The 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks comes two months after five servicemen were shot at a Chattanooga military site.
The sense of unity and goodwill that spread through the city and the nation after both events is something some want to see spread further.
"We want people to unite and fight for a common goal of being equal," said Maycie Madeleine Butler Hammons of Sale Creek.
Hammons, founder of DTO [Don't Tread On Me] We The People, has organized a candlelight vigil and march Friday to remember those killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks, as well as the servicemen gunned down here on July 16. She also wants to encourage a return to the humanity expressed after both events, adding that showing consideration toward people shouldn't require a tragedy.
The group will meet behind the Tennessee Aquarium at 6 p.m. Friday. The march across the Market Street Bridge to Coolidge Park starts at 7. The event is set to end with a candlelight vigil in Coolidge Park at 8 p.m.
Hammons' husband, Marine veteran Tyler Hammons, will speak about the slain servicemen.
The march is among many Sept. 11 events and acts of kindness across the country honoring service personnel, law enforcement and first responders.
Almost 3,000 people in New York City died on Sept. 11, 2001. Terrorists piloted two planes into the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane flew into the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and a fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania before it reached the terrorists' target. More than 400 police officers and firefighters were among first responders who died, according to news reports.
In Chattanooga this summer, 24-year-old Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez of Hixson fatally shot four U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy petty officer. The community hosted several memorials to honor the fallen servicemen, including Marines Thomas Sullivan, Carson Holmquist, Squire "Skip" Wells and David Wyatt. U.S. Navy Petty Officer Randall Smith was also shot in the July 16 attack and died two days later.
A Chattanooga Strong Memorial Benefit Bass Tournament is scheduled on Saturday from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Dayton Boat Dock & Grill. The event will include music and food. Proceeds will benefit the families of the servicemen who died in the shootings.
"People need to remember we can be Chattanooga strong, not just because of a shooting," Hammons said. "We can be Chattanooga strong because we are Chattanooga."
To help foster unity in the city, Hammons contacted civil rights groups, Christian and Muslim groups to attend the march and candlelight service.
"We were united at one point and somewhere along the lines we forgot that," Hammons said. "We need to go back to it."
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at 423-757-6431 or yputman@timesfreepress.com.