View of the monument in 2019
Dear Friends, Szanowni Państwo,
Attached below are photos documenting the condition of the Katyn Monument. The images taken on October 23, 2022, show the destruction of the lower granite-rimmed diamond-shaped apron surrounding the Monument. The apron was made of large and heavy pieces of granite, which measured 17 x 8 x 60 inches and appeared to have been set onto a deep concrete pad surrounding the granite steps and plinth of the Monument. On top of them were placed decorative pavers.
At this time, it is still being determined if the pneumatic hammering and unsupported excavation work around the Monument, or rather the most recent settling of the structure, have dislodged granite pieces of the Monument’s first step. Rust-colored scrapes on the granite steps suggest contact with the front hoe bucket or pneumatic hammer – the machines used to break up the structure and remove the broken-up material. This work created 2’ to 3’ deep trenches around the Monument. The pits have now been partially filled with loose backfill.
No protection for the Monument is present and no structural support for the dislodged steps has been installed; therefore, further slipping of the steps seems to be a threat, which may result in the plinth becoming unstable. The worst-case scenario is the destruction of the Monument. It is important to note that demolition of the apron, an integral part of Andrzej Pitynski’s design, has apparently been done without any prior structural engineering reports and calculations.
“Private roadway” in the public space?
We can see that the accommodation of a “private roadway,” covering almost 40% of the Exchange Place, apparently necessitated the destruction of the apron around the Monument. Please note that this is a “private roadway” being created on public property! We have not been able to obtain evidence confirming the existence of a formal Jersey City approval of such a “private roadway.” Our unanswered question is this: Is it a brazen and illegal “corporate land grab”?
If you are disgusted with what is happening with the Monument, find what appears to be the “takeover” of the public property by private interests unacceptable, and object to diminishing the Monument’s importance by allowing vehicular traffic a few steps away from it, please join us. Support the Polish American litigation against the Jersey City Planning Board and the Exchange Place Alliance – Case: Superior Court of New Jersey, Hudson County, Law Division, Docket No.: HUD-L-2076-22. DONATE to the Katyn Monument legal defense fund! Please make a check out to “PASI Educational Organization” or wire your donation directly, bank to bank. Please do not forget to write “Katyn Monument Litigation” in the memo section. PASI Educational Organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations to the PASI Educational Organization are tax deductible. Your contribution to the Katyn Monument litigation fund is greatly appreciated.
1) Mail your check to:
PASI Educational Organization
c/o Gene Sokolowski, Ph.D.
13952 Greendale Drive
Woodbridge, VA 22191
2) Wire transfer your contribution to:
Bank Name: TD Bank
Account Name: PASI Educational Organization
Routing Number: 054001725
Account Number: 4407889687
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have. We thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
/s/ Gene Sokolowski, Ph.D., President
Polish American Strategic Initiative Educational Organization (PASI EDU)
(703) 966-5109
/s/ Edward Wojciech Jeśman, President
Polish American Strategic Initiative (PASI)
(310) 291-2681
/s/ Jeanne Daly, Jersey City Resident
