9/11 Kin Complain About Film Crew In Memorial Room
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Some relatives from victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, are angry that another family member allowed film crews for entertainers Penn & Teller to shoot footage for a cable television special in a private mourning room.
The Family Room was set up at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s offices in 2002 as an interim memorial to those killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks. A sign posted outside the room bans “members of the press” from entering.
The film crew for the comedians and magicians went into the room with a family member, Anthony Gardner, in February. Mr. Gardner said yesterday he wanted to show the producers a photograph in the room of his brother, Harvey, who was killed on September 11.
Some footage of the room appeared in “Penn & Teller: Bulls—!” as a special about rebuilding at ground zero that first aired on the Showtime channel on May 1.
A Penn & Teller spokesman, Glenn Alai, said the footage amounted to a few seconds of a 30-minute piece and said the entire show was sympathetic to the families.
“We felt that it was very compelling to show,” Mr. Alai said.
A spokesman for Showtime’s series, Frank Marchesini, said Penn & Teller are not journalists and the episode aimed to make sure the September 11 families’ voices are heard.
