By Peijean Tsai
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
[email protected]
Two weeks after graduating from UCLA, Bethelwel Wilson arrived
at his first day of work downtown only to have to evacuate hours
later because of a terrorist threat.
Hundreds of employees at the 62-story Aon Center ““ the
second tallest building west of the Mississippi ““ had to
evacuate their offices early in the morning on July 1, following a
telephone tip that a plane would be flown into the building.
Though the threat turned out to be unsubstantiated “for a
number of reasons” according to the FBI, employees working in
the building were shaken up.
“No one expects to be the target of a terrorist threat on
the first day of work,” said Wilson, currently a research
assistant for the Transportation Foundation, a non-profit
organization which provides information for the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority.
Wilson said news of the threat was “surreal,” and he
thought it was a joke at first. Still, he was uneasy about
returning to work.
News of the threat was “very surprising” for Everly
Manzana, a fourth-year student at the University of Southern
California who has been working at the Aon Center for six months
with the Transportation Foundation.
Despite the threat, Manzana still feels safe going to work
because she was reassured by the immediate response of the Los
Angeles Police Department and the FBI.
An anonymous call was made on July 1 to KABC-TV Channel 7,
instructing the network to aim its cameras on what was described as
the “First Interstate Building,” for a plane would be
flown into it.
After being notified by the FBI, managers of the Aon Center told
employees to evacuate. Two hours after the telephone threat,
authorities apprehended the caller.
Though the threat did not seem plausible to Manzana, it reminded
her how society has changed as a result of the Sept. 11
attacks.
“Ever since Sept. 11, we live in a society where the
possibility of terrorism must be seriously considered,” she
said.
Keeping employees informed of evacuation procedures for
emergencies is key to dealing with threats like these, said Tamiko
Hirano, director of the Transportation Foundation.
Adequate employee preparedness for possible emergencies is
especially essential at “landmark” buildings like the
Aon Center, as well as other notable areas of Los Angeles like the
UCLA campus.
FBI spokesperson Matt McLaughlin said employees should
immediately notify law enforcement if anything in their work
environments appears threatening or out of place.
“Ever since Sept. 11, all Americans live at a heightened
state of alert. We need to maintain this high level of
awareness,” he said.
Despite the unnerving events of July 1, Wilson is confident
about returning to work. The quick response of authorities in
attending to the threat assured him that security measures are
effective in protecting citizens.
“The threat is out there, but the government is doing
everything to keep us informed whether (threats) are real or
fake,” he said.