Testimonials

Some of you may remember the panic that engulfed Penn Station and the neighborhood on Good Friday when word falsely got out that there was an “active shooter” at Penn Station. Well, I was there, in Macy’s Herald Square, on that very busy afternoon.

I had no desire to shop for the quintessential Easter outfit or bonnet. I already had my solid pastel dress for Sunday, and that would suffice. What I really wanted was a place to relax and an eatery to meet the growing demands of my appetite. So my husband and I opted for Macy’s Cellar for a light dinner, after leaving a dangerously crowded Penn Station where the trains were delayed indefinitely. It was total mayhem at the station, and we felt that even the world’s largest department store could offer solitude from the madness across the street.

We were sadly mistaken.

Halfway into our meal, we observed a big commotion right next to the restaurant. A few people were running down the passageway while simultaneously looking behind them. Then the crowd grew into a stampede with looks of fear and panic on the passing faces. Those of us in the restaurant finally realized the reason for the hysteria when we heard the unfathomable, “someone has a gun.”

Everyone panicked and darted for cover. Some of us ran into the kitchen, a group of young tourists ducked underneath their table. Glasses and plates fell and broke every¬where. Another customer, who ran in the kitchen with us, had scraped his leg and was bleeding. I called 9-1-1, fearing our demise. According to reports, the 11-story building was placed on lockdown and evacuated. We would eventually come to learn – there was no active shooter. Police over at Penn Station had tasered a man, and rumors spread that there was a shooter on the loose from Penn Station, to surrounding blocks, and eventually to Macy’s. People were injured, and the surrounding area was crawling with emergency personnel including a SWAT team of armed police.

I was able to share this experience during a recent active shooter training conducted by 540 Security and Safety – some of whom responded to the scenes of those puzzling and unsettling events on Good Friday. The training was a collaboration of the Office of Public Safety, the Office of the Dean of Students, and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. The purpose of the session, which lasted about three-and-a-half hours, was to raise situational awareness, teach participants safety strategies, and what to include in a survival toolbox (e.g. plastic doorstop, rope, tourniquet, and flashlight). I found it to be beneficial, and it has served to heighten my awareness in certain situations, particularly with crowds.

Venida C. Rodman Jenkins- Clarice Turner