Although I feel extremely lucky to be in the nation’s capital during the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, I was one of the unfortunate few that never made it past the security screening for the swearing-in event.
Crowds at Metro Station
My morning began with heading down to the Mall area around 7 a.m. After facing massive crowds on the subway (Metro) and the closure of the designated Metro stop for my “blue” ticket, I reached the line for the blue ticket holders (before 8 a.m. and the opening of the gates). The blue area was full of people and completely disorganized. There weren’t any police, security, guides or Inauguration staff in the vicinity to ensure order.
After standing in the line for over an hour, the mass of ticket holders began encircling the line. People were shouting, “stop cutting” in hopes of preventing the disarray. However, no amount of chanting or “tsking” could prevent the confusion and chaos that erupted.
Crowd of Blue Ticket Holders
While standing in line (around 10-10:30 a.m.), an off-duty police officer who happened to be at the event told us that a generator had gone down. As a result, several blue gate security screening stations weren’t working, which affected the amount of people able to pass through the gate. However, the officer said we would all be admitted. (This unauthorized communication was the only information we received during this entire process.)
The people in the crowd began to amuse themselves by singing “The Star Spangled Banner,” “America the Beautifu,l” and other patriotic songs. (Oh, they also sang “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”) And after desperation set in as the clock inched closer to 11:30 a.m., the crowd began chanting: “Let us in. Let us in.”
My friends and I stood in this line for about four hours before finally realizing that we weren’t going to get through the security gate and screening. There were still thousands of people in front (and around) us. After hearing “Hail to the Chief” around 11:30 a.m., we realized we definitely weren’t getting in and headed back.
Outside the blue gate
We were pretty disappointed with the lack of organization in the blue area. After attending the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo., I was amazed at how the DNC could be so safe and orderly in comparison to the chaos of the Inauguration swearing-in ceremony.
Empty security screening stations
There have been several reports regarding ticket holders that were turned away. Although the blue section appears to have the most problems, the purple and silver sections also had ticket holders who didn’t gain access to the event. Reporters from the Washington Post and London’s The Telegraph wrote about these unfortunate incidents.
Although I didn’t end up witnessing the swearing-in ceremony in its “true” fashion, I am still happy that I traveled from Los Angeles to D.C. to be a part of the whole Inaugural event. The crowds remained mostly positive and upbeat despite the widespread disappointment. I met people from all around the world who were so inspired by Obama to make the trip. We all knew that we were just feet away from Barack Obama and this historic moment.
Tags: blue ticket, Inauguration 2009, President Barack Obama, swearing-in ceremony
[...] were those of us who flew to D.C. to freeze outside and soak up the sardine scene at the real-deal inaugural ceremony on Tuesday, and then there were folks like me—who kept it [...]
Hello Brooke-Sidney, I was a blue ticket holder as well and was not able to make it through the gate either. Knowing that thousands of us were all in the same boat (didn’t get in) made the loss an easier pill to swallow. I too traveled a distance to get to the event, but do not regret having done so either. It was wonderful to feel the positive energy from so many positive, polite, and optimistic people. It was kind of surreal. My understanding of the movement that Barack began is that most of the change to come in this country will come about because of what we (the masses) do or fail to do. Good for us for having been there when the gates to the Bastille (smile) were willingly opened by the “King” for the huddled masses to take control of the destiny of the country. The grass roots must continue to grow – check out the following website: http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/neworganization. By-the-way, I plan to frame my ticket and hang it on the wall. Cheers!
Blue Ticket Blues
by: Pat Crowley
Sat Jan 24, 2009 at 07:43:43 AM EST
Seems the fallout from the inaugural ticket fiasco is still being measured. A friend forwarded this piece to me putting the ticket switch in perspective:
In many ways it was like a Dickens novel:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…”
It was certainly a tale of two cities.
The well connected dignitaries and the people of industry with their orange and yellow tickets were managed and handled so as to be granted swift access to witness history.
The lesser known, the very ordinary people barely managing to find the money to come to Washington DC, to be a part of something for all time epitomized those en masse languishing with purple and blue tickets.
The heavy weights who challenged the ingenuity of the chair designer escorted to front row seats of history with precision that Walt Disney would have relished in one frame. In the other, many African American folks, many senior to the day’s attraction, dressed in their Sunday best huddled, pushed and prodded to an ultimate dead end.
Wonder and amazement in the eyes of the fortunate; wondering and disbelief on the faces of the victims of what can only be yet another example of Congressional incompetence. Once again disparate treatment in what was promised to be a new era. What many called the end of an error clearly lasted another day compliments of Senator Diane Feinstein.
All of the tickets embossed in large print with the name of Senator Diane Feinstein make it clear who should be held accountable for this personal disaster inflicted on so many.
President Obama declared in his inaugural speech, “The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works.”
We know on this date in this place government and particularly Congress did not work.
And as I walked my family back to the metro observing an older couple, who dreamed of this day becoming reality, who fought and sacrificed for this time sobbing tears of sadness as if they lost a loved one when they should have been tears of joy celebrating their lives and their times that allowed them to see a dream fulfilled; President Obama was telling America, “The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”
It may make for eloquent prose, and it may even be what history books record but for all too many, on this day, it was not what would be experienced.