NYC Mayor Tells Black Sunday Widow to 'Move On'

Jan. 15, 2007
"There's a protocol for the FDNY widow," the mother of three said. "You're in shock, then you go away. I'm not following that protocol."

At a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the Black Sunday tragedies, in which three firemen lost their lives in two separate blazes, Mayor Bloomberg callously admonished the widow of one of the fallen heroes to "move on," New York magazine reports.

Jeanette Meyran, who became an advocate for safety ropes for firefighters after the Jan. 23, 2005, Bronx blaze that killed two firemen, including her husband, Curt, bitterly recalls the mayor's brusque advice.

"Jeanette, you have to stop this crusade," the mayor is quoted saying in the magazine, due out tomorrow. "It's been a year. You have to move on. Curt would not want his widow to live this way."

"I appreciate your concern," Meyran replied. "But how does that help me and my children?"

Bloomberg looked away and said, "Take care of this woman," before leaving.

"There's a protocol for the FDNY widow," the mother of three said. "You're in shock, then you go away. I'm not following that protocol."

Republished with permission of The New York Post.

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