New York Stories...

At the beginning of December I travelled to New York. This series of articles will take a look at some of the issues that are making the news, there and in the US at the moment.

The City That Never Sleeps

Flying to the United States from Ireland does have the advantage that you can clear US Immigration at Dublin airport, where the friendly officials from the Department of Homeland Security will scan your passport, take your picture and your fingerprint in minutes. When you enter the concourse of the Transatlantic terminal in Dublin, you are effectively on US soil and are greeted by a large poster of the pre-9/11 World Trade Centre, emblazoned with the caption ’We will never forget’ - or something to that effect.

On arrival at Newark airport, the passengers of our flight were able to sail past the extremely long queues at immigration of those unlucky people whose countries have no such agreements with the United States. These queues of course are the result of the stringent new security checks put in place by US authorities in the aftermath of the horrendous terrorist attacks on New York and Washington over four years ago. They are the first visual manifestation that a visitor will notice of the fear that pervades American life in the era of the ‘War on Terror’.

This fear is no doubt especially felt in New York, the city that was most effected on that terrible day in September 2001. The physical scars remain in the form of the gaping hole left in the World Trade Centre and the emotional wounds resonate in the heavy and reverent atmosphere you experience when visiting Ground Zero. It really hits home when you see the wall filled with the names of those who fell on 9/11. New York is a damaged city still trying to recover from those murderous attacks.

This can perhaps be best seen in the psychological effect on the population and the authorities in charge of security for the city. Even that most quintessential activity of daily New York life - taking a yellow cab - is affected by the new security regime. Before entering the Holland Tunnel from New Jersey to Manhattan you pass LED ticker displays advising people to watch out for suspicious activity and providing a telephone hotline number. There was also a police checkpoint (the driver hastily fastened his seatbelt and stopped talking on his mobile phone). In Manhattan itself there are billboards warning of the dangers of unattended bags and urging vigilance.

The most striking display of the increased security were the armed squads of New York Police Department officers. While armed police of any type can take some getting used to (Irish guards rely only on their trusty batons!); these cops had military style helmets, flak jackets and machine guns and looked ready to take on a horde of al-Qaida Jihadis. (although they’re more likely to be seen posing for pictures with gaggles of teenaged girls - see below) One American tourist, also staying at my hotel, who had just encountered such a squad in Times Square, said that ’sometimes it doesn’t even feel like my own country anymore.’

I can certainly understand where he was coming from. America is supposed to stand for Liberty, Equality and Democracy. While heavily armed police units and a certain amount of paranoia may be necessary to confront the very real threat of terrorism, legislation like the Patriot act, unlimited spying on American citizens, the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay and alleged official sanctioned torture and kidnappings by the CIA are all anathema to what American traditionally represents.

Nobody can fault the extra vigilance and wariness of the people of New York, a city that had its very foundations - real and metaphorical - shaken on September 11. It may be ’the city that never sleeps’ for a different reason now but it is still a welcoming place that seems to have lost none of its spirit. George W. Bush’s America on the other hand is in danger of losing the values that set it apart from its ruthless enemies.