Like thousands of New Yorkers who live downtown, filmmaker Beverly Peterson witnessed close-up the horrific events of 9/11. Her first instinct was to grab her video camera in order to bear witness to the tragedy unfolding. Filming became a way of surviving the following months as she documented what was happening to her community. Beverly and her husband were forced to evacuate their apartment on West Broadway for several weeks. Then the hard work of cleaning up began. Some businesses in the neighborhood had been forced to close, others limped along, helping each other survive. Many were owned by recent immigrants to N.Y.C. who are featured in the film. The community was forced to organize to demand financial assistance from the government for the cleaning and rehabilitation of individual residences and businesses. They are still rebuilding their lives thanks to their strenuous efforts to help themselves and each other. 20 Minutes 2002 Educational Distributor: Filmakers Library **Screenings: 2002 Library of Congress 9/11 Commemoration, Walker Art Museum, The Warhol Museum, The Kitchen, Wisconsin Intl Film Festival/ Broadcast: Sundance Channel, PBS (WNET) REEL NY?** Less