At 1:19 p.m., the moment the bomb exploded, they gathered for a moment of silence.
The attack 50 years ago today struck at the heart of American freedom.
It targets the place where our country was founded during the Revolution, and George Washington left knowing that his new country's future was secure.
On December 4, 1783, nine days after the British evacuated New York City, Washington held a banquet at Francis Tavern in lower Manhattan to bid farewell to his troops.
On this day in history, December 4, 1783, Washington bid farewell to his troops at Francis Tavern in New York
On January 24, 1975, the Puerto Rican separatist group FALN planted a bomb during lunchtime that destroyed a historic site in Lower Manhattan, killing four people and injuring more than 50 others. Banker Harold Sherburne, 66, businessman Alex Berger, 28, and James Gezork, 32, were killed.
"They are really attacking the American people," said Joe Connor, whose father, Frank, a 33-year-old banker, was killed in the attack.
"They attacked Francis Tavern because that's where George Washington said goodbye to his officers after the Revolutionary War, where the Sons of Liberty met and was a symbol of American freedom, justice and freedom, but they couldn't abide by that."
A bomb explodes in Francis's Tavern. Four people died and more than 50 people were injured. The Puerto Rican nationalist group FALN claimed responsibility. (New York Daily News via Getty Images)
Joe was nine years old the day his father was killed, and in the decades since, he has dedicated his life to seeking justice for his father and other victims. He is the author of "Shattered Lives: Overcoming the Terror of Francis's Tavern," which is now also a documentary. Connor joins other families, elected officials and law enforcement on a mission to hold terrorists accountable.
No one has been charged in the attack, but Willie Morales, believed to be the terror group's main bombmaker, fled to Cuba and lived with about 50 American fugitives. A bill in Congress named for Joe's father, New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster, would require Havana to return the fugitive, Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Shah. Assata Shakur also fled in Cuba and killed Joe's father.
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“This is a very concise, clear bill that calls for return,” Conner said. "The Castro regime and Che Guevara have always been mysterious, and there's some strange romantic view of these people. But they were nothing more than Marxist thugs who had been waging war against the United States for years."
In the final days of his term, former President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism.
President Donald Trump immediately put Havana back on the list and vowed to use his first term in office to pressure Cuba to return Morales and other fugitives.
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio attends a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at Trump National Doral Golf Club on July 9, 2024 in Doral, Florida. (Joe Reddell/Getty Images)
During a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Cuba to apprehend criminals who are still at large.
"There are fugitives from U.S. justice, including cop killers and others, who are actively harbored in Cuba and protected by the Cuban regime from the long arm of U.S. justice. So there is no doubt in my mind that they qualify as fugitives All qualifications. "State sponsor of terrorism," Rubio said.
Over the past two decades, FALN members have been granted clemency, as if the passing years have lessened their crimes. US President Barack Obama commuted the 70-year sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, who was found guilty of seditious conspiracy and charged with other crimes. President Bill Clinton offered clemency to imprisoned members of the terrorist group, and 11 accepted it in 1999.
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At a ceremony commemorating the bombings, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the bombings "are terrorism in its purest form, designed to intimidate, intimidate, injure, maim and kill to achieve political ends."
"For 50 years, no one has been held accountable for this attack, which remains under open investigation by the NYPD and the Joint Terrorism Task Force," Tisch said. "Our department will never forget."
Jessica Tisch speaks after being sworn in as the next commissioner of the New York Police Department during a ceremony at Police Plaza on November 25, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
The ceremony commemorating the bombing was preceded by an emotional luncheon attended by family members, dozens of former FBI agents, bombing survivors and others.
Joe Connor's son Frank, named after his grandfather and studying to be a priest, gave the blessing.
"We remember the four men who were killed in this very place 50 years ago today, as well as all those who have lost their lives to terrorism."
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Joe noticed how the party was held at the door, and a bomb consisting of ten pounds of dynamite was placed inside an inconspicuous briefcase.
"Cuba must eventually turn these people over, and the only way to do that is to keep them on the list of state sponsors of terrorism and put pressure on Cuba," he said. "Now is the time to do that."