For NYC Marathon, Boston tragedy looms large

Thirty-two-year-old Brendan Spiegel, a Manhattan native, isn't very worried about running the New York City Marathon on Sunday. His family plans to wait for him after the race is over, he said — adding that he is only a little wary in light of the attacks that marred the Boston Marathon earlier this year.

"I will admit that I haven't asked (them) to wait at the finish line," he told Al Jazeera. "That seemed a little bit scary. My family will be waiting for me along Fifth Avenue because they don't want to deal with the security."

This year, The Associated Press reported, the New York Police Department (NYPD) will greatly beef up security along the 26.2-mile course, which winds through the city's five boroughs. The finish line has become the focal point of much public attention amid memories of the two homemade bombs that exploded at the Boston Marathon finish line on April 15, killing three people and injuring more than 260.

"It will be tight," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said when asked about security at the New York race's finish area in Central Park. "It always is tight, but obviously we're going to pay particular attention to that this year."

Mobile security cameras should fill in surveillance gaps in the current system, the AP reported. Police helicopters will patrol the skies, and hundreds of police officers will be posted along the runners' route. Boats will help secure the event, operating in New York Harbor and the East River. Bomb-sniffing dogs and plainclothes officers will try to blend in with the crowds and search for anything they deem suspicious.

A spokesman for New York Road Runners, the organizer of Sunday's marathon, told Al Jazeera in an emailed statement that the group had partnered with one of the world's top security firms to review its existing security program in the wake of the Boston bombings.

"While the audit of our safety and security efforts prior to the 2013 race received high marks, under the guidance of the NYPD, we are strengthening our already comprehensive security plan in ways that the public will and won't see in order to ensure the event is as safe as possible for runners, spectators, and volunteers," the statement said.

Ryann Freeman, a graduate student and volunteer at the marathon, told Al Jazeera that new security guidelines discourage volunteers from bringing a bag to the event, after alleged Boston Marathon bombers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev sneaked in bombs in their backpacks, according to police. More baggage inspection areas and screening at family meeting points will be in place at this year's New York event.

Apart from security concerns, there are other fears deterring some New Yorkers. Whenever security is tightened, rights advocates say, racial profiling looms large.

"Anytime you hear the words 'heightened security,' I definitely think it means keeping your eyes open for males between ages 18 and 35 that have a profile of a South Asian, Arab or Muslim," Linda Sarsour, executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, told Al Jazeera.

The search for a culprit after the Boston tragedy provided a case study in what can go wrong, Sarsour said. A Saudi man was accused of being a suspect the same day of the attack. "But he was actually a victim," she said.

The next day, the New York Post racially profiled two students of Arab descent on its front page under the infamous headline "Bag Men." They both turned out to be innocent and later sued the paper for libel. 

Thursday's stop-and-frisk ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals made matters even worse, Sarsour said. The court found that New York City can continue its controversial policy of stopping and searching people while the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeals a previous decision that found its program unconstitutional. Most of the search targets have been young black and Latino men.

"Many people are outraged about (the ruling)," Sarsour said. "It sends a message back to some of the NYPD officers that racial profiling is OK because now that case was cleared. Basically, we're going backward.

"Many Muslims have come from across the world to join in this event," she said. "They come to share this event with us."

With The Associated Press