OK...........what happened next.............
I'll try not to repeat what I posted earlier. If I do, I'll plead "senior citizen moment". I'll try to give as detailed a recollection as I can, without being pedantic and repetitive.
There is one point that was made, in one of the speeches (and I really can't remember who said this) that the whole notion of "moderate Muslims" is a myth. Their point is the radical Muslims are the ones who do not strictly follow the Qur'an, and want sharia to rule the world. The ones that do, the ones we label as "extremists", are just doing what the Qur'an teaches.
Interesting perspective. I have been around Muslims since my undergrad days, back in the 60s. The ones I encountered didn't seem to be different than any other recent immigrants. Never heard of sharia or any of that other nonsense, that seems better suited to ancient times.
But, when you think about, Muslims are the only folks you can think of who seem to prefer going backwards, in time. By centuries. Or millennia.
Anyway............
We are among the first group to leave the small auditorium. It might be 50 yards, or so, that we have to walk, before we can make a left turn, to get to where all of our cars are parked.
My buddy remarks he is glad all the security was present, and glad it looks like we did not need it. I told him I had no reason to fear anything. There are so many different ethnic groups in the area that I saw no reason for concern. I mentioned the worst that might happen is some local Al Sharpton type might show up with a megaphone, and some flunkies with picket signs. Doubted it would happen, as the local troublemakers were on record as saying they were going to ignore us, as that would annoy us more than showing up and provoking a confrontation.
At that point, we hear a loud pop.
We looked at each other. Folks were going "is that a firecracker or something?" We both figured it was a lame attempt at making us look stupid, to see if we would all run.
"Shots fired!" could be heard on a police radio.
HUH??? Seriously? Is anyone that stupid to think they can fire on us, with all the security around.
"OK, folks, we need to move you all inside. Now. Hurry up. We don't want anyone hurt."
Great..............just what we needed. Some folks start to run back to the building. I walk at a slightly more brisk rate. I am not going to run, and create panic. That is what they want. The police look really concerned. An afternoon of easy overtime pay just got a major monkey wrench thrown in it.
The SWAT guys are hoofing it to where the shots came from.
"Officer down!" could be heard on one of their radios, as they were heading to the sound of gunfire.
Ok..............this is for real..........I honestly could not believe anyone would be that stupid. (Little did we know they were from Arizona. Any local would have not tried anything. But, they had 1200 miles to make up their mind they were going to shoot things up.)
We get back inside. The folks inside had no idea why we were all running back in. Folks start shouting there has been a shooting. Folks look concerned, to say the least.
We are instructed to stay away from the doors. We are told we will be moving to the central auditorium, where they could protect us better. After 10 minutes or so, they move us.
There is only one washroom, in this part of the building. A queue starts to form. Women and children first. A few folks wander around, and somehow cut the line. No one says anything. Even me. Which is unusual for me, but.............
I could hear folks saying they were media, and explained to folks around them how they were not permitted to attend the earlier Muslim event.
"See that guy there? The guy with the white hair. He is the head of security, for the school district. He is the one who threw us out. We came all the way from Florida. We had to make airplane and hotel reservations. They accepting our credentials, and we got media passes. And then when we got here, they would not let us in. If you were not Muslim, they were not letting you in. They tried to tell us the event was sold out, and we could not attend. That is BS. They knew when they gave us our passes that it wasn't sold out." Etc., etc, and more etc.
Other folks mention they came from FL. A couple from OKC. Later, we heard some folks drove here, from CA.
In a car, with large American eagles painted on it. I wonder who they vote for..............I wonder...........
Folks start to complain about what is being taught in the schools. (No, not the same lady I already got into it with.) Most of them are locals. They are upset about how the kids are being taught about Islam. The fact they are taught anything about it upsets most of them. If what they say is true, yeah, I can see why they are upset. I've heard about some of the principals they have problems with.
Yeah, I have heard all about them. Not that what they do is outside of the current norm, which is to placate the parents, at the expense of the teachers.
Unless you want to complain about Islam. No, not interested. You must be a some kind of bigot. Go away. Now, if your precious little pookie wants to complain about how a teacher disciplines, I mean picks on, little pookie, then the teacher must be a racist.
That is what the schools are like. So, nothing they are saying surprises me.
Folks are starting to call home, and tell everyone what is happening. We are told they don't want us to contact the outside world, and it would be best if we did not discuss what we saw or heard, with each other. We will have to be interviewed, as part of the investigation. The don't want our accounts to be tainted.
The prospect of a really long night is sinking in.
Someone decides we need to sing "God Bless America".
Then the National Anthem.
Some of us are not enthusiastic about doing anything.
Frankly, I am too mad to care about anything. This crap is literally taking place in my back yard. I've had my fill of how our way of life has been forever changed, about 14 years ago. Am I now going to have to look over my shoulder, every time I set foot outside my house? Are there really that many jihad jerks just down the street?
My buddy has looked visibly shaken, the whole time. I am pacing back and forth. Getting madder by the minute. I move to the furthest area they want us in. To sit and stew, without having to jump up and start waving the flag.
Someone, in authority, asks how many of us saw anything. How many heard anything. Did anyone catch what happened on their phone? We are all labelled as witnesses. They say they are going to put us on a school bus, and move us to the HS, which is next door. At least the school has vending machines, and more washrooms.
No...........check that...........they change their mind. They are going to break us up. The witnesses are going straight to the police station. Everyone els is going to................well, they are not sure.
Meanwhile, even though we can't call out, everyone except me and my buddy, are on their phones. Looking to see if any of this on the innerwebs yet.
Yep, it is. Two shooters One officer shot. Walmart, Target, and every other building has been evacuated. The whole area is shut down.
"Hmmm..............if we had parked our cars, at Walmart, and they were the only 2 left, what do you think they would have done with our cars?"
"I dunno."
"You probably don't want to know."
"Yeah, but they could have checked the registrations, and compared them to the attendee list."
"What if they thought that meant we were part of the attack? Terrorists do that. They wait for the crap to hit the fan, and all the police show up. Then blow everything up. No, we could really be trouble."
"I don't want to think about that. Think we will get out of here tonight?"
"Maybe 'here', but not really. Even if they let us go, my house keys are in my truck. I'm going to need some of my medicine, eventually. This sucks, in so many ways."
A guy mentions he is from CNN. He starts to talk to people. He asks if anyone is not from around here. He interviews my buddy, off-camera.
They announce we are all going to be moved, in small groups. The witnesses will be first. For some reason, they start to gather up folks who are not witnesses. They are being bussed to...................who knows?
As we start to gather up, folks ask about the officer who was shot.
"We believe he is ok. We don't want to spread rumors, so don't hold us to that. He was hit in the lower extremities, so a pretty good chance he will be ok."
"What about the shooters?"
One of the SWAT team says "They have been dealt with and dispatched. You can take that anyway that you want."
Everyone cheers.
Finally, the are ready to move the last group: the witnesses.
"Why did we have to say we heard anything? It was just one pop. Maybe we should have kept our mouth shut."
We walk down hallway. Pam Geller is near the exit. She thanks us, and gives us a thumbs up sign. Some folks thank her for being brave and taking on the nutjobs.
On to the ice box...............I mean central police station.