NYC Corrections officers added to 9/11 memorial as city honors health victims
Three former Department of Correction captains were inscribed on the Rikers Island 9/11 memorial, joining dozens of colleagues who died from related illnesses.
The New York City Department of Correction held its yearly tribute on Rikers Island, where Captains Jacqueline Payden, Raul Gonzalez and Thomas Weadock were permanently added to the memorial stone that already honors 39 officers who have died from illnesses tied to the September 11 attacks. Relatives were presented with commemorative plaques and folded American flags, and Daisy Payden mourned her daughter’s recent death from cancer.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani highlighted the department’s willingness to act without hesitation, noting the long-term health toll of inhaled toxic dust, before departing early for a security briefing for the West Indian American Day Parade, a move that angered some attendees such as retired officer Ken Schwartz. The event came hours after Mamdani signed executive orders creating a Citywide Day of Remembrance and Service and establishing a modernized Continuity and Mission Assurance Team involving multiple city agencies.
The ceremony also remembered DOC investigator Steven Kapczak, who died in 2013 from a respiratory illness linked to his 9/11 work. Critics argue the corrections staff remain under-recognized compared with other first-responders.
Why it matters
It highlights the ongoing health toll on 9/11 responders and the city's effort to formally recognize their sacrifices.
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