|
|
|
Distinguished Toastmaster
BUSINESS & BRANDING COACH . LIFE & LEADERSHIP STRATEGIST MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER SERVING ENTREPRENEURS & MAIN STREET |
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
WHY BAD TERRORISM THINGS WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN TO INNOCENT PEOPLE (c) Carrie Devorah :
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
WHY BAD TERRORISM THINGS WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN TO INNOCENT PEOPLE (c) Carrie Devorah :
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The word "security", the word "intel" and other words of their genre have become buzzwords. Run when you hear someone tell you they are expert in those realms.
True story....
A local was walking around Crystal City Virginia. A round-a-bout walk looking for a one of the Marriott hotels lead them to the "other" one, not the one the local wanted but as it turned out the one the local was, in a karmic way, meant to be at.
A man about 5'3, foreign complexion, beard, build, dressed in grey too big sweats was taking photos. The local was alarmed. Sunday in Crystal City is like Main Street in a dead cowboy town where shoot outs took place at High Noon, every day, even at 5:00. Tourists takes photos. Down at the Waterpark, over at Long Bridge, or somewhere along the strip. Rarely though pictures of the Arlington art on outside walls. Can't explain why not. CC is a capitol of galas, conferences and events. Even for CC, the streets were empty, almost. There was this man. With a camera in hand. Taking pics. Not just any pics and not of the touristy stuff aforementioned.
The man was taking photos of a prominent news organization's building upper top level floors. Then he walked closer shooting into the lobby that is darkened on weekends; the upper quadrants of other buildings locals, and cops, know that military and contractors work there. The man was not taking selfies nor pics of the local theater or the Metro art or street signs.
Let me explain in unspecific words, Crystal City is on the Pentagon grid. Locals learn that when lights go out or their internet fails.
The local, concerned for their own safety, let the man pass, then tried to take cell phone pics. The local succeeded at least getting pics of the man walking away, showing him pictured in grey sweatsuit, of his bald head top showing his complexion. The local did their best to not be seen. The local worked around the world. The local had learned they were 'memorable', 'recognizable of gender/color/complexion, recognizable in a crowd by people the local had not seen nor predicted coming.
Racing in to the 'other' Marriott stating, the local called out to the staff, 'call the police. please.' The concierge said, 'no.' The local repeated their request. The concierge said they would call their security, then told the local to call the police themself. There are somethings See Something Say Something' people don't need to be told. The local was in process of calling. Minutes are valuable when it comes to tracking bad people. Minutes lost are bad people lost in to crowds or doorways or cars.
The local told the police operator, "I have photos to show the cops."
Fifteen minutes or more later the officer showed up, more correctly, drove by the local yelling at them to stop. Eventually, the officer slowed down, turned his car around and said "I havent seen him." The local said 'seen who, how can you know who you are looking for if you are not looking at the photos? Or care to see which buildings, which levels or other?"
The officers rebuttal is tragic.
He said, "I have been covering these streets for 26 years." Maybe it is 25 years too long, time for him to rotate to new streets he can become excited, not complacent about. Comfortable, settled in law enforcement and concierges are part of that secret sauce that kill innocent people, as are people who dont follow logic that when a caller says they have pics to show to search with dont get that message out over the... oh, wait, being focused on safety? Officers, like all of us, have our private lives, thoughts and whereabouts data funneled on to the internet, too. Anything the officer sends out in a time of terrorism, if the wires are not down precluding communications, will be read by everyone, including hackers and little foreign men in oversize track suits taking photos of building tops and in to darkened interiors. Just saying....
The officer said, 'those are federal buildings. Did you tell the federal officers there?' The local had learned a military expression recently, thought out loud to themselves, 'what are you spoofing me?' The officer had been driving all this time looking for the man in grey, before the local found the officer. The officer did not ask to see the photos, nor care to look at them when proffered by the local. Nor did the officer tell the local to send the pics to a PD email adress.
The local said to themselves, thinking of all the people they know that work in those buildings, "OMG, innocent people are screwed..."
The See Something Say Something mantra is rhetoric. Tragic. If the concierge, the street cop dont understand how things work from the ground up or take initiative recognize legitimate concern then innocent person is at risk. More often than not, See Something Say Something gets torked in to a real life dangerous situation of Chicken Little being perceived to be crying 'the sky is falling.'
The Marriott 'security' guard? He is one of those rent-a-blue shirt guys useless when terrorism hits. The cops suggestion to runto tell Federal officers at both buildings? Ummm, 'you spoofing me?' Reality is go home, make peace and think harder about moving.
The failure of information sharing has not changed since 9-11. Without people equipped with common sense, things will continue as is. There will be headlines after the attack. Sometime after the attack headlines, a real 'story' will emerge, like the
voice like James Woods the actor who said he told the cops weeks earlier (before 9-11) he saw men on a plane, that something wasnt right. Woods did the See Something Say Something on the alleged dry run of 9-11. Moreoften, like the local, people will do nothing. In a world of incompetency of concierge's and local cop who show up to get paid then leave at the end of their work day, why waste time?
The cop with wheels on his backside? The local knew that cops and bad guys taking photos of secure sites on Sundays know how to find locals with their backside naked and unsecure to the wind.
As for the local? They talk of moving out of an already emptying Crystal City. CC is one of those outside the Beltway neighborhoods ravaged by Congress and budgetary games. A struggling economy doesnt help a neighborhood assaulted by tech and the Internet of Everything economy, either. That said, the local meets more and more persons claiming work in cyber-security and intel. Concierge, cop and a small guy in sweats is beginning to sound like a joke the local recalled. How many (pick your ethnicity) does it take to change a light bulb? One to hold the light bulb and ninety nine to turn the house around....
If anyone tells you they have a job in intel and security, get your laugh over fast and quick because you may not live to hear the punchline waiting for the ninety nine to turn the house around......
True story....
A local was walking around Crystal City Virginia. A round-a-bout walk looking for a one of the Marriott hotels lead them to the "other" one, not the one the local wanted but as it turned out the one the local was, in a karmic way, meant to be at.
A man about 5'3, foreign complexion, beard, build, dressed in grey too big sweats was taking photos. The local was alarmed. Sunday in Crystal City is like Main Street in a dead cowboy town where shoot outs took place at High Noon, every day, even at 5:00. Tourists takes photos. Down at the Waterpark, over at Long Bridge, or somewhere along the strip. Rarely though pictures of the Arlington art on outside walls. Can't explain why not. CC is a capitol of galas, conferences and events. Even for CC, the streets were empty, almost. There was this man. With a camera in hand. Taking pics. Not just any pics and not of the touristy stuff aforementioned.
The man was taking photos of a prominent news organization's building upper top level floors. Then he walked closer shooting into the lobby that is darkened on weekends; the upper quadrants of other buildings locals, and cops, know that military and contractors work there. The man was not taking selfies nor pics of the local theater or the Metro art or street signs.
Let me explain in unspecific words, Crystal City is on the Pentagon grid. Locals learn that when lights go out or their internet fails.
The local, concerned for their own safety, let the man pass, then tried to take cell phone pics. The local succeeded at least getting pics of the man walking away, showing him pictured in grey sweatsuit, of his bald head top showing his complexion. The local did their best to not be seen. The local worked around the world. The local had learned they were 'memorable', 'recognizable of gender/color/complexion, recognizable in a crowd by people the local had not seen nor predicted coming.
Racing in to the 'other' Marriott stating, the local called out to the staff, 'call the police. please.' The concierge said, 'no.' The local repeated their request. The concierge said they would call their security, then told the local to call the police themself. There are somethings See Something Say Something' people don't need to be told. The local was in process of calling. Minutes are valuable when it comes to tracking bad people. Minutes lost are bad people lost in to crowds or doorways or cars.
The local told the police operator, "I have photos to show the cops."
Fifteen minutes or more later the officer showed up, more correctly, drove by the local yelling at them to stop. Eventually, the officer slowed down, turned his car around and said "I havent seen him." The local said 'seen who, how can you know who you are looking for if you are not looking at the photos? Or care to see which buildings, which levels or other?"
The officers rebuttal is tragic.
He said, "I have been covering these streets for 26 years." Maybe it is 25 years too long, time for him to rotate to new streets he can become excited, not complacent about. Comfortable, settled in law enforcement and concierges are part of that secret sauce that kill innocent people, as are people who dont follow logic that when a caller says they have pics to show to search with dont get that message out over the... oh, wait, being focused on safety? Officers, like all of us, have our private lives, thoughts and whereabouts data funneled on to the internet, too. Anything the officer sends out in a time of terrorism, if the wires are not down precluding communications, will be read by everyone, including hackers and little foreign men in oversize track suits taking photos of building tops and in to darkened interiors. Just saying....
The officer said, 'those are federal buildings. Did you tell the federal officers there?' The local had learned a military expression recently, thought out loud to themselves, 'what are you spoofing me?' The officer had been driving all this time looking for the man in grey, before the local found the officer. The officer did not ask to see the photos, nor care to look at them when proffered by the local. Nor did the officer tell the local to send the pics to a PD email adress.
The local said to themselves, thinking of all the people they know that work in those buildings, "OMG, innocent people are screwed..."
The See Something Say Something mantra is rhetoric. Tragic. If the concierge, the street cop dont understand how things work from the ground up or take initiative recognize legitimate concern then innocent person is at risk. More often than not, See Something Say Something gets torked in to a real life dangerous situation of Chicken Little being perceived to be crying 'the sky is falling.'
The Marriott 'security' guard? He is one of those rent-a-blue shirt guys useless when terrorism hits. The cops suggestion to runto tell Federal officers at both buildings? Ummm, 'you spoofing me?' Reality is go home, make peace and think harder about moving.
The failure of information sharing has not changed since 9-11. Without people equipped with common sense, things will continue as is. There will be headlines after the attack. Sometime after the attack headlines, a real 'story' will emerge, like the
voice like James Woods the actor who said he told the cops weeks earlier (before 9-11) he saw men on a plane, that something wasnt right. Woods did the See Something Say Something on the alleged dry run of 9-11. Moreoften, like the local, people will do nothing. In a world of incompetency of concierge's and local cop who show up to get paid then leave at the end of their work day, why waste time?
The cop with wheels on his backside? The local knew that cops and bad guys taking photos of secure sites on Sundays know how to find locals with their backside naked and unsecure to the wind.
As for the local? They talk of moving out of an already emptying Crystal City. CC is one of those outside the Beltway neighborhoods ravaged by Congress and budgetary games. A struggling economy doesnt help a neighborhood assaulted by tech and the Internet of Everything economy, either. That said, the local meets more and more persons claiming work in cyber-security and intel. Concierge, cop and a small guy in sweats is beginning to sound like a joke the local recalled. How many (pick your ethnicity) does it take to change a light bulb? One to hold the light bulb and ninety nine to turn the house around....
If anyone tells you they have a job in intel and security, get your laugh over fast and quick because you may not live to hear the punchline waiting for the ninety nine to turn the house around......