Zero Arrests at Obama Inauguration
Approximately 1.8 million people descended on Washington D.C. for the inauguration and no one was arrested. I find this amazing.
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And despite the huge crowds, and no doubt a lot of pushing & shoving, we didn’t hear of any serious injuries either.
I know there were a lot of problems with the Inauguration, especially for the purple ticket holders but as a whole I think it went very well.
Unfortunately, that also included Bush and Cheney.
I think it had a lot to do with a re-discovered source of pride and appreciation. If there were any haters in the crowd (a huge IF), they probably realized they were severely outnumbered and laid low. It was a great day and I think the majority of the attendees were unified in thoughts. For that particular event, I don’t know if I am really surprised that there were no arrests. There was purpose and good will.
I spent I full 4 days Sat – Tues & there wasn’t even much pushing and shoving. I cursed once when they closed the Lincolm Mem to tear down the concert stage. (I did wait in line 20 minutes!). and I heard another guy drop a f-bomb because he held a blue ticket but was about 30,000 people back in line at 11.00am with no chance to get through security. Other than that no peeps, no pushes, no scuffles.
I think this says a lot about tone and purpose.
Almost 2 million people crammed together and no trouble – unheard of.
I heard another guy drop a f-bomb because he held a blue ticket but was about 30,000 people back in line at 11.00am with no chance to get through security.
Too many people thought that thier blue or purple ticket gave them magical powers to part the crowds like Moses parting the red seas.
When we woke up at 6:00 and saw people on CNN streaming onto the mall, we hauled ass to our check in point and made it onto the mall with no problem at 8:00.
My only fleeting moment of concern came after the event when everyone headed for the exit at the same time. It took about an hour to babystep one city block, but everyone was kind of expecting that so it was not big deal.
I was a blue ticket holder along with my mother, 75 year old grandmother and father. My mother was in a wheel chair and while we had some incredibly rude people there were some fantastically amazing and helpful people (like the woman and gentleman that took off her shoes and put toe warmers in them for her or the college aged guys who helped us lift the wheel chair over a concrete barrier on I395 and then helped mom over the barrier.)
No, we didn’t think that those tickets would part the sea of people, but it isn’t unreasonable to expect to get in to witness history because we have a ticket. The communication between police (which at the blue gate didn’t exist nor were there any volunteers) and spectators was non-existent.
If we had been told at 9 or 10 that we weren’t getting in because the 15 magatrons they had to screen people were no longer working and that they were hand searching people, we would have made our way to a jumbotron or a TV, in order to watch. We stood outside in “line” (it was more like a mob of people just pushing their way forward–even when there were disabled people in the crowd) from 7:30 until 12:00–with word only coming from people who were ahead of us!
Quite simply it was a cluster F and a disappointment, at least for my grandmother who may never see something like this again in her lifetime…
sorry for the rambling, but it annoys me when the news reports everything went smoothly when in fact it didn’t. (As we understand it, several people got in without a ticket at all… and by got in, I mean they got into the reserved sections…this was part of the issue with silver ticket holders.)
This remids me of Willie Wonka tickets.
Nooneimportant,
Thanks for that perspective and sorry about my uninformed, cavalier comments.
I hope that you guys somehow gets some facetime with the President. He seems like the kind of guy who would be moved by stories liek yours.
As we understand it, several people got in without a ticket at all… and by got in, I mean they got into the reserved sections…
Is that the real story of how (Ex) Guv Minner got in to sit behind the Obamas????
Thank you!!! The veal is delicious and tip your servers generously! Good night!
There was a glitch when there was a unanimous refusal by Secret Service to body search her.
Jason-
I forgot to mention what the highlight of my day was—
Before we walked through the I395 tunnel to head back to Union Station (oh and that was another issue!) we got to see Executive One fly over the city–and giving the one finger salute–well let’s just say even if it was inappropriate it was worth being outside to say bye to the last 8 years!
Smitty/Reis-
Ha ha ha… I thought it was odd that she was closer to Obama than Markell was– :::rolls eyes::: 😀
Good thing they weren’t enforcing litter laws:
http://litterfreeinauguration.blogspot.com/
Piss off Miscreant.
But… pissing on your Obama Flakes is too easy, and rather entertaining.
This, of course,could be interpreted another way. During the last inauguration, the only arrests made were of classless “angry Democrats” during an illegal protest.
I don’t think this report is entirely accurate. It might be that they let people go afterward instead of charging them. It was still a good showing though given the number of people who attended. See the following article:
Protesters scuffle with police along inaugural route
WASHINGTON (AP) — George W. Bush’s motorcade lurched through the largest inaugural protests since Richard Nixon on Saturday, enduring thousands of protesters who hurled insults, bottles, tomatoes and an egg. Protesters clashed briefly with police clad in riot gear at a few flash points while Bush remained inside his armored stretch car for most of the parade up a soggy, cold Pennsylvania Avenue. Police ordered the motorcade to slow in anticipation of some protests, and then to speed through others. A couple of protesters threw bottles and tomatoes before the presidential limousine arrived, and one hurled an egg that landed near the motorcade, the Secret Service said.
But the protesters managed little else to interrupt the festivities in the face of a massive show of 7,000 police officers. As the day grew darker and colder, authorities had arrested only six people and activists began to disperse, said Terrance W. Gainer, executive assistant chief of police. One of them was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after slashing tires and trying to assault an officer, Gainer said.
Full Story link : http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/inaug/2001-01-20-approtests.htm
$170,000,000 can buy a lot of ‘security’.
No stolen election. No protests.