9/11 gift shop sparks outrage

Few shops have ever sparked such controversy among citizens than the 9/11 gift shop that will open its doors on Wednesday, at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

Those interested will be able to purchase hats with the New York Fire Department symbol, stuffed dog animals representing the search and rescue dogs and many books and DVDs related to the attack and the construction of the memorial.

Museum representatives declared that they need the revenue generated by the gift shop to sustain their yearly $65 million museum operation costs. The admission fee to the museum is $24 per adult.

Furthermore, the museum plans to house the human remains of the approximately 8,000 unidentified victims.

Such decisions infuriated many, especially relatives of those who died during 9/11.

Jim Riches, who lost his son, a firefighter, in the attacks, said: 'I think it's a revenue-generating tourist attraction.Basically, they're making money off of my son's dead body. I think that's disgusting.' As for the relocation of the 8,000 unidentified victims inside the museum, Riches said that the $24 admission fee is like 'charging people to get into a cemetery.'

On the other side, museum board members defend their decision by claiming that: 'We have an obligation to society ... 20 years from now, we need to make sure the people that step foot on this plaza know where they're stepping and when they go into the entrance and go into the museum, they need to know what they're going to see there.'

Mass-media also responded negatively to the news, the New York Post newspaper publishing an article with the title: 'Little shop of horror. Visit mass-grave, buy a T-shirt.'