Leaving the Mall: Hopeless
People got tired of trying to leave the city:
Cops could have used these:
"Three Million People Trapped On The Mall." This was the headline my travelling companion had given the moment. She was sure it would be the headline of the day. Not Obama's historic presidency. Not Obama's speech. Not Michelle Obama's dress. But the hell that was the mass exodus off the Mall.
If you wanted chaos, cops offering either lousy directives or attitude, and mobs of people pushing in all directions then you had a good time. For everyone else, it just sucked.
If you thought memorizing the inauguration map made you safe---you were wrong. When we arrived at our first idea of an out--the 3rd Street tunnel, cops said it was closed. It may have opened at some point. But not for us and thousands of others. If you bothered to ask the cops for an explanation, the cops weren't interested.
There was one case where I can't blame the cops for giving the cold shoulder. One guy at 3rd and Independence asked: "Where's the parade at?" Some people should have studied up before this morning!
So we decided to head west on Independence. Any spot near a metro was a total standstill. Gridlock. Hell. Whatever you want to call it. The cop to people ratio was like 1 to 5,000. All cops we talked to either didn't know where anything was or could not explain why a street was closed. If you thought the cops would do some kind of traffic control, forget it. Old ladies w/ canes---they were on their own. Etc.
Trouble spots: Anywhere east of 17th and Independence. Pick an intersection and there was a mass of people without a clue, shoving each other.
The worst was 12th and Independence. It took at least a half hour to go around that trouble spot. This is when I started to chronicle our journey.
We ran up this hill:
We found this:
We faced this crowd:
This became part of our route home (and a lot of other people's way out):
And then we found more of this:
This was basically our attempt to get around 12th and Independence. After finally escaping, we eventually made our to 18th and E Streets NW. Eighteenth Street was a mess: buses idling with throngs of people, cars trying to drive through the throngs of people. That was nice.
When people started to question why we couldn't walk down E Street toward a less crowded 19th Street, we were told that was not allowed. Then we were threatened with pepper spray by a National Guard Army guy. He claimed he would get the D.C. cops on us, that they have pepper spray. "Soldiers man your positions!" he shouted. This was not change we can believe in. This was Bush-era IMF Protest stuff.
These guys were just not very helpful no matter how many times you asked for directions to the nearest metro or whether say a street was open or not. DCist noticed this as well. Chances are they didn't know. Next time: Officials needs to give these guys maps. And give the D.C. Police more help, guidance, and, well, maps. Also, the much vaunted Presidential Inaugural Committee volunteers were AWOL. It seemed once Obama's speech was over, they too were left to fend for themselves.
These guys had the ability of killing all hope.
When we reached the Washington Monument, we finally saw daylight. There were still more big crowds up ahead and nasty Army and police types. But we were almost home. We set out for the Mall at 3:45 a.m. and made it back to our Mount Pleasant home at 3:10 p.m.
We passed one last crowd at the Dupont Circle metro:
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Linked From: January 21st, 2009Thoughts on the inauguration « U Street Girl
9:35 pm[...] A lot of misinformation and confusion, but I don’t feel the need to discuss this, as a lot of other outlets have done a very good job covering the [...]
7:56 pm
I had the opposite experience...while people were cold, everyone was in a good mood, and were very cordial. I saw stranger helping each other with directions, helping each other up and over (or through, or under), fences and ledges (or highway dividers). Sure, it was a long hike from 15th Street NW to the Hill, but no one was in a rush and generally, there was not too much crowd pressure.
9:01 pm
Yeah, aside from some ineffective National Guard attempt to close a street (we just ignored them), my experience was pretty easy going. Straight west down the middle of the Mall to 17th, through Const. Gardens and then up Virginia Ave.
And then to Chadwicks to boo Air Force one as it took off.
10:34 pm
Yeah walking home was a breeze...strolled down 395 from the Washington to 6th st., SE...was home in about 30 mins
10:42 pm
The easy of your exit depended on where you started from. I saw tons of tired old ladies and children just zonked by the experience of exiting the Mall.
11:10 pm
There were other horror stories:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/20/AR2009012000524_2.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2009012003848&s_pos=
11:24 am
A City Paper Article critical of DC Police - Wow - where did that come from?
11:41 am
I couldn't believe how little the National Guard helped out. They could've helped corral lines, and get things in order. They could've had maps and a working understanding of the Metro system, DC Geography and openings and closings. Instead, there was utter chaos that was only successful because of the mood of the day. The people in my line for tix held hands and helped each other navigate the ridiculous onslaught of two way traffic in areas that should have only had one. Further, when National Guard guys directed us to the south entrance of L'Enfant Plaza station, they had no idea that it was the same station. Once we got over there, there were people at a complete standstill overtaking the entire intersection.
People kept following my mother & me because we were from the city and knew where we were going . . . it was amazing to see the lack of assistance from those "in charge." I did see a lot of National Guard snapping pix of themselves against the Federal backdrop. Glad to know they were armed with pepper spray.
12:30 pm
Eh, couldn't really expect much from Nat'l Guard, could we? I mean, they're mostly kids, mostly imports. All they could really have done is be more assertive, and well, assertive ignorance always rubs wrong, doesn't it? I can't help but think that it was MPD and the National Park Service that really screwed this up.
1:06 pm
# Surprised Says:
January 21st, 2009 at 11:24 am
A City Paper Article critical of DC Police - Wow - where did that come from?
Wow, it's fun to see deliberate ignorance up close.
1:28 pm
Of course someone had to write something negative. Everyone was helpful and of course there is no easy way to get 2 million people out of a small area easily.
2:04 pm
With the metro down, I walked with my brother and girlfriend from the Inauguration to Reagan National Airport. Long walk.
2:40 pm
Get some stories from the folks who went to the Youth Ball. Now that was hopeless. The "organizers" of that inaugural ball should hang their heads in shame.
4:41 pm
It sounds to me like you kinda suck at the Inauguration. Everyone I encountered was civil and professional. National Guardsmen are not tour guides. They are there to enforce barriers and to prevent dangerous situations that can arise from high density crowds. I'm not fully briefed on the traffic flow designs, nor, probably, were the checkpoints you encountered. Yes there were snafus, but over-all I think the day went over swimmingly.
Also, maybe they wouldn't let you walk west from 18th because the were using buses on Constitution as a physical barrier to divert crowds to 19th and then 20th streets. When managing 2 million people perhaps you should take something into account besides your own expediency. Probably a good lesson for all of us in the coming 4 years.
5:29 pm
Threatening families with pepper spray isn't professional or civil. Not knowing where anything is--like a metro stop--isn't professional.
You probably set up near the Washington Monument. I was 3rd Street SW. My exit strategy was a simple one--get to 17th Street NW and turn toward downtown. It took nearly three hours to get home. But glad to see your "day went over swimmingly."
11:46 pm
I am not sure why you were told that the Third Street Tunnel was closed. Maybe they didn't open it up until after Bush's helicopter departed, but we walked from 12th Street on the Mall and encountered only one bottleneck at 7th and D Streets SW. We continued on to the tunnel and it was wide open. This was essentially the route we took to get to the inauguration that morning in reverse.
It is my opinion that the police and planners did all they could with the expect throng. When you are coming to an event that more than 2 million people are expected to come to, PLAN! You can't expect to get a personal tour guide to tell you how to get around. I saw a lot of people leaving after the swearing in and they started heading towards Pennsylvania Avenue. If any of them bothered to read ANYTHING regarding the inauguration they would have known that Penn Ave was closed from the Capitol to the White House. I applaud DC and everyone involved for running as smooth an event as possible considering the circumstance. Don't forget, there was also not a single arrest.
12:58 am
Wow. Not a single arrest. Why does that surprise you? Sure there were people that didn't have a clue. But a lot of those people were wearing uniforms that morning.
What could have been done? Hmmm. Let me think. Planners could have put out a reliable map and stuck to it. PIC should have put volunteers at every intersection. These volunteers could have had reliable information. I talked with one volunteer who said that a) their team leader didn't show up; b) they were essentially on their own without a single piece of useful information.
I'm not sure why third street was closed when we arrived there. Our plan was to use the map, exit via the tunnel (as the map indicated). The police told us it was closed. When we asked why, they ignored us. And they ignored others who were asking the same question.
W/ third street closed, Independence Ave was also shut down from Third all the way up to the Cap. There was only one really way out--either camp out at Metro stop or walk west until we hit 17th.
Along the way, we saw a lot of tired seniors, confused parents, etc. Everyone, of course, was cold. Certain streets cars could attempt to drive through the crowds (unassisted by the police). One bus tried to drive through our crowd and just stopped midway into the intersection and gave up.
The police and planners didn't do all the could. They failed in one essential way: to have a exit plan and stick to it, and to arm the police and volunteers with reliable information.
10:47 am
It would seem that this was just another example of Washington failing to have an exit strategy.
4:50 pm
I think they put so much focus on planning for the people coming to the inauguration that they didn't take into account people leaving the inauguration. Really, the volunteers weren't really needed to get people to the Mall. They were needed to help people to get away from the Mall.
And really, what was needed more than anything was signage.
3:01 pm
We looked at the maps and decided the easiest way to get from 7th & F to the mall was to cross the parade route. Initially we went to 7th & D but heard a rumor that a water main had broken there and no one was getting through. We headed up E to 10th but were told that was only for the parade, but that 12th would let us across. After hearing various people say we could or could not cross there a DC cop took a megaphone and told us the entrance was only for the parade and gave us directions to the mall: go up to K and then down 18th. This worked beautifully.
We only made it as far as the Washington Monument for the inauguration. You were lucky to get as far as 3rd!
On the way out it was uncomfortable. We got stuck between the rows of Don's Johns and the fence, and we were barely moving. Some people tried pushing the fences down to escape but there was no where for them to go because that direction was closed off for the parade. People could have been hurt but the police set everyone straight (as well as the fences).
The problem was the way we tried to exit went past a barricade with a narrow opening only allowing 3 people at a time to pass. Once we got past that it was fairly easy going. It just took a long time.
We went back almost the same way we came: 18th to H instead of K. Yes, we had to make way for ambulances, a car, and wait at an intersection for a stream of empty buses.
But it really wasn't that bad. It was about the same as going to see the Thanksgiving Day parade or 4th of July fireworks in Detroit. Those events regularly pack in over a million people. You have to just realize that it takes time for that many people to disperse.
The National Guard? They were doing their job. Their orders were not to be tour guides; they were there for crowd control. You think that's scary that you were threatened with pepper spray? You should have been with me when we crossed the border to Canada post 9/11 when the Guard were helping out and brandishing their guns. Crossing the border here for some is a daily event, and in the past it was a more casual thing. To have the Guard yelling at you for your ID while holding hire-power rifles is a little unsettling. But once again they were following orders and doing their job.
And if a mob had gotten out of control and started trampling people you would have been thanking the Guard for your life!
Was it uncomfortable? Sure. Did it appear unorganized? Sure. Was it "hopeless"? "Hell?" That's a bit extreme. I've had friends that were in more dire straights at a Stones concert when the crowd surged towards the stage, pushing dangerously on everyone up front. What about the "Camp Randall Crush", when fans tried to rush the field and ended up trampling and injuring people? That sounds more like "hell" to me.
Next time you want to go to an event with a million people maybe you should just stay home and watch the TV? Or maybe try a different attitude and be flexible to change your plans to suit the situation as it unfolds.
7:00 pm
The criminally inept handling of the Jan 20 crowd was a debacle, & only a missing spark kept the debacle from devolving into a tragedy, with dozens of people trampled. The "happy" posters here ignore the facts that about 7,000 people were trapped in the Third Street tunnel for hours, that the police needlessly forced hundreds of thousands of people to walk miles out of their way, and that the only concern of the authorities was to create a sense of false security.
Anyone who wanted to cause trouble could have done anything s/he wanted. People who were there to commemorate a historic event were needlessly punished.
Heads should roll in the security apparatus, but since it's Washington, odds are nothing will happen, other than a study by a committee. If Barak truly wants to establish a new era of responsibility, he could start with firing all the incompetent officials who "planned" this debacle.
9:08 pm
I wanted to make some comments but I realized that nothing anyone could say would cahnge your mind. Cherkis has a hard on for MPD and anything he writes will be bias. Guess he did not like his home address being placed on a web site with the suggestion that he get special attention. Leading up to this event folks were warned about the problems. There were some mistakes but I would challange any of you to come up with a plan and manage a crwod which was the largest this city has ever seen. You should also get of the National Guard, many were on post for 20 hours. Lets no forget the security concerns for the event. I am just shaking my head. If you want to blame someone for a rough day look in the mirror.
9:09 pm
Sorry about the typos just tired after all the hours I worked over the past week
8:18 pm
I got stuck in that mad crush trying to get into Union Station around 4:30 pm (photo of it at my blog), but other than that, found getting out a lot easier than getting in. I also found almost everyone we encountered to be jovial and good-natured. It could have been so much worse.
But most of the people I have talked to concur with your hellish Mall experience. And I hope this event is studied and corrected, many times over.
12:36 pm
I was a purple ticket holder who actually made onto the Capitol grounds to see the ceremony! We walked to the Purple Gate area from the Gallery Place metro station (Verizon Center exit). We IGNORED the police and so-called volunteers in the streets near First and Constitution (the Purple Gate) telling everyone to go to the Third Street tunnel to where the line was. That was just retarded when you could SEE the security checkpoint on the other side of the high metal fence not being used. A small opening in the fence eventually appeared which let only two people wide through at a time. There were STILL people without tickets trying to get through this opening, and that made matters worse than it needed to be. We made it through the security check at 10:04 am. Leaving was relatively easy. Most of the crowd on the north side of the Hill was already in motion once the poem was being read, so my primary goal was to get north of Constitution Ave. as quickly as possible to avoid being trapped for the parade which I didn't want to stick around for. We crossed Constitution exactly as former Pres Bush flew directly overhead in the giant Marine helicopter. I knew going back to Gallery Place would be futile, and Union Station was far too crowded as well. So we headed a little further east and had a really nice lunch at La Loma on Mass Ave. and waited out the crowds with enchiladas and Margaritas. Still to be safe, we walked up to NY Ave Metro station which was practically empty. Took a red line train all the way to Woodley Park Station and walked the rest of the way home through Adams Morgan to Mt. Pleasant. We were home by 3:30 -- before the parade had even begun.
10:40 am
I somehow managed to dodge the whole 3rd St.Tunnel fiasco.Silver ticket in hand. Only to fall victim to the "You ain't leaving" fiasco.After Obama spoke;I began a mind numbing ordeal that spanned some 3 hrs. It included police threats;a lot of misdirection from authorities. It included pushing;shoving;shouting;panic;running;climbing over fences;squeezing between fences and crawling under fences. I essentially walked and climbed from the lawn of the Capitol all the way to Dupont Circle. There the crowds died down and I continued my slog home.I finally caught a bus to my Petworth home from in front of Howard University Hospital.The bus ride was quiet and fast.What did I do to desrve this?