I always begin the ride out into the wind. With any approach to the Fairgrounds clearly unwise, it was necessary to improvise and I ended up with an unfamiliar route. Still I found some interesting places to ride, occasionally had favorable winds and overall again felt pretty good.
But before I could ride I had to go to work. The Republican National Convention will be in town starting next Monday and preparations have already begun. I work across the street from the county law enforcement center, also known as the sheriff's department and county jail. Next to the county sheriff's building is another building housing the local police department. This complex of buildings is ground zero for an extensive deployment of law enforcement resources to assure the security of next week's event.
This is a view of the front entrance of the law enforcement center from the 4th floor of the building where I work. Those concrete barriers with steel fences are referred to in the trade as "jersey barriers" and are most often deployed to combat the possible effects of car bombs.
The orange and white barriers line the sidewalks up to the building. The sidewalks are now one way, you are allowed to enter on one and must leave on the other. Because of our proximity we have been given perhaps more information than many citizens have received so we know that part of what is going on over there is the creation of a secure compound including an outdoor "detention area". My fellow workers and I decided that the whole scene has a decidedly East German feel to it. We began to refer to the fenced and barricaded complex as Stalag 17.This is a ground level view of the entrance to the complex.
By midafternoon everyone was referring to this as "Checkpoint Charlie". The whole deal is not what any of us have come to expect in what everyone keeps insisting is a free country.
1 comment:
This is what happens when Vogue models come to town?
Post a Comment