Subject: Subject: A Thought 8/24/04

An Allegory

Operator: “911 emergency.  What is your emergency?”

Caller: ”I’m outside the First National Bank.  There’s a man in the bank with weapons and he is killing people left & right.”

Operator: “Are you sure?  What kind of weapons does he have?  Is he alone?”

Caller: “It’s awful.  People are lying all over the place.  He’s got a machine gun and it looks like a rocket launcher.  I think there are two of them.”  

Operator: “I’m sending police and ambulances.  Please move to a safe place and stay on the line.”

Later, on the 6 o’clock news….

“Downtown today, in a bizarre chain of events, a 911 caller reported that, a heavily armed man, or men, were in the First National Bank and killing patrons.  SWAT teams and ambulances responded immediately and the police chief informed his boss, Mayor, Hiram Burke, about the situation.  A two-block area around the bank was cordoned off as police moved in.  Negotiations with the assailants began almost immediately.  The shades on the windows had been drawn and it was impossible to see inside as negotiations continued.  The male suspect on the other end of the phone said that, as a shareholder in the bank, he was entitled to take the bank in the direction he wanted, and he only had the weapons necessary for self-defense.  He claimed that he wanted to make an electronic funds transfer to a bank in Switzerland.  After confirming with several witnesses that shots had been heard, and gravely concerned about the possibility that the suspect had automatic weapons and explosives, the mayor directed the police chief to raid the bank as soon as possible.  

At 1:49 pm this afternoon the SWAT team, using an armored vehicle, crashed through the front windows of the bank and shot the suspect several times as he turned toward police holding a handgun.  He was in stable but guarded condition at county hospital as of five o’clock today.  After the situation was over, patrons of the bank who were held hostage gave a clearer picture of the situation.  At approximately ten minutes after one o’clock this afternoon the suspect, later identified as Solomon Hussman, entered the bank and lit off a string of about 50 firecrackers that apparently accounted for the report of a machine gun being fired.  He then pulled a handgun and demanded that $5 million be transferred to a numbered Swiss bank account.  He threatened many of the patrons, and struck several of them with the handgun.  

Now the mayor is having to answer some tough questions as to why he directed such overwhelming force to be used so quickly.  The corporate headquarters of First National Bank has said that they are looking into legal recourses against the city for damage to the building and potential loss of business due to the “mishandling of the situation,” by the city.

Mayor Burke had this to say at a news conference later this afternoon:  

“This afternoon our city was faced with a significant threat.  We were not sure what the threat was at First National Bank, but it appeared to be significant enough to require immediate action.  I cannot imagine any Mayor not acting as I did, given the situation and the intelligence we had at the time.  The fact was, the suspect, a man with a long criminal record, posed a clear and present danger to the people of our city, and specifically to the people in the bank, in spite of the fact that he did not have the heavy weaponry we originally suspected.  Our SWAT team, using thermal imagery, was able to pinpoint the best place to crash through the window and not hit anyone, but take the suspect by surprise and end the standoff.  They did so with only minor injuries to everyone but the suspect, whom I understand is in stable condition and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  To the critics who claim that the assault on the bank was premature, I simply say, I had no other choice.  Had it been my family in the bank, I would not have wanted them to have to put up with that danger, and the terror of an armed madman, any longer than necessary.    Buildings can be rebuilt.  Lives cannot be replaced.  I did what was necessary and I’d do it again.”

In related news, City Council member Ken Anderson, a probable candidate to run for Mayor against Mr. Burke next year, said that he initially supported Mayor Burke’s plan to assault the bank, but now believes it was imprudent because the danger has proven not as great as originally suspected.  Mr. Anderson says that now, in the light of hindsight, he sees how reaction to the bank robbery was politically manipulated to make the incumbent look tough on crime and draw attention away from the economic and social problems that the city is facing.  We are certain to see more of this as the mayoral race heats up later this year……..

© copyright 2004 WJ Truax

The views are my own and do not necessarily represent the position of the US military or the US Marine Corps. or this website.
 
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