Resident: I'm Glad bin Laden's Gone—But There Could Be Retribution

He was on the platform waiting for the subway to arrive beneath the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, when the first plane crashed into the building.

“We were evacuated from the tower that was on fire,” said resident, and board of education member, Evan Lerner.

And now with President Barack Obama’s announcement about the , the man responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Lerner said his reaction is mixed.

“My reaction is one of I’m glad he’s gone,” he said. “But I’m kind of on the fence for capital punishment in general.”

Not only was Lerner in the building when it was hit, he lived with his family across the street from the towers, and was rendered homeless when they came down. He said his daughter was four years old at the time, and she and his wife evacuated from Ground Zero.

“They walked up the West Side Highway from Ground Zero, and we were there as thousands of people were evacuating lower Manhattan,” he said. “She has a fairly decent recollection of the day.”

In fact, Lerner said, it was his daughter who told him she had heard the news, and sounded, he said, surprisingly pleased.

“I was frankly surprised at how attuned she was to the event,” he said. “But I suspect her reaction was in part related to her experience [at Ground Zero]. Whether it was an expression of relief or not, I don’t know.”

Still, Lerner said, he is pleased to know that the man responsible for the deaths of thousands of people on that day is dead.

“I have no problem with his demise, and I’m pleased it was the result of military activity,” he said.

“At the same time, I am always concerned with backlash on these kinds of events,” he added.

Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th) released a statement concerning the death of bin Laden, and called it a “tremendous victory in the war against terror.”

“The brave men and women of our military forces and intelligence services are to be commended for their successful efforts,” he said. “We must continue to be vigilant now more than ever. But today we bring to a close a decade-long search of bin Laden and once again remember and honor all those lost on Sept. 11, 2001. I also want to commend President Obama and President [George] Bush for their efforts to bring bin Laden to justice.”

Lerner said he does have a concern about people seeking revenge for this action by the United States military, although he acknowledged that the biggest threat will probably be abroad. Still, he said, some terrorists might be inflamed by these events and seek revenge.

NJ Transit has also issued a statement concerning safety on the trains, and that it will continue to maintain a heightened sense of security. In addition, according to NJ Transit, there may be an increase state and local police presence in certain locations, despite the fact that there are no specific threats against the system currently.

According to the release, since Sept. 11, police with NJ Transit have increased the number of officers on patrol, deployed additional K-9 bomb detection teams, established vehicular inspection checkpoints and increased electronic surveillance and detection systems.

With the death of bin Laden, Lerner said, he is not of the belief that terrorism is over, or that there will not be more threats, but he is pleased with the work that has been done by the United States government up to this point.

“I can say that I’m pleased that the government has continued to make finding and stopping bin Laden a primary military objective,” he said. “I am not of the opinion that terrorism on our borders is behind us. I think with the task of keeping everyone 100 percent protected, it is unreasonable to think it can continue with the same success we have had to date. There are too many bad guys.”

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