While we understand the top priority in transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees is to move them to a secure location, Alexandria should not be that chosen location. When September 11th terrorist Zacharia Moussaui was on trial in 2006, he was tried in Alexandria. During his trial, every aspect of daily life in Alexandria was disrupted—traffic became congested, and foot traffic around the courthouse was either blocked or rerouted. This is not the time to once again disrupt the local economy and the tourist industry that Alexandria depends upon. We have had our turn.
We urge you to write Virginia’s legislators and ask them to keep Alexandria citizens in mind, and remove the our federal courthouse from the list of locations for housing the Guantanamo Bay detainees.