911 Ceremony in plaza Friday morning

The painting by St. Augustine Artist peter O’Neill, “Two Minutes of Silence,” quietly speaks to the bravery of the men and women who responded to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

In Peter’s words, the painting is “my way of saying thank you to these brave men and women who risk their lives every day.”

Its $20,000 sale proceeds went to the 911 Relief Fund and he has since distributed more than 17,000 prints free to fire, police, and emergency service stations across the country.

The city will once again commemorate that fateful day on Friday, September 11th, in the Plaza de la Constitución, with ceremonies at 8:30 a.m., concluding at 8:45 with the ringing of bells throughout the downtown.

The timing coincides with the time the first plane hit the first tower of the World Trade Center eight years ago.