Osama Bin Laden Dead: New Yorkers React At Ground Zero (PHOTOS, QUOTES)

A sudden outpouring of New Yorkers made their way from around the city late Sunday night, celebrating jubilantly after President Obama announced that al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed in a military operation.

Subways and cabs let out a steady stream of flag-carrying New Yorkers, as chants of "USA, USA" broke out before turning to group renditions of "God Bless America" and other patriotic songs. Homemade placards broke the night sky, while more daring partiers climbed light poles and traffic lights to lead cheers. A number of military veterans were on hand, too, soaking in the event as a sort of makeshift victorious homecoming.

"I guess we never had any sort of victory parade or anything, but we all came back, so maybe this is as close as we'll ever get to maybe calling something victory," said Navy veteran Adam Kuehne.

But beneath the excitement there was a sense that some wounds were still unhealed, and that, however sweet the revenge, the tragedy of September 11th was irrevocably seared into their memories.

"I'm hoping that this gives some closure to the people who lost people they loved, and for those of us who live in this neighborhood," said Vivian Farmery, who lives just four blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center. One of her hands was holding her 15-year old son, who was in first grade during the attack; her other hand held a poppy flower. "That man just threw those people in our neighborhood and invaded us, it's really important for us to take it back."

Nathan Morris and Yuri Jang held candles in honor of the victims of the attack; Jang said that her close friend lost her mother and grandmother in the first plane crash, and she was there to keep their spirits alive on the momentous occasion. But she also agreed with Morris when he said that, while he was happy, things didn't exactly play out as he would have wanted them.

"Personally, I would have preferred they bring him back for trial," Morris said. "My first reaction was like, 'Oh man, they killed him.' But then my second reaction was 'They killed him!' I was more excited for the fact that there was some closure, it was a target we were after for years. I think it helps with closure on leadership of that organization and what he represented, but certainly not closure in the longterm things that this country and the world needs to move on."

WATCH:

PHOTOS:

Comments

[jwalter]

08:54 AM on 05/04/2011

All this for a man who the DOJ couldn't manage to indict "because the FBI has no hard evidence connected Bin Laden to 9/11.” Look at his FBI Most Wanted page. Not a thing about 9/11.

[BothSidesSuck]

11:54 AM on 05/04/2011

Thank You for proving that some people do actually pay attention.

[GZLives]

12:37 PM on 05/04/2011

Hard evidence?
You mean aside from OBL taking credit for it ?

[jwalter]

12:55 PM on 05/04/2011

Why wouldn't they indict him? Perhaps because the "confession" tape was made by someone who clearly is not OBL. That's a question for the FBI and DOJ.

[DanielaFearless]

01:21 PM on 05/02/2011

Thank you brave men and women of America's armed forces. Thank you Mr. President for your initiative in removing a heartless, violent terrorist from our earth. The world is a better place. I'd not wish death upon anyone but I will surely celebrate the obituary.

[NobodyLikesMilhouse]

12:51 PM on 05/02/2011

i defy anyone to walk up to a Navy SEAL that took part in risking his life on this important mission that it didn't really happen. tell them that it was all a lie and see what happens. go on...i'll wait.

[DanielaFearless]

11:24 AM on 05/02/2011

The world is finally rid of a heartless man hellbent on destroying other peoples lives. I'm not in the least bit sorry. In fact, I applaud the special forces and Obama for finally doing what needed to be done (and apparently couldn't be done before Obama took office.) This man had no right to be living in a mansion let alone living at all after his horrifying attacks on our soil, not to mention his other "endeavors". Bless those directly affected by 9/11 and I'm so glad they finally have closure. Enjoy your stay in hell, OBL.

[Blackwing]

09:57 AM on 05/02/2011

I still don't understand how he escaped out of Tora Bora. Does anyone know?

[GZLives]

12:38 PM on 05/04/2011

Ask the Pakistanis who protected and cared for him all this time ...

[trumbull desi]

06:29 AM on 05/02/2011

Vive New York!

[skyshoes]

06:11 AM on 05/02/2011

Just a little congratulations are in order for the hundreds of thousands of kids who put parties and the fun times of young adulthood aside to join the services because they felt the urge to do something (anything) in their power to bring some kind of closure to this savage attack on innocent civilians. Many lost their lives many are maimed for life physically and mentally through the ravages of these wars. So many were brought into this quest with the purest of motives.

A significant number of this generation of young people have nobly, quietly slogged through these past ten years with the image of this creep seared into their memories and the memory of the horrendous murders this horrid freak has committed. The elite of your corps dropped into another country's into a fortified stronghold and cracked the snap of the whip. It could not have been done with out your scratching footholds among the rocks and dust to inch ever closer to this murderer. Thanks for your efforts and sacrifice.

[comhunt00]

05:18 AM on 05/02/2011

Most lekely........he died of kidney failure years ago.......... the CIA just confirmed it.......and this "fire fight" was invented...........WHERE IS THE BODY ?

[trumbull desi]

06:29 AM on 05/02/2011

Eejit

[tobadgop]

08:06 AM on 05/02/2011

Accept it, Leon Panetta and Obama did the job Bush refused to do, because there was lots of money to be made off of Iraq.

[ls1z28chris]

08:44 AM on 05/02/2011

Where is the evidence?

[luckyvanna]

05:17 AM on 05/02/2011

I wish, I could have been there to celebrate! ... I dislike war or any kind of killing but bin Laden will be no loss to the world!

[Bushwhacked]

05:00 AM on 05/02/2011

Osama needed to die. Sorry, I don't care if celebrating this victory is tasteless. Ten years we've been waiting for justice. Not a war or an invasion of a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, but the removal of the one self-admitted man responsible for the attacks. Thank you Mr. President and thank you to the special forces and all those involved to bring this to bear.

[trumbull desi]

06:29 AM on 05/02/2011

Fanned for saying what needed to be said.

[BothSidesSuck]

11:58 AM on 05/04/2011

"self admitted"?
Please provide a link to back up your claims.
Why was he never charged with anything concerning 9-11?

[Bushwhacked]

12:09 AM on 05/05/2011

http://www.airpower.au.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj08/spr08/mauduit.html

http://rothkopf.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/05/04/sorting_through_the_moral_and_ethical_confusion_surrounding_the_osama_mission

http://blogs.crikey.com.au/purepoison/2011/05/03/an-obl-is-dead-cheer-off/

[EvilRabbit]

04:58 AM on 05/02/2011

Just got back from the celebration. There was nothing quite like it. Lt. Dan Choi even showed up, climbed a light pole and waved the flag with us. An AMAZING night.

[trumbull desi]

06:30 AM on 05/02/2011

Today, again ... we are all New Yorkers.

[BothSidesSuck]

11:59 AM on 05/04/2011

Never have been, Never will be.
Take it easy on the Patriot juice, feline.

[AbsolutDemocrat]

04:06 AM on 05/02/2011

Thank God he's dead. Although all wounds can't be healed, I hope this brings some comfort to the victims' families, the City of New York, and America as a whole.

[GZLives]

12:41 PM on 05/04/2011

It does bring some comfort

[donbrown]

04:00 AM on 05/02/2011

President Obama now has a unique opportunity. Having successful ly removed Osama Bin Laden, it would be wise for him to pivot quickly to embrace moderate Muslims, perhaps with the essential help of Keith Ellison of my home state of Minnesota, to build a task force that is a bridge to understand ing. Enough with the Sharia law rhetoric on the right.

This is a perfect time to openly support with Mayor Bloomberg the building of the Islamic Center in lower Manhattan as a memorial to peace and reconcilia tion among the faiths.

He now has the momentum to do it.

[Abena in Africa]

04:48 AM on 05/02/2011

Agreed. Fanned.

[TheReaderWhoComments]

05:27 AM on 05/02/2011

Absolutely not. An islamic center would be extremely disrespectful towards the families of the victims of bin Ladens horrific terror. Instead, an anti-jihad building is more approperiate. An international center were countries around the world can unite and discuss their strategy in dealing with jihad. I think hindus in Kashmir, israelis, nigerians, sebs, armenians, sudanese and philpinos etc would welcome such a center. Most wars and terror of today is caused by jihadi fighters, so it would be a tremendous peace effort to raise such a building.

[NotesFromME]

08:37 AM on 05/02/2011

It is NOT a jihadi center. It was planned as a community center for people who have no reason whatsoever to be linked to 9/11.

[notatowniegirl]

09:00 AM on 05/02/2011

Why would you need an "anti jihad building"? The vast majority of Muslims are NOTHING like that creature.

[Justin Stamper]

03:55 AM on 05/02/2011

Just seems surreal, and like a waste. We could have had high speed rail in every state and switched a lot of our energy structure to renewable energy for the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Look at the blood thirsty Americans celebrating death.

[KingLeopold]

04:16 AM on 05/02/2011

Ignorance must be bliss! You're right we didn't need to go to war, we didn't need to stop this guy? Who cares about innocent American lives anyways?

[NotesFromME]

08:39 AM on 05/02/2011

We didn't need two wars to "get" this guy. He was kicking back in his mansion outside of Islamabad, under the noses of the Pakistani military. Iraq had nothing to do with it, and neither did the occupation of Afghanistan. If anything they widened the power of Al Qaeda,

[Justin Stamper]

02:25 PM on 05/02/2011

You have been duped and brainwashed by the government. He wasn't in Iraq or Afghanistan, and a lot of innocent people and thousands of our soldiers have been killed thanks to the War Criminal BUSH.

[ajbebout3]

04:29 AM on 05/02/2011

They are celebrating the fact that a man who has caused so much misery in the world has now departed it. Regardless of the circumstances, I will not miss him.

[ahmed abdullah]

03:31 AM on 05/02/2011

Osama ben laden he go to god and he look for what he want and what he looking for,
by the way i hope pace and safe to all Muslims and all people in the worlds

[trumbull desi]

06:32 AM on 05/02/2011

Amen.

[mcsurfin1]

08:41 AM on 05/02/2011

to bad osama didnt want the same. the world would have been a better place/