First I want to send my condolences out to the friends and family of those hurt or murdered in London during the terrorist attacks on 7/7/05.
Today I was having a rather sluggish day getting back into the Monday grind, when I stopped by the corner Starbucks for a pick up. This one happens to be right outside a subway station near Times Square so it’s quite busy and yet again, proves to be the slowest service coffee shop I’ve been to. Unlike most days, I experienced first hand the raised level of awarness of the people here in NYC. The shop filled with about 15 people and as I was waiting for my tall misto a woman sholder tapped me, asking if a small black bag by the door was mine. I looked like a nice TUMI computer bag but as the woman asked around the store to whom it belonged to, she was visably more concerned with each denial.
Aloud I heard a few uncomforting comments “Well is anyone going to call it in or should I!”, “I’m not touching it cuz it might go BOOM” and “Shit!”. Just when someone was about to toss the back out into the street, a lady walks in, closing up her cell phone and picks up the bag. Apparently she was outside phoning her friends for their Starbucks order while leaving her case in the doorway. I thought the sholder tapping lady was going to beat her from the tounge lashing she doled out but no one can blame her.
Everyone’s on edge right now in the city… Reports of misbehavior, and suspiscious packages have doubled. Two rafters were detained today as well as they were rafting under the George Washington bridge and I saw two men in suits arrested for apparently yelling bomb in the subway.
I hear the phrase “Well its the sign of the times” more and more often and it chills me to know that social measures are possible to avoid such behaviors given the right tact and patience. However, the path we are on has been chosen some time ago and much before I even understood world politics, however, I consistantly believe there are many more opportunities to bring the US back to a more settled state.
Who knows if I’ll see those days… Until then I walk the streets with other New Yorkers; an eye peering constantly in the corners, shadows and on suspicious characters, keeping watch and looking out for not only personal threats but community ones as well.
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The moment there is suspicion about a person’s motives, everything he does becomes tainted.
~ Mohandas Gandhi