The New York City terror attack in the midst of Halloween celebrations was the worst since 911, but that didn’t stop New Yorkers from going ahead with spooky holiday plans. According to Mic , New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the “particularly cowardly act of terror” was not a reason to cancel the city’s annual Halloween parade.
Only hours after 29-year-old Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saito killed eight innocent people when he drove his truck into a group of cyclists, crashed into a school bus, and leaped out brandishing weapons, thousands of New Yorkers costumed up and took to the streets.
The mayor reminded people that New York had been faced with a terrible test of its spirit before when they 911 attacks killed thousands “very near the site of today’s tragedy.” He said that New Yorkers don’t give up when tragedies happen.
“We will respond as we always do. We will be undeterred.”
CNN wrote that police with long guns surrounded the 44th annual Village Halloween Parade route, and security kept the entire area under heightened surveillance as families and friends poured into the streets to show their defiance and hope after the terror attack.
While Halloween revelers got outside and made Halloween happen in their city, others started a deluge of tweets to keep up their spirits after the terror attack. With the hashtag #NYCstrong, messages of resilience filled Twitter for hours.
Despite a terror attack a few hours earlier, you still held the parade! There’s no other city like NYC! #NYCStrong
— Hashtag Carla’s Boobs (@funnyinvegas) November 1, 2017
By the next morning, there were still hundreds of tweets supporting New Yorkers after the attack. One Twitter user recognized the spunky New York attitude that saw political adversaries walking together in the Halloween parade in an act of solidarity.
Some Twitter users noted that there was some blowback, with people criticizing New York for partying right after so many lost their lives and others are hospitalized with terrible injuries. One person came out strong with an answer to that criticism, pointing out that fear is the enemy and without fear, “terrorism is useless.”
Another tweeted that New Yorkers are resilient and keep going, first with the “joyful” Halloween Parade, and on November 1, the day after the attack, the NYC Marathon.
New Yorkers are resilient. We keep going – last night’s joyful, yearly Halloween Parade in the Village & today’s NYC Marathon! #NYCStrong
— andreabakes (@andreabakes) November 1, 2017
The New York spirit truly is indomitable.
We are proving yet again that we are #NYCStrong
— Michael Blake (@MrMikeBlake) November 1, 2017
[Featured Image by Kena Betancur/Getty Images]
