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Community Corner

Palo Alto Honors Victims of 9/11

Mayor Sid Espinosa spoke at the city's memorial service on Sunday morning, encouraging residents to perform an act of kindness to honor the victims.

Palo Altans woke up early to honor the victims of 9/11 at the city's memorial service on Sunday morning.

The brief ceremony took place at 9 a.m in front of the Palo Alto Art Center. At the center of the ceremony were 2,977 flags planted in the grass-- one for each life lost in the attack ten years ago.

The ceremony included a performance by the Gunn High School choir, which sang "The City Called Heaven," a flag ceremony by Boy Scout Troop 50, bagpipes, and a short speech by Mayor Sid Espinosa.

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Espinosa said that despite the horror of 9/11 in which people from 70 different countries died, Americans were able to reach across racial and ethnic barriers to unite as a country.

Ten years later, he encouraged residents to continue coming together by not only reflecting upon the tragedy, but also by celebrating the lives that were lost, and honoring them them by serving others. 

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"The best way to respond to evil is with unrelenting goodness...Do just one extra act of kindness today," he said. "What better way to honor those lives?"

Patch, through its parent company, AOL, is involved in a project called ActionAmerica. The project is a collaboration of several corporations, individuals and non-profit organizations designed to honor those affected by the events of 9/11 and unify the country through positive action.

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