Report From The Ground
It Takes A Million Fences To Hold A Nation Back
2009-01-22
By Eric Easter
For all the intimidating security and posturing of stern (but mostly unarmed) men in uniform, the iron walls erected around the Capitol’s reflecting pool came tumbling down violently through the collective force of thousands of impatient men and women, fearing they would be left waiting in line as the moment they came for drew nearer. Like refugees seeking new fortune, people rushed to move ahead only thirty or forty feet of dirt closer to the Capitol steps.
At that point, the uniformed men just threw up their hands and opened more fences themselves. That the ineffective security force was wearing Border Patrol uniforms made the moment even more symbolic of the eight years we’ve left behind and the future facing us.
Security wasn’t the only plan that went slightly awry. Media organizations who set up along the Mall found themselves scrambling to fill dead air as guests were unable to navigate barricades. From 8pm on Monday night, reports were coming in that visitors to the Mall had begun to stake out positions to wait the 16 hours until the swearing-in and were refusing to clear the grounds. They stayed.
Massive street closings, expected to begin at 4 a.m, went into effect hours earlier, putting a virtual stranglehold on the downtown traffic streaming from the Youth, Kentucky and Illinois balls. So much so that it took over an hour to drive six city blocks if you were inside the perimeter.
By 5:30am, reports from local TV showed thousands already in line. South of the Capitol Building, taxis could get within a few close blocks, but their passengers were re-routed in several directions based on the color ticket they held. Despite the threat of long lines due to security screenings, no such screenings actually happened. The long lines were obviously their own deterrent.
Though official walking routes took a byzantine path, it was only minutes before the less well-behaved found alternative routes – over embankments, across lots, between mechanical barriers.
By 9:30 a.m, police had closed the 7th street gate for un-ticketed attendees and were routing all but the handicapped and those with press credentials to the gates at 14th Street. Within 10 minutes of that, 14th Street was shut down, and people were guided to 23rd Street, the Lincoln Memorial, a full mile and a half from the action.
Meanwhile, hundreds of school groups with matching outfits struggled to stay together as they moved through the crowds.
The crowds themselves were buoyant and cooperative. A father trying to talk his family horizontally across a sea of people moving forward yelled “Sherita! Sherita! Baby, just tell the nice people excuse me and work your way through.” With a laugh the crowd opened like the Red Sea chanting “ Sherita, Sherita, Sherita!” Similar help came when children were lost and relatives went missing.
They were less charitable when the now former president George W. Bush was announced. The first chorus of “Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye” could be heard for blocks and probably on the podium as well. Even if you hate George Bush, it smacked of disrespect. But Bush dealt the hand he was given. And today was about change.
In the silver ticket section where you could hear everything but see nothing, Aretha Franklin fell flat and YoYo Ma drew tears. Two minutes before the swearing-in, the Presidential Inauguration Committee sent the first official mail from the new White House – the transcript of President Obama’s inaugural address. On paper, it was disappointing as ambitious speeches go. It touched on the right points but lacked the kind of rhythm, song and lyricism that lives on as quotable quotes. But delivered, it soared. Paper, apparently, could not properly translate the weight of the moment.
Eric Easter is Chief of Digital Strategy for Johnson Publishing, Co., Inc. He writes about politics, culture and technology for EbonyJet.com
Did the Inaugural Address hit the right points? Read What The Speech Needs To Say.
