Douglasville Remembers 9/11 In Courthouse Ceremony

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — On Saturday, the Douglasville and Douglas County governments hosted a 9/11 memorial ceremony at the Douglas County Courthouse.

The program, which lasted over an hour, featured moving tributes from Douglasville and Douglas County officials like Douglasville Mayor Rochelle Robinson, Douglas County Commission Chairman Romona Jackson Jones, Councilmember Nicole Miller, State Rep. Roger Bruceand Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds, as well as performances from local bands and choirs. Local clergy, police and firefighters were also in attendance, all flanked by a 100-foot American flag, which was hung from the courthouse that morning at 6:30.

The ceremony also observed four moments of silence: the first at 8:46 a.m., when the North Tower was struck; the second at 9:03 a.m., when the South Tower was struck; at 9:37 a.m., when the Pentagon was struck; and at 10:03 a.m. when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The ceremony also paid homage to Douglasville resident Maynard S. Spence, Jr. a construction safety consultant who died in the World Trade Center attacks at the age of 42.

“There are few days, as life goes on and I have more birthdays, there are things that you remember that are imprinted in your brain and in your mind, but 9/11 was one of those days,” Mayor Robinson said, remembering how she was pregnant with one of her children at the time. “It’s a tragedy that we’ll never forget, the largest attack on U.S. soil since the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941...after 9/11 I remember flags all over the country, it didn’t matter if you were a Democrat, Republican, Independent...we all were Americans, and so let’s remember this beautiful flag today and think about the people who sacrificed and gave their lives.”

At the end, Robinson broke into a stirring rendition of “America the Beautiful.”

Douglas County Fire Chief Roderick Jolivette helped organize the community with input from community surveys and a citizen planning commission, according to a report in the Douglas County Sentinel. The full live streamed event can be watched on the City of Douglasville’s Facebook page.

On Saturday, a 9/11 Memorial Ride and concert was also held at Harley Davidson of Atlanta in Lithia Springs. The ride, which passed through Douglas, Paulding, and Cobb counties, benefited the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a Staten Island-based foundation devoted to honoring the sacrifice of firefighter Stephen Siller, who was killed on 9/11.