This tranquil setting was disturbed yesterday by an individual that thought he wasn't waited on fast enough at a Kaiser outpatient clinic. You can read about the incident
here. This park-like setting is mostly used by the Kaiser staff to relax or walk and by visitors while they're waiting for things to happen inside.
My timing was impeccable yesterday. I entered as the last person they let into the hospital before it was on lockdown. I came to visit a friend that is a patient in the main hospital. When I got to his floor, I had to be escorted through locked doors to get to his room. Once there, we were told not to leave the room until the "all clear" was given.
So Richard and I talked for 30 minutes. His wife and children called to see if he was alright. Then his mom called to make sure he was alright. After an hour of all that talking plus his medication, he fell asleep. So, for the next hour and a half I read, watched the construction out the window, and waited for the "all clear." A little after 2:30, a staff member announced that the Downey Police had given the "all clear" and we could leave. When I and others got down to the main floor, the manager in charge of the main door hadn't been told of the "all clear" and she wasn't letting us out. That lasted about one minute. A large crowd was coming from outside to get back to work and visit patients and they had gotten the "all clear." I went home and had some lunch.