Obama Lays Wreath at Ground Zero

The week has been tumultuous for New Yorkers and Americans, as the death of Osama bin Laden has brought unexpected closure to a tragic chapter of U.S. history.

President Barack Obama made a visit to the city Thursday afternoon, a gesture of shared mourning and solidarity with New Yorkers whose lives were forever altered on Sept. 11, 2001.

New York City residents lined the streets, packed up against barricades at the intersection of Barclay and Church streets north of the World Trade Center site.

"This is a great day, in terms of history," said Bayside's James McShane, who stood near Ground Zero with his son. "It kind of puts a happy ending on the worst thing to happen in the past 10 years. It’s a little bit of closure, but we still got a lot of work to do."

Joseph Campbell, an Astoria resident and member of Transportation Local 100, said he worked at Ground Zero following the terrorist attacks.

"I come out here personally because I believe this is the beginning of the end of this long drawn-out ordeal to capture the person who murdered thousands of New Yorkers and thousands of other people worldwide," he said."I came down here to work on the rescue and recovery mission after the towers collapsed. I worked side by side with my union brothers trying to find survivors. I've seen my union brothers and sisters come to illnesses, respiratory illnesses they said didn't exist. Dangers that didn't exist. So, there's a lot of emotion, a lot reasons to be here."

State Assemblyman Edward Braunstein, D-Bayside, said he hoped bin Laden's death and Obama's visit would bring comfort to the families of 9/11 victims.

"I hope that on this occasion all of the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 feel a sense that justice has been served," he said. "I am extremely proud of the brave members of the military for their hard work and dedication on behalf of our country."

Before laying a wreath at the World Trade Center site, Obama joined firefighters and former mayor Rudy Giuliani at Engine 54 firehouse in Midtown, which lost 15 members in the attacks. 

While there, NY1 cameras caught the president making some off-the-cuff remarks.

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart on behalf of the American people for the sacrifices that you make every single day, and I just want to let you know that you’re always going to have a president and an administration that’s always going to have your back the way you’ve gotten the backs of the people of New York over these last many years,” Obama said. “Obviously, we can’t bring back our friends that were lost. I know each and every one of you have grieved for them, but also tried to deal with their families and children, trying to give them comfort and support.”

Security was intense throughout the city, with street closures taking place to clear city traffic for the president’s motorcade and police stepping up patrols and searches on subways.

At Ground Zero, the wreathe-laying was a solemn affair. Obama did not make any formal remarks, but shook hands and traded words with members of the honor guard, family members of victims, and local politicians.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were at the location. U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-Forest Hills, who praised the president’s decision not to release photos of Osama bin Laden’s corpse, said the day was important for families who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001.

“With Public Enemy number one finally gone, we should instead focus on coming together as a country,” Weiner said. “That is why today I look forward to joining the President, heroic first responders and their friends and families as we honor those who lost their lives on September 11.”

Kristen V. Brown contributed to this story.