaints against Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
. It is critical of the 2008 Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
presidential candidate and former New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. As the video has been issued on a website, and not just DVD, it is classifiable as a viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
.
Synopsis
The video is mainly concerned with criticizing Mayor Giuliani for alleged negligence in failing to properly replace faulty radios. The interviewees assert that the faulty radios prevented an evacuation order from reaching the some 300 firefighters who were in the Twin Towers of the World Trade CenterWorld Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
immediately prior to their collapse. They note that there were unresolved problems with radios dating back to incidents in the early 1990s, including the first attack on the World Trade Center, the bombing in 1993.
The video rebroadcasts images of the collapsing Twin Towers. In the video, New York City Uniformed Firefighters Association
Uniformed Firefighters Association
The Uniformed Firefighters Association is the main union of firefighters in the Fire Department of New York .Its president is Stephen J. Cassidy, a vocal critic of mayor Rudy Giuliani's decisions during the Rescue and recovery effort after the September 11, 2001 attacks.The union has made several...
president Stephen Cassidy
Stephen Cassidy
Stephen Cassidy is the President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Fire Department of New York firefighters.Cassidy is a vocal critic of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani's record of response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks....
said, "The things that we needed to do our jobs even better, we didn't have, because of his administration." He added, "On the heroic memory of 343 dead firefighters, he wants to run for president of the United States. It's a disgrace." Deputy Chief Jim Riches added, “We have the remains of dead heroes at the garbage dump because of Giuliani and his administration and they’re still there today and they won’t remove them." [This statement refers to the dump at the Fresh Kills Landfill
Fresh Kills Landfill
The Fresh Kills Landfill was a landfill covering in the New York City borough of Staten Island in the United States. The name comes from the landfill's location along the banks of the Fresh Kills estuary in western Staten Island...
on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
.]
Interviewees also criticize mayor Giuliani for terminating the search for buried firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s and other first responders after the recovery of gold at the Ground Zero site, or "pile."
Interviewees
Interviewees include several present and former IAFF leaders and firefighters from New York City, along with surviving relatives of firefighters that perished in the collapsed Twin Towers:- IAFF President Harold Schaitberger
- Deputy Chief Jim Riches, FDNY
- Rosaleen Tallon, sister of Sean Patrick Tallon, FDNY
- Al Regenhard, Detective Sergeant, NYPD (ret.), husband of Sally RegenhardSally RegenhardSally Regenhard is an American activist who has become one of the leading voices for the families of the victims of the September 11 attacks. A former long-time resident of Co-op City in The Bronx in New York City who has degrees in behaviorial sciences and gerontology and has worked in the...
, father of Christian Regenhard - Alexander Santora, Chief of Safety, FDNY (ret.)
- Steve CassidySteve cassidySteve Cassidy is an English singer. He started his singing career at the age of 14, opening a Cliff Richard concert. Cassidy has recorded with Joe Meek and later with the film composer John Barry. He worked with The Escorts in the 1960s performing around the British Isles.Cassidy has appeared on...
, President UFAUniformed Firefighters AssociationThe Uniformed Firefighters Association is the main union of firefighters in the Fire Department of New York .Its president is Stephen J. Cassidy, a vocal critic of mayor Rudy Giuliani's decisions during the Rescue and recovery effort after the September 11, 2001 attacks.The union has made several...
Local 94, FDNY - Jack McDonnell, President, UFOAUniformed Fire Officers AssociationUniformed Fire Officers Association is a union for lieutenants, captains, battalion chiefs, deputy chiefs, medical officers and supervising fire marshals in the Fire Department of New York. Captain Alexander Hagan is the current president of the UFOA. Battalion Chief Jack McDonnell preceded Capt....
Local 854, FDNY - Eddie Brown, UFA Local 94, FDNY
- Pete Gorman, Former President, UFOA Local 854, FDNY
See also
- Collapse of the World Trade CenterCollapse of the World Trade CenterThe twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, 2001, as a result of al-Qaeda's September 11 attacks, in which terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners, flying one into the North Tower and another into the South Tower...
- Rescue and recovery effort after the September 11, 2001 attacksRescue and recovery effort after the September 11, 2001 attacksThe rescue and recovery effort after the September 11 attacks comprised the local, state and federal agency reaction to the September 11 attacks. The unprecedented events of that day elicited the largest response of local emergency and rescue personnel to assist in the evacuation of the two towers...
- September 11, 2001 radio communicationsSeptember 11, 2001 radio communicationsRadio Communications during the September 11 attacks served a vital role in coordinating rescue efforts by New York Police Department, New York Fire Department, Port Authority Police Department, and Emergency Medical Services....