Posted on 10/26/2004 5:38:03 PM PDT by libertylass
I HAD MY OWN LITTLE EXPERIENCE LAST SATURDAY THAT PROMPTED ME TO CONTACT THE LOCAL POLICE, AND WHEN THAT DIDN'T SATISFY ME, THE HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICE IN SACRAMENTO, CA. THEY IN TURN SENT ME BACK TO MY LOCAL FBI OFFICE, WHO CONSIDERS MY "EVENT" WORTH LOOKING INTO:
I was walking my dog at about 10:30 am when a man pulled up to the curb in front of my condominium units. We have 23 units that are place in a horseshoe shape with the "opening" of the horseshoe facing the street. The "opening" contains the building for our clubhouse and sauna room so you can't actually see into our common area from the street.
Anyway, I didn't pay any attention to him until about a 1/2 hour later when I left with my dog to take her to the vet. As I walked to my truck (on the street) this middle-Eastern looking guy was standing in the middle of the street taking pictures of our condos. Our condos are directly across from a school and less than 1/2 a block from an elementary school where voting takes place for our immediate area.
At first I wasn't going to say anything, thinking he works for a real estate company, but because there are no "For Sale" signs, or "For Rent" signs on our front lawn, I found it odd. I recently refinanced my condo and they never took pictures of the front of the condo units, but only of my interior and immediate outside walls.
So.....as I walked towards him I asked "do you mind me asking you what you're doing?" He replied "I don't know that it's any of your business" at which time I replied "well, I live here and you're taking pictures of my condos, and people are watching out for this kind of thing." (I was getting perturbed at his uncooperative and disrespectful attitude.) I figure if he was a legitimate real estate agent, or an appraiser, he would have offered an explanation or a business card.
He stated "this is a public place" and proceeded to go get in his car. Me, always being a bit bolder than I should be, got a bit mouthy and said "Oh, so now you're going to leave when someone questions what you're doing?" He replied "yeah."
As he got into car I read his license plate number out loud, got into my truck, wrote it down along with the type of automobile (Dodge Intrepid) and drove to my moms to contact the police.
It turns out that they didn't consider him committing any crime (which I knew), so I contacted the dept. of homeland security. They referred me to my local FBI office in L.A. where my story was welcomed, and that I would be getting a follow up call from an agent at some point.
After talking to a co-worker she reminded me that one school is directly across the street from our units and the other one is around the corner just a few houses down.
Perhaps I was overreacting, but taking pictures of PRIVATELY owned homes without offering an explanation from a resident makes me suspicious. He spoke good English, but has a middle Eastern accent.
I keep thinking I'm gonna wake up in the middle of the night with an orange jumpsuit on and my hands tied behind my back. Shiver........
I believe he also wrote down my license plate number, but can't be sure.
Was I over-reacting you think?
There are situations where I might go out on an accident reconstruction for a case I might be working on. I've only done a couple, and they didn't last long. I was with at least one other person, but if I'm out in an area doing something might seem out of the ordinary, I'd have no problem saying "I'm here doing an accident reconstruction on a car accident that happened on ____. You didn't by any chance witness that accident, did you?"
The thing is, if I was out there with a sinister motive, I'd do exactly the same thing.
If you see something suspicious, report it and let the experts sort it out. You did good.
I've started carrying my digital camera with me everywhere.
I salute you for your courage and not backing down. You give the rest of us strength to do the same under similar circumstances.
Any real estate professional that doesn't immediately offer you a business card when you inquire about his/her legitimate business is suspicious.
I know... I'm a Realtor.
Thanks, but your response should go to liberylass. She is the one who took actions. I merely offered my support for what she did.
GREAT WORK.
PLEASE KEEP IT UP AND KEEP US POSTED.
I think you might also send a hard copy letter to each of your condo units and explain what happened.
Ask if there are any volunteers available to more or less keep watch around the clock for the next week or 3. If there's anyone connected with the police dept, perhaps patrols could be integrated into such a watch system.
I would also contact any parents you know with children in the nearby schools.
And, I would personally visit the two principals and the chief guards at the two schools. I would give them all the info including the license number--though it probably won't be used next time. If anyone is gifted in drawing in your family, you might try and get a rough drawing done in collaboration though probably someone else would be next on the scene.
I would try and get a list, perhaps from Old Sarge--about what things to look out for next in such a situation. I'd insure the condo inhabitants and the principals and guards at the schools had the list. I think there are probably such lists in the Threat Matrix threads.
I certainly consider between now and Election to be a hyper critical period. And, from now to inauguration day fairly much so.
I would ignore all accusations, especially about being paranoid. Beslan is a possible enough type event to wash all such concerns out of the priority basket.
We also know that they have been looking over apartment buildings for years for use in terror attacks.
I might also call the FBI in 3-4 days, if I hadn't heard, and ask them what the license number turned up. I'd expect that car to have been abandoned or some info to turn up.
ONLY AS CITIZENS PRAY AND ACT AS YOU HAVE ACTED WILL THE TERRORISTS BE REMOTELY DEFEATED AND ATTACKS PREVENTED. I WISH EVERYONE HAD YOUR ALERTNESS AND EARNESTNESS.
I HOPE you at least insure that your fellow condo citizens have the info and perhaps that a meeting occurs about how to respond. You should be able to at least get a handfull of concerned folks to agree to be extra alert and keep each other informed by cell phone and/or emails.
I consider it highly probable that they will abandon attacking your condo unit BECAUSE YOU WERE SO ALERT AND AGGRESSIVE. But I wouldn't want to take any chances in the current context and climate.
BLESSINGS,
You wrote to libertyLASS:
You are a very brave MAN and you did the right thing by reporting him.
=P
"Was I over-reacting you think?"
Nope, not at all. Thank you for your bravery.
"The way to be safe is never to be secure."
Benjamin Franklin
EXCELLENT.
AND THOSE WITH CELL PHONES THAT ARE CAPABLE, TAKE A SHOT OR HALF A DOZEN SHOTS AND IMMEDIATELY PHONE THEM TO SOMEONE WHO CAN DOWNLOAD THEM TO A COMPUTER INSTANTLY--AND THEN QUICKLY GET THEM TO THE FBI.
BETTER TO HAVE A RECORD SECURED AND ON IT'S WAY . . . THAN
TO NOT GET IT AND WISH YOU HAD.
Besides . . . sorry . . . . but get the photos and get them on their way IMMEDIATELY
and preferably before alerting the joker.
Then, if anything happens to the picture taker, the authorities have the photos.
Absolutely not.
And you've just inspired me to go vote early, just in case.
Good for you. You did exactly the right thing.
Glad I live in Nevada (a right to carry state)!
My parents and I were visiting France about a month before 9/11. My parents were robbed by two Arab men in the Paris subway and lost their US passports.
Still gives me chills thinking they might have altered those passports to do something terrible.
Oops, my mistake. Sorry.
PING
ANYONE WHO CAN DISCRETELY SEARCH OUT LICENSE TAG NUMBERS?
You did the right thing. Big Time.
I think a U-Shaped building would blow up real nice...
You know, if I knew anyone or anyway to follow up on who that license plate was assigned to, I'd track that down, just for my own personal curiosity, and to find out more just in case it's not pursued on a more official level.
My friend is all worried about a middle eastern family that lives a few homes away from hers in a reasonably well-heeled neighborhood. When they open their garage door, there are about 6 or so jet skies (I think that's what they call them, like little mini-boats, snowmobiles on water). Their children are not of an appropriate age to use them, and why so many? The adults do not appear to use them in the summer, they just sit there in the garage. In light of some warnings about sneaking up at ports (like in Chicago) with explosives, in small boats, etc., she's curious and a bit concerned.
Now, it's probably nothing, although an oddity, but this is how we now live our lives, worrying about the potential 5th column living in our country, perhaps right down the street. Keep remembering the Al Qaeda manuals saying the terrorists should blend in and be just like an ordinary U.S. citizen in behavior. This whole situation gives me the creeps.
In Connecticut, they are all in schools, as far as I know, I have never voted anywhere else but in a school.
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