NEW YORK, Aug. 27 -- With streets blocked off and police blimps flying overhead, rifle-toting National Guardsmen striding through Grand Central Terminal and radiation detectors in place, this city all but bristles with security and anti-terrorist armament.
Police have doubled the number of undercover officers riding the buses and subways, and video cameras provide 24-hour feeds from bridges and tunnels. The federal government has cleared a seven-mile-radius airspace "frozen zone" over Madison Square Garden -- site of the Republican National Convention -- and a high-tech, 2,000-square-foot nerve center at police headquarters will hold representatives from 66 federal, state and city law enforcement agencies.
For months, federal officials have warned of the threat of an attempted terrorist strike before the Nov. 2 presidential election, with New York City and the Republican National Convention presenting prime targets. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge insists none of this should rattle New Yorkers.
"Any attempts of a terrorist will be frustrated and repelled by multiple layers of security that they will encounter all around the city, and for that matter all around the region," Ridge said last week.
New York may have never been so well guarded. But some New Yorkers find the buildup to the GOP convention unsettling. In interviews, several dozen spoke of the disruptions caused by the phalanxes of police and National Guard troops, by protesters bent on civil disobedience, and by the roving security details assigned to Republican VIPs. Many residents, particularly immigrants, worry that they will spend a week as suspects in their city.
"People are afraid now," said Mohammad Razvi, an auxiliary police officer and executive director of a respected community group that serves Pakistani and Bangladeshi immigrants. "Whenever these terror warnings go up, they are like: 'Oh, no, are they going to pick on us again?' "
About half of those interviewed in recent weeks spoke of nagging fears of terrorist attacks. Some Manhattan families have decided to leave this week; others without the resources to get away say they will avoid Lower Manhattan.
Assistant Corporation Counsel Gail Donoghue argued the city's case in court when civil libertarians challenged the Police Department's authority to conduct random searches of demonstrators' bags. But she tends to cast a jaundiced eye on official assurances of personal safety.
"If someone's willing to die, they can always pull off an attack," she said. "I have to be here, unfortunately. But I'm definitely riding my bike that week. I view the subway as an unnecessary risk."
At 90th Street and Park Avenue, Carol Kamine-Brown paused to calculate the number of blocks between Madison Square Garden and her office, in case something happens. "Well, it's about 25 blocks -- I guess that's okay," she said. "But I have no intention, none, none, none, to go anywhere near the Garden. And I plan to ride the express bus in from Brooklyn next week instead of the subway."
Transit officials say that while there may be disruptions, subways, commuter trains and buses will run on regular schedules, although buses in Midtown will face some rerouting. Typically, ridership drops about 10 percent in the week before Labor Day, with many New Yorkers on vacation. Penn Station, which lies beneath Madison Square Garden, will be open, although only one of the six exits will remain open for commuters.
The streets immediately around the Garden will be closed frequently, particularly while the convention is in evening session. City officials say trucks serving the garment and flower districts will be allowed to pass, albeit at odd hours. Area business owners have, by and large, spoken of security as a necessary intrusion and have resigned themselves to long delays.
All this security comes at a high cost. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has acknowledged that the city will spend $65 million on security, about double his original estimate. And the city comptroller, William C. Thompson Jr., has estimated that disruptions to business and traffic and transit delays could push the total city tab to more than $300 million.
City officials have talked of security as a straightforward matter, suggesting that all New Yorkers should endorse the show of force during uncertain times. Bloomberg -- who has faced criticism for lobbying so hard to bring the convention to New York -- insisted that any disruption would be minor.
