RSS FeedInauguration Ceremony: The Perils Of Being Purple
Purple. That was the color of our reserved standing area tickets for the Inauguration Ceremony. Despite reading all the official instructions in the newspaper and in our ticket packets, the process of getting us onto the inaugural grounds fell into chaos. My little group made it inside while Joe Biden was being sworn in and we were able to watch Barack Obama’s swearing-in and speech as well as watch George Bush’s departure. In between, there were very good and very bad moments to be had. The good moments all came courtesy of our fellow attendees waiting in line with us – the purple purgatory.
We left our building just up the street from the U.S. Capitol at 6:15 am and strolled up to our checkpoint at 6:30 am. At that point, the volunteers and police gave extremely bad and wrong advice. They directed all attendees to the 3rd Street NW highway underpass. Unfortunately, they did not understand that several categories of passes could only gain entry on the north side of the Capitol – purple, for example.
Our little gang went under the highway with tens of thousands of others only to find out on the other side that we had to return back to the north side. On our return, we found that nothing had changed. The police had not opened the checkpoints as promised so we could get to the security area and we waited a while at 3rd and D Streets NW. And the crowd started to get ugly at this location.
Another volunteer finally recommended that we go to 1st and D Streets NW as a better location to wait. We decided to agree and ended up in a crowd of people who shared the purple color of our passes. We stayed there so long that one man led the whole crowd in the Star Spangled Banner, a moment that lifted everyone’s spirits and ended up on NPR. But we remained stuck and did not get access to the security area until around 8:30 am.
There were no volunteers, regular police, US Capitol police or anyone in any official capacity outside the security area. It was locked and no information was shared with any of the many thousands or purples. Decisions by attendees were reached based on rumors. At one point, a street lamp cracked at its base and started leaning. It was at great risk of breaking and falling on the crowd but there was no one in an official capacity anywhere to communicate the dangerous situation. And 911 on my cell phone did not work.
Finally the crowd became an amoebic mob and the security gates opened hours after scheduled. Still no information. Several people had medical issues in line but getting the attention of the officials across the fence was difficult and they were slow to respond. The crowd begged for any official person or crowd control on the street side of the fence but were refused.
As the ceremony started, the crowd continued to push forward more and more aggressively creating a potentially dangerous situation with a serious danger of someone being crushed or trampled arising. But we made it into the grounds intact while now Vice President Biden was taking his oath. Many thousands were unnecessarily left standing outside.
All this being said, the day could have been a fiasco but was not once we heard our new President address our nation. This is a big shout out to our fellow attendees in purple purgatory. We were there and boy will we have a tale to tell when we get older.
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Seems there are already Facebook group and Youtube video recapping the Purple ticket experience as Purplegate. It must have truly been a fiasco.
I was also in purple purgatory and left without ever getting inside the gates. I was lucky to live nearby and my friend and I decided it wasn’t worth waiting any longer and returned to my place in time to watch everything on television. I couldn’t believe how disorganized the gate system was but like my fellow ticket holder, glad that I hadn’t traveled a long distance this morning.
I was there as well…i couldn’t believe the sea of humanity. I was able to get in by 1115 and up to that point I was amazed by everyone’s civility. I can imagine after 1130 it was a bit different when they closed the gates.
Clearly, there were huge missteps….not sure why they forgot about the fact that many tens of thousands of people waiting for hours with no relief.
We had parade viewing stand tickets and went to the 10th and F St. entrance marked on our tickets. We arrived at 9:15AM. We never made it inside the security gate. They closed the gate with no information given to the crowd waiting outside. I would estimate there were at least 2,000 of us all standing in line from the security gate just up from Penn. Ave back to Madame Tussauds. We finally left the line at 1:00PM. we had to settle for watching the parade on TV at a friend’s house. I don’t know if my newly made friends that I left in that line ever made it into the the security area. i really doubt that they did. I was beyond frustrated to see that the parade route wasn’t even full of people! In fact, many of the viewing stands (which we had tickets for) had seats available! I am really depressed about it all and hope that the security people realize that a lot of people were let down by them today. I feel so bad for the ones who traveled long distances for nothing. One good thing that happened was that a few people in our crowd had brought radios and were nice enough to hold their radios in the air so that the crowd could hear the swearing in ceremony. This was a warm moment that we all shared on such a cold day!
After reading the WaPo, I want to add a few things. The biggest problem was caused by the fact that the Capitol Police NEVER came out from behind the fence. A woman needed medical assistance near us and they guy “in charge” on the other side of the fence virtually ignored our pleas for assistance and only returned 40 minutes with a Capitol Police officer and asked “didn’t you say someone needed a medic). Groups of 10 to 20 Capitol Police actually turned their backs to us even though people were yelling that they were starting to get crushed on the fence. Turned their backs and casually chatted with each other. They don’t need to investigate among themselves, they need to only ask the people in the crowd what happened. If they had gone with their original plan of opening up access and had adequate security personnel and crowd control and information on the outside, this fiasco would have been avoided. The Capitol Concert had no problem and the volunteers assisted with the formation of civil lines. The Capitol Police are very, very lucky someone did not get seriously injured.
The cops were AWFUL and there was so much room left on the parade route (from what I saw on my rooftop and on TV).
My husband and I had purple tickets too. We spent five hours in line in the 395 tunnel, in what turned into an underground claustrophobia nightmare. We eventually abandoned the tunnel line and went outside only to find that the purple line was in complete disarray. There were no officials directing anyone, as you mentioned. When the crowd started pushing and pressing in, we gave up and went back to our penn quarter apartment and watched from tv. I was very frustrated when I heard stories from other people who showed up at the mall much later in the morning than we did and were able to get through security. But it helps to know that we weren’t alone in our frustration. It certainly makes for an interesting story to tell!
Feinstein launches investigation and has a contact e-mail (end of her statement). Her statement is below:
I have just spoken with Mark Sullivan, Director of the Secret Service, and I have asked him to convene, along with the U.S. Capitol Police, all law enforcement and other parties involved in planning for this Inaugural to conduct a prompt investigation into two serious incidents that have been reported. These reports have prompted great concern by members of the Inaugural Committee, including Senator Bob Bennett, and by Congress in general.
The specific incidents include the report that a decision was made to cut off access to Purple and Blue standing areas, which meant that a large number of ticketholders could not reach their designated areas.
I also aware of the incident involving the 3 rd Street Tunnel, where thousands of people were stuck for several hours and apparently without any law enforcement presence.
There may have also been other irregularities, but I have heard enough to know that something went wrong and we need to find out what happened. Mr. Sullivan has indicated that he will provide a full report.
I would encourage people who have direct information about these incidents to contact the Secret Service, in addition to contacting the Joint Congressional Committee for Inaugural Ceremonies at feedback@jccic.senate.gov
I don’t know who to blame but the coordination of the gates and the security check points were horrible. The police were not communicating to the public AND to each other! There were no ticket signs, no sense of direction, silence or wrong directions from law enforcement officials, etc, etc. We stood with the crowd at the 3rd Street alley for more than 2 hours from 8:30 a.m. to after 10:30 a.m. when I finally decided to head back to Judiciary Square metro (the designated metro stop for purple ticket holders) to go home. In my opinion, designating Judiciary Square as the purple metro entrance was a mistake. They should have told us to enter from the Union Station metro stop because the real Purple Gate was closest to that metro stop. My friend insisted we take the Union Station metro home. So we walked towards Union Station and lo and behold, we saw the real Purple Gate (at the intersection of 1st Street and Louisiana Avenue) and the entrance was actually a few feet away from us (with the crowd in between) which wasn’t as deep as the larger one stuck on 3rd Street though it was moving VERY slow due to security but AT LEAST it was moving. We squeezed tightly through the “Gate of Purple Heaven” at around 11:27 a.m. and after going through the security check points for about 1 minute, we ran as fast as we could to our standing area near the left side of the Capitol. We found a comfortable spot just as Senator Feinstein began her welcome remarks. It was a miracle but after hearing some of these horror stories, I feel awful for many of my fellow purple citizens who couldn’t get in at all. Know that those of us who did make it in represented the same spirit that you had, a spirit of hope, unity, solidarity, and pride in our nation. God bless you all. As Obama said, “This was never about me but about you.” Know that Obama wouldn’t be president without your support. Seeing you all there gave me a sense of gratitude and renewed my faith in the American people. You rock!
I got the following E-mail this morning:
=SENATOR FEINSTEIN STATEMENT ON INCIDENTS AT 56TH PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL CEREMONY=
Washington, DC—U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, today issued the following statement in response to reports of incidents which prevented a large number of ticketholders from reaching their designated areas at the 56th Presidential Inaugural Ceremony:
Following is Senator Feinstein’s statement:
“I have just spoken with Mark Sullivan, Director of the Secret Service, and I have asked him to convene along with the U.S. Capitol Police, all law enforcement and other parties involved in planning for this Inaugural to conduct a prompt investigation into two serious incidents that have been reported. These reports have prompted great concern by members of the Inaugural Committee, including Senator Bob Bennett, and by Congress in general.
The specific incidents include the report that a decision was made to cut off access to Purple and Blue standing areas, which meant that a large number of ticketholders could not reach their designated areas.
I am also aware of the incident involving the 3rd Street Tunnel, where thousands of people were stuck for several hours and apparently without any law enforcement presence.
There may have also been other irregularities, but I have heard enough to know that something went wrong and we need to find out what happened. Mr. Sullivan has indicated that he will provide a full report.
I would encourage people who have direct information about these incidents to contact the Secret Service, in addition to contacting the Joint Congressional Committee for Inaugural Ceremonies at feedback@jccic.senate.gov”
the e-mail Frank mentions is also posted on the web at the Senate’s inaugural website here. link is shown below.
http://inaugural.senate.gov/media/releases/release-012109-feinsteinstmt.cfm
For Complaints about insufficient police presence and/or dangerous situations ignored by police, contact the Inspector General of the Capitol Police:
OIG@cap-police.senate.gov
HOTLINE – Toll Free 1-866-906-2446
What’s really scary about this is the lack of planning, responsiveness, presence and the overall apathy and incompetence of the US Capitol Police. Yes, there were more people and it was an extraordinary crowd. But they had months to prepare for this — years really, since inaugurations are repeated every four years.
Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrence Gainer, the former failed
Chief of the Capitol Police, lied about the causes behind this disaster, according to today’s WaPo:
“Gainer denied that slow screening was responsible for the difficulties, saying that the sections filled by noon and that additional people couldn’t have fit even with speedier processing.”
WaPo goes on to report that his lie was contradicted by others, as well as a satellite photo:
“His account contrasted with reports from some people who got into the sections and said they weren’t full. Authorities did not count how many entered or were stuck outside.
The satellite photo indicates that the back parts of the blue and purple ticketed areas were largely empty. It also shows empty swaths in the silver ticketed standing-room-only areas on both sides of Third Street, beside the Capitol Reflecting Pool.”
It’s a shocking lack of accountability. Gainer should be fired, as should the current Capitol Police Chief. Officers who failed to respond to citizens’ medical needs should be booted immediately. This are the same Capitol Police who hired recruits who failed criminal background checks and psychological evaluations. This are the same Police who let a guy drive up to them in his truck and get past them, then ran amok in the Capitol before being apprehended by an ordinary staffer.
But none of them will have to bear responsibilty. Everyone will go happily along the way because this is the Capitol Police. They’re bunglers of the highest degree. An they’re “protecting” the Capitol.
According to the PIC, we are now going to be able to get the things that we were given when we picked up the tickets!!! They are “rewarding” us with the program and invitation. Don’t they know that we got those with the tickets?
All of the comments I have read are accurate. The whole experience in the dreaded tunnel was not pleasant. My aim when I arose at 5 am that morning was to see my president elect being sworn in as the 44th president of the united states. In that tunnel there were no kinds of preparation made for the masses of people who were herded in there. Me and my family were in that tunnel for four hours. When we finally reached the exit it was impossible to move at any steady pace. When we finally got to the dreaded purple gate we were told that we could not enter. We were disgusted and disappointed to say the least. I have been told that the joint committee on inaugural ceremonies are supposed to send ticket holders a gift for our troubles, which includes a taping of the swearing in. I do hope that that is true. With all of this aside, I was a participant of history along with my daughters, my husband, my sister, my nephew and my 14 year old grandson. I wish our new president god’s speed and his blessings for the job he has in front of him, which I am sure he will perform well!
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I had a blue ticket as did my fellow inauguration compatriot. We never made it in. Instead, we realized we wouldn’t make it in time and knew we too far away to hear or see the jumbotrons so we ran to a House Building and watched on a TV from an office. I agree that the organization and directions left a lot to be desired. I would be incredible frustrated and disappointed had I traveled far and had these same results. I have never seen so many people and been in such a mob. All in all, a great for history and a great event to participate in.