NEW YORK, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- New York police officers and firefighters say that plans for a memorial to those who died at the World Trade Center convey the wrong message.
About 250 people rallied at the site Monday to protest the design, the New York Daily News reported.
One problem the protestors see in the design is that the names of the Sept. 11, 2001, victims are listed at random with members of the uniformed services identified only by a shield next to the name. Police officers and firefighters say their fallen comrades should be identified by name, rank and unit.
"Firefighters and police officers must be recognized separately," said Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy.
The protest came as Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the cost of the memorial has risen to close to $1 billion. Bloomberg also said that the city does not have the money to maintain the memorial, which is scheduled to open in 2009.
Construction work is scheduled to begin at the site in about two weeks.
