Paris, Post-September 11

Actually, life itself hasn't changed much, if at all. Parisians have much more sang froid about terrorism and other catastrophes in general. After all, this is a city that was occupied by Nazi Germany. And that has over the last 20 years weathered numerous terrorist attacks in its midst. It's a matter of Parisian pride to remain as unruffled as possible in the face of disaster. Life must go on, and indeed, a refusal to let terrorists subvert quotidian rhythms is the best way of denying them the power they so desperately seek.

Nevertheless, there are some very noticeably different sights in Paris since September 11. The first is that all public trash cans were removed. It is too easy to toss an explosive device in one and walk away, while your bomb, hidden from view, ticks away toward explosion. This happened literally overnight after the attacks. In their place, hanging from the frames that once supported the cans, are these transparent green plastic trash bags (see photo above) labeled "Vigilance; Proprete"--Vigilance and cleanliness.

The dismantling of public trash containers is just one small part of France's Vigipirate program, a series of protective measures that are activated immediately anytime there is a perceived security threat. Thousands of additional police are mobilized into the streets; all public facilities and events have a bag-search checkpoint; security is stepped up around vulnerable sites such as airports and nuclear power plants (of which France has lots).

The French government is much more powerful, vis a vis the individual, than that in the U.S. For a French citizen, measures that we Americans have always perceived as violations of individual liberty--and the possible necessity of which are part of our current national discussion --are part of routine existence. French police or gendarmes, the military police, can stop and demand identity papers of anyone, anytime they please. Technically, if you're not carrying your national ID card, they have the right to haul you in for questioning.

Beginning September 12, there was a noticeably larger police presence almost everywhere, especially in areas surrounding possible terrorist targets such as the American Embassy. But even in the Rue Poncelet, where I regularly do my marketing, I noticed a policeman and woman obviously making the rounds. Riding the Metro (subway), I looked out the window as the train pulled out of a station and saw a group of 5 policeman surrounding a man of Arab ethnic looks. The man was reaching into his pocket and pulling out his papers. And most surreal, as we were hung up in traffic around 8 in the evening, not far from the American Embassy, a very handsome, well-dressed 30-ish man strangely did not budge from in front of our car as traffic started to move. He seemed to be speaking to someone in a vehicle to the left of us. Just as we were ready to gesticulate, he looked our way, extending his left hand toward us. Across the knuckles of the hand flashed a bright orange band with POLICE written on it in large black letters. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and immediately a small truck being driven by a young, Arab-looking man pulled over in front of us to the curb. The policeman approached his open window as we pulled away into traffic.

How does all this make me feel? Before September 11, I would have been full of righteous American outrage, spouting off to my companion about the totalitarian French and how such an outrageous violation could never happen in the States. But as we continued on toward our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, I was quiet. And I have to admit that witnessing this scene made me feel safer at a moment when I felt the entire world was upside down.

I wish that life as we know it could continue as it always has, but I don't think it can. And while I would consider it a victory for the terrorists if their acts succeeded in significantly hampering the freedoms we as Americans hold so dear--which in fact define our very culture --I think we have to distinguish in what ways we may be able to compromise without being compromised. I feel confident that with our firm roots in due process and our tradition of open national discussion, we will sort out the security measures we can live with...the ones that are only perceived violations of individual freedom more than real violations, at least for law-abiding citizens. And go on with our lives.

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