If the armed men had been Black, instead of wearing Black, the story would be about two black men killed by police upon entering airport.
Armed men in black create a ripple at Mineta San Jose International Airport
Posted: 09/26/2010 08:00:01 PM PDTUpdated: 09/27/2010 07:44:01 AM PDT
Read more at www.mercurynews.com
Just before 3 p.m. Saturday, a white Chevy Blazer pulled up to the arrival curb outside Terminal A at Mineta San Jose International Airport. Two men dressed in black parked the SUV, switched on its hazard lights and approached the information desk to inquire about American Airlines Flight 1205 from Dallas. Both carried assault rifles strapped across their chests, with handguns in their holsters.
A volunteer at the desk politely told them the plane was due at 3:02 p.m. And another volunteer asked one of the armed men, "Are you one of the people who ride on the plane" looking for terrorists? "No," he replied.
Then the pair casually waited near the escalator that ferries travelers to the luggage carousels.
"I
wondered if they were going to shoot somebody coming off the plane," one volunteer said. She resolved to dive under her desk if that happened.Still, she was worried. "I didn't know if this was proper, if people are allowed to walk into an airport with assault rifles and just stand there."
It appears that airport travelers that day either figured the pair's mission was benign, or perhaps thought they were part of a ninja movie. San Jose police said they received no calls inquiring about the men with rifles.
Simply leaving a bag unattended for a few minutes can cause airport security guards to panic. But apparently it isn't illegal to carry weapons into the nonsecure areas of Mineta San Jose Airport -- or most other U.S.
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airports.The two volunteers -- who asked not to be named because airport officials did not give them permission to speak publicly -- said they were unsure what to do.
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