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November 16, 2004
Security Architecture
Hatin' coming heavy, but not towards a building this time. In fact, I love the new HSBC building - its wrap around the old - on the corner of 40th and 5th. What's not to be loved, is the obnoxious new security lumps they've installed, in double time at the corners, and in single file on 5th and 40th.
Wondering here, what to protect from, truck bombs I presume? More likely enflamed Pakistani cabbies who had to deal with an HSBC executive. But really folks, whats the deal here. Since when is HongKongShanghaiBankofChina a top target? Wouldn't Bank of New York be a better "hi-profile soft target". Surveillance conducted at their site, shows nothing like these inane blobs.
Whats really forstalling a catastrophic event as HSBC is the two security guards walking the perimeter, in Orange Security vests with clipboard in hand. Lucky I use the oh-so-discrete technology of the terrorists, the handy camera phone.
Go on and enjoy the clusterfuck these barriers have caused on an already small sidewalk. No time to rest on the barriers though, we must move along with the wheels of commerce. HSBC, visionaries of both security & design.
Posted by jmarston at November 16, 2004 10:39 AM
Comments
Those are wierd....were those installed post 9/11? Are those everywhere in New York or just in front of certain buildings?
what are they anchored to? are they just sitting on the sidewalk or are they actually stuck into the ground there?
I bet they are really there to stop a Terminator-like rampage as terrorists are likely to drive late model domestic cars into the front of buildings....with these in place, a car as large as a Dodge Charger but smaller than a Ram Van would be stopped well before they could take out the whole building.
Posted by: Joe at November 16, 2004 03:50 PM
Yes, they are in direct reaction to our "heightened alert". No, they are not everywhere, in fact, these are the first of this type and design that I've seen. But there are many types of New security barriers and whatnot.
These came in response to the bombing of HSBC in Turkey. They installed them worldwide. I qoute CNN here:
Authorities in Turkey today said they have identified the suicide bomber who detonated a truck bomb outside the London-based HSBC Bank in Istanbul last week. That suspect is a Turkish citizen with a history of ties to radical Islamists. Groups linked to al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the HSBC bombing and three other attacks. Those attacks killed 61 people and wounded more than 700 others. (Aired November 28, 2003)
Posted by: Dave at November 17, 2004 11:09 AM
Isn't the sidewalk public property ? Did they have to get permission from the city to put these monster chess pieces in place ?
Posted by: Doreen at November 18, 2004 10:31 AM