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Victims of Sept. 11 among those recalled
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
But King still talks to him every day. "I always did say my prayers every night," said King Sr., 65, of Lecanto. "Now I just speak to him." The frustration and rage stirred by the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon lent an added poignancy to this year's program to remember the victims of violent crime, held as a part of National Victims' Rights Week. Among those honored at the noon ceremony Monday at the Historic Courthouse was King's son, Bobby, a member of Engine Company 33, and Joseph Holland Jr., a commodities broker. Sharon McDaid, a victim-witness counselor for the Citrus County State Attorney's Office, said the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon gave every American a hint of what it was like to be a victim of violent crime. "For the first time in history -- or at least my history -- the whole country has experienced grief," she said. "We've all felt that feeling of helplessness that crime victims feel. We've all felt those feelings of rage. And we're still waiting for justice." McDaid said the annual event is meant to bring comfort and validation to all victims of violent crime and their families. "We want them to know they are not forgotten," she said. Law enforcement officials, prosecutors, victims and curious bystanders gathered under the sweltering afternoon sun on the steps of the courthouse for the short ceremony. The highlight was the solemn reading by McDaid of each victim's name, as a family member attached a white ribbon to a wreath festooned with daisies and red and blue carnations. Some had lost loved ones to drunken drivers. Others had family members killed in homicides. Fredricka Allen, 55, of Crystal River lost her son during a drive-by shooting in Lake County in 1992. She said Monday's ceremony gave her a tremendous sense of comfort. "It helps to know you're not alone," she said. "It's good to know there's someone else out there who has been a victim. We can lean on each other and pray." Pauletta "P.J." Taylor, who said she was trapped in an abusive marriage for more than 20 years, gave words of encouragement to the audience and urged anyone who needed help to contact the victim-witness coordinators. "You have to make a choice," she said. "No one else can make it for you. But once you take that first step, it gets easier." As the ceremony concluded, Terry Holland dabbed at her eyes. Her son, Joseph Holland Jr., was at a meeting at the World Trade Center when the jets smashed into the twin towers. The meeting had been scheduled to end by 8 a.m., but Holland's boss had been caught in traffic and pushed it back. Her husband, Joseph Holland Sr., who works in fire prevention for Citrus County Fire Services, said attending the ceremony stirred up a lot of unsettled memories. "It brings the pain back," he said. "I still don't believe it has happened. I know that's terrible to say, but it's true." -- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 860-7309 or cjohnson@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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