Mayor Mark Laredo urges passing 9/11 memory to younger generations

Mayor Mark Laredo thanked the memorial committee and first responders and named local families who lost loved ones on 9/11, saying the community’s duty is both to remember and to teach. “We cannot change the events of September 11, but we can decide what we carry forward from that day,” Laredo said, framing remembrance as an obligation to younger generations who did not live through the attacks.

Laredo described the Newton 9/11 Memorial’s design and encouraged residents to visit and reflect: the memorial contains a granite scroll with eight local names and inscribed timeline steps. He urged civic action in daily life, saying that honoring victims includes “forging stronger bonds through our differences, by building community and by working together.”