OSAMA BIN LADEN: 1957-2011

THE DAY OF THE NEWS

      New Yorkers cheering hours after Osama Bin Laden's death

        On the evening of May 1, I was in Manhattan to find the popularity rating and opinions of presidential candidate Donald Trump (confirmed not running on May 17^th), when I received a breaking news tweet by CNN. I then received another tweet from BBC. All of the tweets displayed the same message. “OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD.”As I read the tweet, more people started muttering about the same thing. A few hours later, many gathered in Times Square and Ground Zero (the site of the former WTC towers) and started to chant “we got him, we got him!” People were listening to President Obama’s speech on their tablets and smartphones, hearing their president announcing the news.

QUESTIONS FOR THE EUPHONY 

"Now I can go and rebuild the symbol of American freedom in peace." 

           Two days after Bin Laden’s death, I revisited New York to see how Americans were taking Bin Laden’s death. As New York has been the site where Bin Laden became known for his atrocious action on September 11^th, 2001, it would be interesting to see how New York reacted to Bin Laden’s death other than celebration. I compiled a list of various questions to see how Bin Laden and his death affected the interviewee’s life, whether the interviewees approve President Obama’s handling of Bin Laden, and whether the interviewees think they aresafer from Al Qaeda and the threat of terrorism after Bin Laden’s death. I interviewed 100 people in the WTC site (most of them construction workers), 200 people in Times Square, 100 people in Wall Street, and 150 people in Columbia University. I also asked them whether they thought Bin Laden was really dead,and/or if the American government is omitting some facts.

“And while I was depressed in missing my first day at work, the first tower was struck.”
(source:  britannica.com)

              100% of the people in the WTCsite, 60% of the people in Times Square, 45% of the people in Wall Street, and 30% of the people in Columbia University answered that they have been personally affected by Bin Laden’s actions and/or his death. Chelley, who is 29 years old and has lived in New York for 14 years, told me that she remembered the day when the towers fell down. “I was supposed to go to the Wall Street area for an internship, but I missed the bus on that day,” she explained, “and while I was depressed in missing my first day at work, the first tower was struck by the plane.” Although the WTC area was in the financial district area, I was surprised that the percentage of people in Wall Street were less affected by Bin Laden’s death personally than other parts of New York. “It’s simple,” said a businessman (he was asked not to be named). “Many people here don’t stay in one place for even a month, let alone a decade. Besides, since the WTC was so close to here, maybe the people who were affected are probably resting in graves.”

                Jared, the construction worker for the new WTC, and who I’ve interviewed earlier in the April article, told me how happy he was that the nightmare of America lies beneath the sea. “I haven’t seen that horrible event face to face, but I’m sure as hell glad to see that **** dead. Now I can go and rebuild the symbol of American freedom in peace.” 

COMMANDER IN CHIEF

Obama during the Bin Laden Raid, receiving live coverage from the deployed Navy SEALS Team
(source: wordpress.com) 

             Although the poll numbers for personal significance varied from different locations, there was almost unanimous support for the assertion that President Barack Obama’s decision to assassinate Bin Laden and the subsequent burial at sea. The Times Square, WTC, Wall Street, and Columbia University had 95%, 100%, 85%, and 90% respectively in terms of people supporting President Obama’s actions.  One interviewee told me that his confidence in the president has strengthened. “He could have bombed Bin Laden’s hideout,and yet he was brave enough to send in Americans to get Bin Laden.” Another interviewee commended the risks the president took. “It could have gone terribly wrong,” she explained, “if this raid failed, Obama’s presidency would not have recovered.

Although most of the people’s confidence in Obama’s popularity has increased, some of the New Yorkers do believe that Obama has caused a blunder in America-Pakistan relations. “I seriously do not think that the president has thought this through,” said an interviewee. “I think Obama was merely thinking about his poll ratings. Even if he WAS thinking about how to dispose Bin Laden without mistake, I wouldn’t barge into allied territory without notifying them.” Another interviewee gave a more balanced criticism. "I respect Mr. Obama's decision to send in troops in order to confirm Bin Laden's death, but I would rather have bombed the compound, as sending in troops may have gone very wrong: he could have escaped, or many Americans could have died during the operation."

DEATH?

Some have even suggested to me that Bin Laden might not be even dead (Al Qaeda confirmed Bin Laden’s death on May 6, 5 days after the raid). “It kind of seems suspicious to me that Bin Laden is dead. He was living near a military base in an authoritarian regime, and was only a few distances away from the capital”, said Patish Kunjahabi, an Indian who was in the States because of his business. “I’m pretty sure the Pakistani government, no matter how incompetent, would know that the most wanted man in the world is within their country. Pakistan wants to know about the lives of the daily lives of their citizens. You’re telling me that they don’t even know about the most famous man in the world living next to their capital?”

REMEMBERANCE & CONTEMPLATION

"I know that Bin Laden's death won't bring my brother back; still, we got him."

                Despite the celebrations and debates about Bin Laden’s death, there was also a time of mourning in NY.Although there was celebration on the evening the day of Bin Laden’s death, I was also able to witness events that were not celebratory. There were a few families who were mourning in Ground Zero. Many of them had placards and flowers, and laid them near the construction site. A fire fighter (name undisclosed) who worked near the WTC site told me that he remembered people jumping for their lives. He remembered himself and his friends trying to save as many people as possible amid the thick blanket of dust from the buildings.Another man remembers losing his friend in the chaos during the building’s collapse, only to hear his death the following morning.

                A teenager named Simon (not his real name)was laying flowers and a placard written “we got ‘em”, accompanied by his father and his mother. When I asked who they were laying these flowers for, Simon replied that it was for his older brother, who was a salary man in the WTC. I asked him if he was happy that Bin Laden died. Simon started to cry, and his fists were clenched tightly. “I know that Bin Laden’s death won’t bring my brother back.” He then got up and forced a smile, his face stained by tears. “Still,we got him.”