If the real intent of a memorial is to educate, inform, and generally remember an important event (ie...those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it) then something along the lines of a permanent Smithsonian exhibit, permanently located on the NYC site, would be the best. Can you imagine how much still & action footage exists to be shown? Show the truth and let the interpretive artists do their thing to ENHANCE the provenance, not create it.

Unfortunately, the politicians, the wanna-be civic 'leaders', the (insert nationality here) 'leaders', et al... have too much donated money to throw around now. And they all want to build something 'big' so they can put their own name on it. It's so sad - but typical.

History
 

Seems to me that if you want to reflect the whole multicultural mix then do a statute of a bunch of folks toting buckets of debris.

If you want to show an actual moment in time for what it means, then it's dishonest to alter it to show what you wish it had been.

'Truth' isn't what people believe happened, or even should have happened. It has to be the real deal.

I suppose a disclaimer might be in order.