Bath Beach Girl Makes Public Plea To President Not To Go To War

A Bath Beach girl who lost her uncle in the September 11 attacks made a public plea to President Barack Obama, urging him not to go to war with Syria. The New York Daily News reported that Brittney Cofresi, made the plea while reading names of victims at the September 11 commemoration last week.

Cofresi, who is 15 years old, was paying tribute to her uncle, Salvatore Papasso, a tax investigator who died at the age of 34 when terrorists struck the World Trade Center back in 2001. Papasso, who worked on the 86th floor of 2 World Trade Center, was said to be helping people evacuate the building before being killed.

Cofresi was reading names of September 11 victims on television a the World Trade Center memorial site and after naming her uncle, she urged Obama to give peace a chance.

“I was only 3 when you were taken from us, and we miss you very much. President Obama, please do not bring us to another war,” Cofresi said.

The Daily News contacted Cofresi and asked her motivation for making the public plea:

“I’m just a girl from Brooklyn,” the freshman from Bath Beach told the Daily News. “I wasn’t sure if the President would get my emails or letters. I felt like the only way to get my voice heard was to say this on TV.”

Brittney said she was moved to speak after watching Obama’s primetime speech on Syria the night before.

Cofresi’s wish that Obama avoid engaging Syria in war has become more tangible in recent days, as a compromise between the United States and Russia calling for Syria to give up their chemical weapons has been struck. Now we wait for Syria to follow through.