William Rodriguez interview: Pt 1
Last man alive out of the World Trade Center on 9/11 and truth campaigner William Rodriguez is in Devon this month as part of a international tour.
He told the People’s Republic how he has “become 9/11 for myself, for the victims, their families and for the media” and why he believes there are a vast number of questions left unanswered about the day.
The Twin Towers janitor saved dozens of lives on September 11, 2001, has been honoured at the White House five times and become a champion for the rights of survivors and victims’ families.
The 45-year-old said he became a photo opportunity for the US government but has shunned them, as well as book and movie deals, because he feels compelled to tell his story, which contradicts the official version of events.
He has become a key figure in the 9/11 Truth Campaign, a worldwide movement which alleges a cover-up and calls for a further public enquiry into certain ‘mysteries’ such as why so many witnesses reported secondary explosions in the Twin Towers and why there was very little evidence of a plane crash at the Pentagon.
William had been a janitor in the north tower for 20 years. Usually at 8.46am, the time the plane hit the building, he would have been 106 floors up. His job was to clean the stairwells - starting at the top.
But on that day he had overslept, and was in sub basement level 1 talking to his supervisor when he felt a “boom” from the basement levels below.
“It was so powerful it pushed us upwards,” he said. “It felt like something had happened below us. I knew the building for so long, I should know when something was coming from above and something from below.
“Then we heard a ‘bam’ all the way at the top of the building. It sounded like a penetration. It was two different events, two different times.”
The initial explosion is one of the events William feels have not be adequately explained by the 9/11 Commission.
In the following hour and three quarters William helped save dozens of people trapped in the building, leading firefighters up stairwell A. He was the only person on site with an access key to open doors which he said were locked because of building regulations.
During this time, as well as being knocked to his feet when the plane hit the south tower, he heard numerous explosions which firefighters said were due to gas canisters in kitchens. William believes the kitchens were electric.
When the north tower collapsed at 10.28am, William was at the entrance trying to find an ambulance for a man inside. He leapt under a fire truck 15 feet away and was buried under a wave of dust and rubble. He is believed to be the last non-firefighter to leave the building. The south tower had collapsed half an hour before.
He was pulled out four hours later and spent the next two days helping rescue workers at the site. He has since set up several victims’ support groups and become a campaigner, fundraiser and legislator for survivors.
William has already given talks in Exeter and Totnes on February 3 and 4 and will be at the University of Plymouth student union on February 18 from 7.30pm. Tickets are on the door only and cost £5.
For further information log on to last-man-out or 911truthcampaign or loosechange911
Posted by Ezekiel Farragut
Check out the People’s Republic Of South Devon tomorrow to find out what finally convinced William Rodriguez to challenge the official 9/11 story and why, this year, September 11 could be the happiest day of his life.
February 10th, 2007
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