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Mourning Begins In Paris, As More Information About Attacks Emerges

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

In a few minutes, we'll have a special Barbershop roundtable focused on the events in Paris, all people who've thought deeply about the issues connected to the story. But first, we hear from reporter Lauren Frayer in Paris. She went to the scene of one of the attacks, and she joins us now. Hi, Lauren.

LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Hi, Michel.

MARTIN: So where did you go and what did you see?

FRAYER: I went to a street where five people were killed by machine gun fire at a pizza place. The restaurant and neighboring businesses all had bullet holes in their facades. Windows were shattered at a laundromat across the street. There was broken glass everywhere. And today, neighbors are sort of tentatively coming out of their homes to lay flowers, light candles, leave condolence messages. Someone left a piece of paper printed with just one word, the word innocent. And it's been eerily quiet. Even though the street was packed with people, many of them were sort of weeping silently as they walked past.

MARTIN: What is that neighborhood normally like? And obviously, it's hard to tell, you know, who lives there and who doesn't live there. But can you talk a little bit more about just what people are saying?

FRAYER: Sure. So it's part of Paris's 11th arrondissement. It's sort of a bohemian area. It has some night life. It's what we might call a hipster hangout, say. It's been a big shock for people there that they were targeted. You know, they were asking themselves, why? Here's one resident, Javier Valdeperez.

JAVIER VALDEPEREZ: They chose Friday night. They chose this place full of young French people. So they chose a big city like Paris, and they chose a concert. When they attack and kill people, they're also trying to scare the world. It's hard to prevent these kinds of attacks.

FRAYER: And he lives just down the street from that pizza place and laundromat that were all shot up.

MARTIN: And maybe it's too soon for this, but are people talking about or concerned about what might happen now, like how this might change the city?

FRAYER: So many people told me that they're worried about anti-immigrant sentiment. There are reports of what appears to be a Syrian passport found near one of the bodies of one of those suicide attackers. And that man, Javier, that you just heard, told me he's worried about the tens of thousands of migrants and refugees streaming through Europe. He says he fears, what he called, a surge of hate against them or against Islam or Muslims in general.

MARTIN: So you're hearing that people are concerned about the migrants and whether they will be blamed for this. Are people also expressing concern about their own safety?

FRAYER: Well, just last night, authorities were telling people to stay inside behind closed doors. It was too dangerous. People are tentatively coming out today, still unsure if it's really safe. The attacks are so fresh here. I mean, I could peer into cafe windows and literally see half-empty glasses of wine abandoned on tables where people had to dive for cover last night. It's like the city is frozen in that moment.

MARTIN: That's reporter Lauren Frayer joining us from Paris. Lauren, thank you.

FRAYER: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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