Thursday, Day 7 of the New York trip, stood out for two reasons. The first one was due to the unexpected invitation we received from FBI Supervisory Special Agent Anthony Bivona (he served on the talkback panel after Monday's show) to come to tour the FBI Operations Command Center at Federal Plaza in Foley Square.
This is the Bureau's largest field office, and Anthony heads up the team that handles all trafficking-related cases, as well as various other crimes, for the New York City area. After going through the building's extensive security, we were taken upstairs to where Anthony's team operates.
Anthony first showed us a room that houses several artifacts telling the story of the FBI. From the days of Prohibition, to the Bureau's on-going fight against organized crime, to items used by Nazi and Soviet spies, to shrapnel from the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, the room was a historical treasure. The item that made the biggest impression on me, however, was a completely intact tire from one of the airplanes that crashed into the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001. Except for a few scrapes, the tire was in good shape. It was recovered several blocks from Ground Zero. Amazing how a tire survives when nearly 3,000 people and hundreds of tons of steel were turned to dust.
We saw the command center where the Bureau and its partners receive up to the minute intelligence on large-scale events. Anthony then took us to the Assistant Director's conference room, where major meetings are held through video link with other law enforcement agencies, both domestically and internationally. He took some time to explain to us not only how his specific team works, but to also give us a better overall understanding of how the Bureau works. Anthony was very complimentary of how well-done the play "Princess Cut" is and how impressed he was with its depiction of the issue of trafficking. He commended us for the work we're doing to shine a light on the crime.
Before we left, we promised to remain in touch, as we are all finding that the anti-trafficking community is actually pretty small. We share many of the same issues, and each of us, whether governmental or non-governmental agencies, rely on our fellow anti-trafficking colleagues for support, encouragement, and the sharing of wisdom and best practices. I deeply appreciate Anthony's enthusiastic support of our mission in New York, and I'm confident our paths will cross again.
After lunch we went in a few different directions, but several of us decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I've crossed this bridge many times in a taxi, but never on foot. What a magnificent view from one of the world's iconic bridges. It was a sunny day, and even though the bridge was crowded, it was still a great walk. The views on both sides are quite inspiring, including the one to the south, which is of the Statue of Liberty. Standing there looking at the Statue, I thought about the scores of people who came through Ellis Island and then settled on the Lower East Side, looking for a better life than the one they left behind. In so doing, they transformed their individual and family stories, ultimately transforming the story of our nation.
A walk around Brooklyn followed, then we took the subway back to Manhattan, convening once again at Schillers (their pulled pork tacos are worth walking over any bridge). I made an early night of it, but went back to the apartment once again full of gratitude and wonder. This trip brought me many gifts, some bigger than others, but all of them important. Day 7 of the trip began with a look at the complexities of the world's premier crime-fighting agency, and culminated with the simple act of taking a walk across one of New York's most beloved symbols. Quite a day, another one for which I am thankful.
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