Anthrax Alarms Bring New Meaning to 'Checking the Mail'
The reported case of anthrax at NBC studios in Rockefeller Center brought New Yorkers back to the trenches of terrorist hysteria on Friday. And it wasn't the only scare that took place that day. CBS's Anthony Mason reports.
The New York Times also received a suspicious letter at their offices in Times Square on Friday. The letter was reported to contain a powdery substance. Although tests showed no apparent danger, the scare brought more police barricades to the area.
It also brought New Yorkers another reason to worry, as "checking the mail" took on a whole new meaning.
"You just feel so vulnerable now. You don't know what's going to happen. Or where it's going to happen," says one bystander.
Even as Mayor Rudolph Giuliani cautions New Yorkers not to overreact, a new CBS News/New York Times poll shows that nearly three-quarters of all New Yorkers fear another terrorist attack in their city.
"We've all been expecting something. Just not in this building. We all feel something's going to happen. I just didn't think it would happen here," says Richard Aloisio, a New York Times employee.
Others took note of the fact that panic over the false alarms never took hold in the streets. In this hardened and still-hustling city, people have learned to expect the unexpected.
"Everybody's out here on a beautiful Friday afternoon, and nobody's letting it freak them out. And I think that says a lot," says Martha Stein, a bystander.
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