It'd be nice to know who was responsible for logistics on the mall, and it would be equally nice to know that someone high up understands that this was a big screw up that needs to be addressed for next time. Letting people like Terry Gainer try to downplay how bad it was, and blame the screw up on the fact that no one could have predicted the crowd would be wearing winter coats when the weather was predicted to be in the low 20s, only guarantees that the same gang of bozos will repeat this fiasco during the next big event. From NavalGazing.com
We did everything right but still failed to get to the parade route of the Inauguration, not due to the massive crowds but instead because the security was incompetent. We were among thousands of people stuck at 7th and E Streets NW in Washington DC. For five hours, one block from our destination. Ah well.
We got up at 3:15 a.m. and left the house by 4:00 a.m., and even managed to get seats on one of the first Metro trains to downtown. Unfortunately, it broke down at Rhode Island Avenue, about three miles from our destination. We decided to walk and after a few blocks found a cab. We arrived downtown just after 5 a.m. The lines of people were massive, going two long blocks down the street.
Our hope was to get through the checkpoint when it was supposed to open at 7 a.m. Instead, it opened at 7:35 a.m. and it took us five hours to go two blocks to get near the gate. They only had two entrances for the thousands of people and a few staff. At no point were there any announcements to the crowd that the entrance was virtually closed, so we just stood there. It was 14 degrees.
In a display of poor judgement or obliviousness, there was a police command center located on the third floor of the building above the entrance gate. There, throughout the entire time, were at least twenty officers standing and looking out the window at the crowd. They ate nearly the entire time.
Above, we see Officer J. Moczygemba (Badge 1265) of the San Antonio police. This is pretty much the image thousands of people will remember of the Inauguration: poorly staffed security that did not make any efforts to communicate with the crowd and many other officers above them, eating breakfast and taking photos.
And just when things could not get worse, the police decided to let two large tour buses come down the street through thousands of people. The buses were trapped.
We finally gave up at 10:00 a.m. even though we were across the street from the gate. At the rate we were going, it was going to be another three hours if we were lucky. We drove back to Silver Spring and watched the swearing-in of President Obama at a nearby restaurant.
