In coming up with a title for this post, I first put Nice Break. While that was very true of the last two days from our normal routine, the title Lucky Break was more applicable.
My better half and I took a trip to the National Harbor in Maryland to see the Polar Express Ice show at the Gaylord Hotel. Along with all the holiday decorations and Xmas show in the atrium.
We stayed across the street at the Residence Inn by Marriott and being we had some points built up we used those to the room was very reasonable. It was a great time. A dinner at McCormick and Schmicks. A long night’s rest and then a good breakfast followed by a walk by the water.
It got a little chilly, so we headed to the MGM hotel and casino on the way out to gamble a few dollars and have lunch in the food court.
We went through the casino, out the lobby where all the Xmas decorations are set up and then walked the aisle with shops and the food court. It was about 11:40 am and noticed that some didn’t open till noon or 2pm so we wandered back to the casino, gambled for about 20 minutes and came out to go eat and saw police running through the lobby and heard people talking about gunfire and they had sealed off access to that area of shops and restaurants.
The shooting occurred just before noon. News reports noted that they locked down local schools. But what really dawned on me is that if this had happened any other building, the place would have been locked down and security would have at least sealed that floor. Especially a public building like that.
But nope, the money-making machine must continue to operate 24/7/365. I bet people in the casino never knew what happened till they got home, for those smart enough to leave a casino. I guess they have discussed those situations with police because it was MGM staff blocking the hallway entrance to the area, not police or tape even. I could have walked right past this slightly built woman if I had intention to.
The “nothing is wrong, nothing to be seen, we don’t have details” is pure planning at work. Police coming through with guns past patrons going in and out of the casino was a bit unreal knowing someone had been killed with a gun a few hundred feet away. That seems wrong to me.
But unlike Kevin Bacon in the movie Animal House where he keeps saying “All is well” before he’s trampled in a stampede of people, we have business as normal at MGM at National Harbor.
From the WTOP article on this incident I see the following from the police chief of PG County – “MGM is safe,” Nader said. “The harbor is safe.” Well maybe the building didn’t get any bullet holes, but something sure did and that isn’t safe.
It’s something that everyone should realize. We aren’t safe anywhere. That must be one of the richest and exclusive areas around. I saw so much law in the Harbor area that if you blinked you saw another one. And I saw a ton of people with SECURITY written on their shirts, vest and jackets at MGM
I’m thinking we might have been back in that area of shooting if I didn’t get lucky and win $60 at a slot machine just before we went to get food. Looking back, it seems a bit surreal that life just went on as normal there, even though someone lost their life. My condolences to the family of another victim of gun violence.
Well, the lobby was pretty. Before the police running through it, with guns out.
