How Has 9/11 Changed Your Life?
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, there was a feeling that life in America had changed. Ten years later, we asked D.C. residents if they felt it had. For many in D.C., the attacks were more than a national event; They took place in our own backyard.
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Charlotte Slaughter, 73, Anacostia, Southeast: "You have a lot of fear. I do. My first cousin passed in the Pentagon [attack]. We're trying to get through it -- she only had one son," she says. "I just hope it doesn't happen again."
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Mark Mascia, 47, Bethesda, Maryland: “It’s changed a lot, certainly from a transportation perspective. I can barely remember what it was like to be dropped off at the airport or have someone meet me at the gate. It’s astoundingly different today. And I admit, I get suspicious of stuff now. My sense of security is different…not all the time, but if I see an SUV or something parked somewhere odd, it makes me worry.”
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Mercedes Pearson, 21, Skyland, Southeast: "Life hasn't changed that much for me," she said. "I'm aware now when I go on a plane. I'm cautious and a little bit scared, but that's it."
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Tyler Machia, 21, Woodley Park, Northwest: “It helped me pursue my career choice. I’m a Political Science major, here for a semester in Washington. It impacted my world so much, it motivated me to do this. It made me aware of the world.”
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Officer Lonnie Moses, Jr., 46, patrols Ward 7, Southeast: "I had a friend whose daughter was on one of the planes. When I talk to him and see his face, I see how sad he is, and that affects me," he said. He thinks about his friends who work downtown for Capitol Police. "Being downtown makes me feel nervous sometimes because if something were to happen, I'd think it'd happen there. A lot of things have changed."
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Kourtnii Brown, 31, LeDroit Park, Northwest: “My life hasn’t really changed; I didn’t know anyone connected to it. Obviously, security at airports blows now. I’m a germaphobe and I’ll be in sandals, they can see there’s no gun in my shoe but I still have to take them off. The racist aspect of it really gets to me. I have lots of Arab-American friends. They grew up here, went to high school here and I see how they are treated by certain people…and I don’t see the world like those people do. We’re all in it together. Diversity should be the best part of this country, but the legacy of that day is how it’s breaking us apart.”
