Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

America Strikes Back: Security Very Tight at Annual Columbus Day Parade up 5th Avenue

Aired October 08, 2001 - 09:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Security will be very tight at the annual Columbus Day parade up 5th Avenue. This year's theme, honoring America.

CNN's Michael Okwu joins us now from New York with more on the tight security.

Do you feel it, Michael?

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I feel it, and I can see it. And we're told that there will certainly be more in the hours ahead. If you look around here, I'll show that to you in a moment, you will see that there certainly has been more security here than there has been on normal days. Some of the streets are barricaded. There are slow-moving police vehicles every now and then ambling along the streets, and there are more police officers on the ground.

One of the organizers we spoke to said in a couple of hours, the security will be, in his words, "big time."

Now the parade is in its 57th year now. And as you can see, just over my shoulder, it will start, as it has on most years, at about 12:00 noon at 44th Street and Fifth Avenue. Then the marchers will slowly make their way uptown, along Fifth Avenue here, past 45th Street and 45th Street, some of the landmarks on Fifth Avenue, and they will end at about 6:00 this evening at 79th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Mayor Giuliani will march along with the mayoral candidates who will have a different tone this year. It will be more about patriotism and less about Italian-American heritage.

Moments ago, we spoke to one of the organizers, who said, they're not even calling this a parade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VITO NARDELLI, COLUMBUS CITIZENS FOUNDATION: Call this a celebration, if you will, a celebration of freedom, a celebration of what it is to be Americans,a celebration not to with paralyzed in the face of terrorism. This is what today is all about.

OKWU: So what are we going to see today that is any different than what we've seen in the past?

NARDELLI: I think we'll see a lot more military bands. I think we'll see more drum and bugle. I think we'll see a lot more uplifting of our spirits in that regard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: We will also see this. There will be one lone police vehicle and one lone fire truck that will be driven along the parade route. That of course is to commemorate the officers and firefighters who died on September 11th. Usually, there are literally hundreds, we are told more than 200 firefighter and police officers. That will not happen this year.

And also this year, you won't see as many of the marching bands. About a third of the high school marching bands that usually participate have pulled out, citing security concerns and logistical headaches, as well as the timing of it all.

But, Paula, we are looking forward to seeing 700 tourists from Oregon. They plan to mar in the parade wearing T-shirts that say "Oregon Loves New York," and they called the trip to New York City "the flight to freedom."

Back to you.

ZAHN: Well, I hope they will wear some of that long underwear or something you usually wear in northern Oregon, because it's kind of cold out there under those T-shirts. You have our permission to put a hat on now between live shots. We've got beautiful, crisp, clear day out there.

OKWU: I can tell you now, I'm actually wearing my long johns, which probably more than you wanted to know.

ZAHN: No. You know, reporters have to be prepared on the street. Thanks, Michael.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com