De Blasio Meets With Chelsea Residents After Area Reopens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio visited Chelsea on Tuesday as the neighborhood that was rocked by Saturday's bombing is trying to get back to normal.
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson joined the mayor in surveying the scene and meeting with residents and business owners.
"I want to compliment the fine work of the NYC police department federal law enforcement in the apprehension of a suspect literally hours after the event here on Saturday night," Johnson said.
With the arrest of suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami, West 23rd Street between Sixth and Seventh was opened Monday, but a fitness center, an art gallery and a design studio still have damage.
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New York City Council member Cory Johnson says 81 people were affected by the blast and will get help, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported.
Neighbors are still shaken by the reality of what happened.
"That guy tried to kill us," resident Tim Peters told CBS2's Magdalena Doris. "And it's hard to wrap your head around that because I don't know him."
Following the blast that left 29 people hurt, de Blasio was slow to call the bombing terrorism, he's since changed his tune, saying Monday that "we have every reason to believe this was an act of terror."
On Tuesday, he met with residents of the Selas Manor, a building for the blind. Directly outside is a dumpster where the device exploded.
Across the street, Orange Theory Fitness is like other shops, opening for the first time since the blast. Security cameras there provided the first images of the what happened -- people running as shrapnel flew through the air.
The gym lost two days revenue, its windows cracked from the forceful blow.
"When we saw it, it was just heartbreaking," said owner Jessica Paumari. It's your business. You just don't think anything like this could happen."
The chefs of the Malibu Diner cooked breakfast as usual Tuesday morning, preparing for the mayor's visit and ready to get back to serving customers.
"We are at about 60-70 percent," said owner Alex Grimpas. "Eventually, people are going to start coming back and we're going to be back to normal."
Employees of the King David art gallery are assessing the damage done by the explosion. In the neighborhood for 20 years, they're dedicated to rebuilding.
"You can't stop people from doing such insidious acts, but all we can do is clean up the mess and move forward," said the gallery's Oren Spiegel.
But the foundation of this neighborhood has been rocked and the sense of safety in Chelsea was shattered Saturday night.
"It was just really scary," one Chelsea resident told 1010 WINS' John Montone. "It was incredibly loud and the feeling I guess of what was a shock wave that went right through our homes, right through our bodies, was just a very frightening experience."
"We always figured it would happen in the bigger places 42nd Street, World Trade Center, inside the subways, but never over here," said Chelsea resident Maria Perez.
Knowing it can happen on their quiet block or on any soft target has some New Yorkers more aware of possible threats anywhere.
"I really think there's a danger anywhere you go and you never know when you're going to be safe," one man said.
During his visit, Johnson stressed the importance of notifying the police of potential threats, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
"If you see something say something," Johnson said.
Small Business Services is reaching out to the diner and other shops to help them get back on their feet.
