AHEPA Keeps Pressure on NY Port Authority, Sends 12,000 Signatures to PA Executive Director

AHEPA Keeps Pressure on NY Port Authority, Sends 12,000 Signatures to PA Executive Director

WASHINGTON - In an effort to keep the pressure on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), the largest and oldest association of American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes, sent a follow-up letter with a petition signed by 12,000 persons to the port authority's executive director, Mr. Christopher Ward, announced Supreme President Nicholas A. Karacostas.

"We expressed our strong disappointment that we have not received the courtesy of a reply to our initial letter of August 19, and furthermore, we deemed it unacceptable that the port authority has failed to meet its commitment to resume negotiations with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to rebuild St. Nicholas," said Karacostas. "We reaffirmed our call to rebuild the church at 130 Liberty Street, which is the agreed upon location according to the Ground Zero master plan, and restated our intolerance of further bureaucratic stall tactics."

In addition, the letter stated that as a result of the port authority's silence, "... please find enclosed the signatures of 12,000 persons from across the country that join with AHEPA to strongly urge the Port Authority to honor its commitment and resume negotiations to help rebuild St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at 130 Liberty Street, which is the location agreed upon in the Ground Zero master plan."

Finally, in his letter, Supreme President Karacostas reiterated that this issue is not a matter of building one religious structure over another, but rather a matter of the port authority honoring its word and commitment to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. For more information please go to: http://www.ahepa.org/CutTheRedTape.

AHEPA is the largest Greek-American association in the world with chapters in the United States, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, and sister chapters in Australia and New Zealand. It was established in 1922 by visionary Greek Americans to protect Hellenes from prejudice originating from the KKK, and in its history, AHEPA joined with the NAACP and B'nai B'rith International to fight discrimination.

The mission of the AHEPA family is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.

For more information about the AHEPA family, or how to join, please contact AHEPA Headquarters, (202) 232-6300, or visit http://www.ahepa.org.

(Posting date 12 November 2010)
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