Reznet

Anti-war protesters hold signs in a riverbank park in Missoula, Mont. Reznet photo by Matt Hayes

Code Kite

By Anna Old Elk

ROCKVILLE, Md.-In the Nation's Capital, the national news is a local story.

Throughout the Washington Metropolitan area that includes Washington, D.C., and the suburbs of Maryland and Virginia, the authorities have put several security measures into effect to protect people in the region from a repeat of the Sept. 11, 2002, terrorist attack on the Pentagon here.

The war in Iraq has heightened those concerns.

With the nation under a Code Orange alert for a high risk of terrorist attack, the Metro area has beefed up security significantly on streets and public transportation systems. A number of events have even been canceled because of the war.

According to the Web site of Metrorail, the area's public rail transit system, "customers should not be alarmed to see Metro officers with additional weaponry or accompanied by a K-9 (police dog). Their presence does not indicate any specific, impending danger. Instead, these patrols are an additional precaution."

One commuter, Mike Aletich, said he'd rather be safe than sorry.

"As I was coming into work today on the train, I really didn't think too much of the security measures or notice anything until another commuter mentioned it to me," he said. "There was nothing significantly different other than the presence of transit police on the platforms. I felt comfortable."

The annual Washington D.C. marathon was canceled Thursday because of security concerns. The marathon office reportedly received more than 1,200 phone calls and e-mails from worried runners. About 6,000 runners had registered for the race through the streets of Washington.

"While we believed, up until Wednesday afternoon, that a successful race was possible, we are not willing to jeopardize the safe celebration in the current environment," the marathon hotline said. "Thank you for your understanding."

The Kite Festival

However, some shows must go on.

The Smithsonian Institution is going through with plans to host the 37th Annual Kite Festival.

"I think it's important to continue, and as Mayor (Anthony) Williams said, we need to go about our normal business as usual, and this event is well-received by Washingtonians," said Marni Tamayo, a spokesperson at the Smithsonian Associates.

"We always have a good turnout," she said. "There will be Park Police present at the event as well, and that is a Code Orange measure. The event will only be canceled if we go into Code Red."

Other area residents agree that normalcy is the order of the weekend.

"I had actually planned on going downtown to check out the Kite Festival," said Angelica Otero. "I've heard so much about it and I've wanted to check it out, so we're going to be brave and venture out.

"My fianc¹ plays on a flag football team and they're continuing on with their games too, so I look forward to having a normal weekend," she said.

Regina Barnett, a military dependent who lives at Bolling Air Force Base, plans to get away for the weekend.

"If weather permits, we plan on going fishing and having a quiet weekend together just to get away from the news, since that's all that has been on TV lately," she said. "I'm just glad that my husband is here rather than in the (Persian) Gulf."

Anna Old Elk, Crow, attends Montgomery College in Rockville, Md. She is a 2002 graduate of The Freedom Forum's American Indian Journalism Institute. Matt Hayes is a photojournalism student at the University of Montana in Missoula.