Tears and roses in memory of Flight 587

On November 12, 2001, the city, the country, the world was still reeling from the act of terrorism that brought down the Twin Towers.
But it was on that day that the residents of Belle Harbor witnessed the second-deadliest aviation disaster in United States history, the crash of Dominican Republic-bound Flight 587.
The plane’s 260 passengers and five people on the ground were killed at precisely 9:16 a.m. when the plane went down at Beach 131st Street and Newport Avenue.
Nine years later, on Friday, November 12, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and family members still reeling from the tragedy gathered to remember their loved ones.
“Today, on the ninth anniversary of the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in Belle Harbor, we remember the 265 victims who tragically lost their lives,” said State Senator Malcolm Smith. “It’s important that we honor them every year with a memorial service so that future generations will know the impact that this tragedy had on all New Yorkers. My heart goes out to the families of the victims as they continue to deal with the loss of their loved ones. I would also like to encourage all children, spouses and financial dependents of individuals killed on the flight to take advantage of the Flight 587 Memorial Scholarship. This program will help defray the cost of attending college in New York State.”
In 2006, a $9.2 million memorial was dedicated at the corner of Beach 116th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard, blocks from the crash site.
For some, the memorial’s location is still controversial because it is not located at the actual site where the plane went down.
The memorial is a circular granite structure, designed by Dominican-born sculptor Freddy Rodriguez, and inscribed with a line of poetry by Dominican national poet Pedro Mir, “Despues no quiero mas que paz,” or, “Afterwards I want only peace.”