Dear newsletter friends! Regarding the attacks on New York and Washington, you have already learned about them from the media. Many of you have asked us how the whole situation is being experienced in America. Therefore, Angelika has gathered some thoughts:

Angelika San Francisco on September 11, 2001: Everything can change in minutes. This wisdom has been heard many times before. Then suddenly it comes true. Just moments ago, lying deep in slumber in bed. It was supposed to be a completely normal day: darkroom, laundromat, errands ... but early in the morning, we are surprised by a "Breaking News" from New York.

Television images like something out of a science fiction film. A commercial airliner crashes directly into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. At first, I think: a terrible accident. But minutes later: a second plane appears out of nowhere and explosively hits the second tower of the World Trade Center. Black clouds of smoke everywhere. Utterly desperate people are jumping to their deaths from the upper floors to escape the spreading fire. The news is overwhelming. The Pentagon, the American Department of Defense, is also hit by a crashing commercial airliner.

Those were clearly terrorists, they hijacked American commercial airplanes filled with passengers from the airlines American and United Airlines and used the planes in the most perfidious way as bombs. The American aviation security authority has stopped air traffic across the entire USA and has closed all airports until further notice. There is no escape. Even if we wanted to, we could not leave the country at the moment.

Then the unimaginable happens. The two towers of the World Trade Center collapse one after the other, burying thousands of victims under tons of steel. Memories of our own visit to the World Trade Center return. Debris is visible everywhere. A huge gray layer of dust, making everything appear apocalyptic, settles over the disaster site. People in shock wander through the streets of New York's Manhattan downtown. But the horror does not end. Another hijacked United Airlines plane on its way from Newark to San Francisco crashes near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is suspected that it was targeting "Camp David," the presidential retreat, but for reasons still unclear, it missed its target.

In other major American cities, there is growing concern that further terrorist attacks may follow. In San Francisco, City Hall is initially evacuated for security reasons. Then, kindergartens and schools, as well as universities, libraries, and various other city and state facilities, are closed. Prominent buildings like the "Bank of America skyscraper" and the Transamerica Pyramid lock their doors. Pedestrians and cyclists are banned from the Golden Gate Bridge. Patrol boats guard the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge from the water. Ships and freighters heading to the Port of Oakland receive escorts. Access to Pier 39 and the former prison island "Alcatraz," two major tourist attractions in San Francisco, is also blocked. Cultural and sporting events are canceled. Even some large shopping centers close. Our neighbor, who works in downtown San Francisco, reports that the city center appears deserted. Everyone just wants to go home.

In the afternoon, the first local newspapers with special editions appear. In our neighborhood, "Noe Valley," people are sitting in the sun in front of cafes as usual, but there is a strange silence. It's as if everything is wrapped in cotton wool. There is only one topic of conversation. I head to our newspaper shop. The owner is Palestinian. I worry about him, as there are already fears of increased hostility towards Palestinians living in America in the first hours after the terrorist attacks. This happened after the bombing in Oklahoma City. The newspaper shop is bustling. I exchange a few words with the owner, buy a newspaper, and head back home. Although the television helplessly shows the same images over and over again and the same experts speak on every channel, everyone is glued to the screen. Speculations about those responsible for the attacks are circulating. In the evening, the American president and many journalists speak all too carelessly of "war," "war zone," "the first war of the 21st century," "striking back with full force." We fear the worst...

• More topics you might be interested in:

  	San Francisco, September 18, 2001
  	San Francisco, October 7, 2001

  
  

• More topics you might be interested in:

  	San Francisco, September 18, 2001
  	San Francisco, October 7, 2001