On Tuesday,July 1st,2008 at approximately 8:40 a.m., as I was approaching the downtown Oklahoma City Public Library I noticed something unusual that immediately caught my eye. A semi-truck without a trailer parked directly in front of the library main entrance in the "15 min parking,pasenger loading Zone"designated by this sign.The library doesn't open until 9:00 a.m.
The day before at about exactly the same time,on Monday, we had the Oklahoma County Sheriffs Office directly across the street at the Oklahoma County Court House in several vehicles checking out a bag an individual had dropped into a trashcan at the corner of the building. They secured the area with the help of a K-9 unit. It was either an exercise or the coast was really clear.
So when I saw the semi-truck ,my "spider senses " started tingling.Alarms were going off. Calm ,though. Two men were sitting in the cab of the white semi-truck with the engine turned off and the windows rolled halfway down/up.It was warm outside.The truck had a sleeper. What caught my eye was the obvious sign on the door in large letters,"Security".
Now , as most people know,Oklahoma City was the target of a high explosive device that went off at the Murrah Federal Building,killing 168 people including 19 children. I was there after the bombing,around 9:45, having come up from Purcell,Oklahoma with my wife, Sgt.Ellen B.Leon E-5, as fast as we could.We were students at the Oklahoma School of Photography, so we had cameras available. We were there as a result of I feeling the effects of the blast all the way down in Purcell, over 30 miles away. I'm an empath and I could literally feel the scream of anguish from this trauma inflicted on these people immediately at the time of the explosion.Severe grief and anguish.The tears well up in my eyes even now as I write this story.
What we saw was horrific...devastation,chaos,disbelief..blood.
So I know something is not right with this scene of the truck sitting in front of the downtown library. A library whose architecture comprises of a lot of glass.Beautiful,quite pristine and just recently opened in the last few years .Alot of glass.4 Story's of glass.
I instinctly know that this could actually be an exercise with local,state and county law enforcement and might include federal responders.So I try to give that scenario a chance.
I don't spot anyone else. Something is not right,especially the placating"SECURITY" sign on the side of the truck. I decide to take a closer look.The sign actually reads in big bold letters "SECURITY" and below that in smaller letters"relocation group". Now I'm really interested. I know instinctly that the semi-truck won't have a back license plate. I walk casually to it and act like I'm talking on my cell phone. It's actually pre-numbered with 911.
I look at the back and a chill runs down my spine. No back license plate!
I circle slowly around to the front. License plate in the front is North Carolina.
I have just recently wrote some unflattering articles of the private security company "Blackwater" of Blackwater Worldwide,Inc. who are based in in Moyock ,North Carolina,on Newsvine.Basically,they are a private army of over 200,000 verifiable mercenaries in Iraq. They have a large force based in the United States.They will do well over a BILLION $ dollars in USA Government contracts this year.We only have 140,000 troops stationed in Iraq.
Guess where SECURITY Relocation Group is based? North Carolina!
Now ,about this time ,the library doors had just opened at 9:00 a.m. and my intent is to bring it to the attention of a person in a position of authority,who would usually be the Oklahoma City police officer stationed at the front desk immediately entering the main library doors.He's always there. Not this time.
I peer out the glass across the street to the court house hoping to spot a sheriffs deputy who patrols the area. No one in sight.
The library security man is at the front desk instead of the usual police officer. I approach him calmly and tell him of my observation, including the missing back license plate. I ask him if he had noticed the truck.He's rude and defensive which is rather unusual for this consistently polite and calm man."Yes,I noticed them!" I was taken aback!He stared at me coldly and stated that he had it under control.
I asked him if he didn't find it unusual that the truck was from out of state and missing a back license plate?
" No , not really!" he answered with a snarl. Now I was really baffled!
I told him that since he didn't find it unusual or alarming to further investigate that I would call somebody who would find out who they were and why they were parked for over 20 minutes with no movement in front of the library.They were making no attempt to come into the library or go to the courthouse.
That statement prompted him into a little action. He got his boss,Linda head of security to accompany him to inquire of these men in the truck.They were hesitant ,talking for a minute or two in front of the library main entrance before finally proceeding to the truck.They exchanged some dialogue with the men in the truck,who never even lowered the windows or got out of the truck.
This security guard then sought me out in the atrium where I was watching all this that transpired.He had a look of contempt and he spoke to me like I was some sort of filth."The reason they don't have a license plate on the back of their truck is because they don't need one!"
They don't need one?
"They only need a license plate on the trailer and since they don't have a trailer attached ...there's not even a place to put one on there if it was required."
I told him that all trucks must have a license plate on the back and that I had been to many truck stops in my life and all the trucks not only had a plate on the trailer but also a separate one on the truck.
He stated that the state they came from doesn't require a plate in the back.
You mean the state of North Carolina?
"Yes," he answered "they are just getting some paperwork completed across the street!And I can't make them move,it's not my job...it's the job of the traffic cop.Only when comes and he feels that they are in violation can he write them a ticket Other than that it's out of my hands!"
Okay...I understand that is what Linda ,your boss,wanted you tell me?
"Yes".
Well , I didn't want you going and harassing anybody with a legitimate excuse for being there,it's just that with no license plate they will receive a ticket under Oklahoma law if a police officer spots them..and he will pull them over.
"You know," he says with contempt " after the Federal Bombing people get all touchy if they think they see anything"unusual...seeing things.."
I thanked him for the time he took out of his day and let him think I was placated with his and Linda's action and answers.When I passed him at the front desk again he had a look of scorn and contempt still on his face.A smirk.
So did Linda.
I waited another 5 minutes to see if any movement was coming from the men in the truck. and one of them actually started coming into the building of the library. He came in the front door looked around and then went right back to the truck and got in.
I called 911 and told them my observations summarily,including the name on the side of the truck and of course the fact that it had no license plate on the back and that I had informed library security but that he was not willing or able for one reason or another to further pursue it.
A Oklahoma City police car pulled in behind the truck 2-3 minutes later.Just letting somebody know.
When the truck was gone(5-10 minutes) I was again sought out,but not only by the male security guard but also by Linda ,head of security for the library.They didn't say a word to me but just stared me down from a distance with glowering eyes. They were pissed, to say the least .