Tragedy and its Aftermath

In the July issue of Video Systems, VS managing editor Cody Holtprofiled Jon Alpert in an article entitled All Access Video. Alpert and his wife, Keiko Tsuno,are co-founders of Downtown Community Television Center, which after 30years of operation, is the most honored independent nonprofit mediacenter in the nation. Located in New York City’s Chinatowndistrict, DCTV’s dual purpose is to provide free and low-costvideo instruction, and to deliver honest, independent news coveragefrom the streets of their neighborhood and the most war-torn regions ofthe world. Until recently, all of that war reporting had occurred onforeign soil. But on September 11, 2001, the war was at DCTV’sback door. The following is Jon Alpert’s recount of that fatefulday.

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Our media center is 14 blocks from the Trade Center. When theplanes hit, our first instinct was to grab the cameras and run to thescene. But there were hundreds of survivors staggering around outsideour building who needed help. They were in shock. Covered with dust.People desperately trying to call relatives, but cell phonesweren’t working. We dropped four phones down to the sidewalk andeverybody lined up to call their families. Their conversations wereheartbreaking: stories of wives and co-workers trapped in thecollapsing buildings; desperate dashes trying to avoid the fallingdebris. They were crying. We were crying. It would have been dramatic,emotional television. We just couldn’t bring ourselves to filmit.

After an hour, things calmed down a bit. We got the cameras andheaded south. Now the police lines were up and all reporters had beencleared away. We tried unsuccessfully to talk our way around theroadblocks. We filmed construction workers making stretchers andloading them into a truck for delivery into the war zone. Their policeescort vehicle had an empty back seat. We asked if we could hitch aride behind the police lines into Ground Zero. Dust was everywhere. Mylens became opaque in 10 seconds. Depressed and disoriented firemenwere wandering down the sidewalks. Buildings were on fire andcollapsing.

My camera was a Sony PD150. It’s easiest to use by grippingthe handle and keeping the camera around waist height. It is also lessconspicuous that way. As we made our way to the Trade Center, weblended in with everyone else. We were covered with white powder. Thecamera was covered with powder. It was like the people of Pompeiifilming their own destruction.

There were no other cameras at Ground Zero. I was careful not toget in the way or ask questions. I parked myself at the edge of thepile and filmed all night. Once or twice somebody realized what I wasdoing and seemed ready to escort me out. But after a while I became anaccepted part of the horrific landscape. Everybody shared a commonshock and exhausted desperation.

I’ve been in many situations like this before. While youare filming, your job keeps you focused. Do I have enough tape? Is thebattery running down? How should the shot be framed? How can I tell thestory? If I walk to the other side for a better angle will they noticeme and kick me out? Should I film the fireman who is crying?

I left at 3 a.m. to get my tapes to the station. On my way uptownall the old war zones I had filmed began flashing back — Vietnam,Cambodia, Central America, Philippines, Iraq, Afghanistan. It wasalways a relief to fly back to New York and leave the death anddestruction behind. Now the war is in my neighborhood. Since that nightI haven’t tried to go back to Ground Zero. We’ve turned theground floor of our media center over to the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency. Newly homeless neighbors line up to get reliefchecks.

On Saturday, September 22, we turned our building into a blockparty for all the kids who survived the attack. About 1,500 childrenand their parents, as well as clowns, magicians, and musicians, crowdedinside. Kids painted and danced. It was fun. It was healing. Even thefiremen tried to smile — but when I saw their sad eyes, I startedto cry.

Jon Alpert has won 12 national Emmys. His video reports fromGround Zero were shown on CBS' The Early Show.

Additional Photos from JonAlpert