Zohran Mamdani Establishes 9/11 as Official Citywide Day of Remembrance — A First in 25 Years

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has signed two executive orders designating September 11 as an official citywide Day of Remembrance and Service. The move, which comes 25 years after the attacks, is the first time the city has formally established such a commemoration. The announcement has drawn both praise and fierce criticism, as Mamdani also faces a petition from 9/11 families seeking to bar him from the official memorial ceremony.

NEW YORK – The image circulating online is accurate: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has established September 11 as an official citywide Day of Remembrance and Service .

The executive orders were signed on September 4, 2026, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks . According to the Office of the Mayor, the designation formalizes a day of commemoration for the nearly 3,000 lives lost and the heroism of first responders and ordinary New Yorkers.

The Executive Orders

Mamdani's orders establish September 11 as a permanent day of remembrance in New York City. The signing ceremony included the use of multiple pens, a symbolic gesture often reserved for major pieces of legislation.

But the ceremony also became a flashpoint. Critics noted that Mamdani conspicuously omitted the NYPD from his speech honoring the heroes of 9/11 — a notable absence given that 23 NYPD officers were killed that day .

A Polarizing Figure

Mamdani, a democratic socialist who took office in January 2026, has been a deeply polarizing figure in New York politics. His critics have accused him of being hostile to law enforcement and of making statements that are insensitive to the victims of 9/11.

In the lead-up to the 25th anniversary, a petition signed by over 100,000 people called on Mamdani not to attend the official 9/11 memorial ceremony . The petition, reportedly supported by some 9/11 victim families, cited his past statements and his calls for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .

The Transparency Initiative: Opening the Files

Despite the controversy, Mamdani's administration has also taken a step that many New Yorkers have demanded for decades: releasing long-withheld 9/11 records.

His administration released over 170,000 pages of documents related to the toxic air around Ground Zero, including the "Harding Memo," and launched the city's first public portal dedicated to these records .

For 25 years, first responders, survivors, and families have fought for answers about the toxic exposure they faced. Records from the Giuliani era reportedly show that City Hall was already discussing potential liability from toxic exposure while New Yorkers were being reassured about safety .

The city says the initial release is only the beginning, with additional records scheduled to be published over the next 12 months .

The Divide in Reactions

The establishment of the Day of Remembrance and the release of the files have produced sharply divided reactions.

Supporters have praised Mamdani for providing long-sought transparency. "Mayor Zohran Mamdani just did what New Yorkers had been demanding for decades: Opened the files," one user wrote on X .

Critics, however, have condemned both the ceremony and the mayor's presence at the memorial. Some have focused on the symbolic pen he handed to an attorney, calling it a "dirty inside joke" . Others have questioned the cost of the records portal, claiming it cost $34 million .

The Bottom Line

As New York City marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Mayor Mamdani has cemented a complicated legacy: formalizing remembrance while simultaneously facing opposition from some of the very families he seeks to honor. Whether his actions will be remembered as a gesture of respect or a political misstep depends largely on whom you ask — and in a city as divided as New York, the answer is far from settled.