Despite predictions that D.C. was poised for an “Inaugurapocolypse” or an “Obamatastrophe,” on Wednesday morning, local pundits and worrywarts awoke to find their city in one piece, though not unscathed. Trash had overwhelmed the Mall and its surrounding streets by noon on Tuesday, and an elderly woman fell on the Metro tracks. The last of the trash, however, should be swept away before the week is out and the woman survived. Police officers made no arrests at the Mall and the city suffered minimal damage. The day, it seemed, had thumbed its nose at those who prophesied catastrophe.
The only thing that may tarnish the city’s achievement is the purple ticket snafu. Preliminary reports indicate that a failed generator that necessitated manual, not electronic, security screening of coveted purple section ticket holders and Congress’ over-distribution of tickets combined to cause hundreds of people to miss Obama’s entire address.
But assuming the police officers’ decision to turn away ticket holders and close entry gates was necessitated by safety concerns and too many ticket holders—the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has just launched an inquiry, so the events of the incident are not entirely clear yet—the situation seems to be as much Congress’ fault as it was the District’s. Even if the security officers could be blamed, the District’s otherwise smooth handling of the entire event doesn’t deserve to be marred by this.
The District might also be blamed for the impromptu decision to shut down Metro stations near the Mall shortly after Obama’s inaugural address ended, effectively trapping thousands of people below a two mile area of impassable parade route. While unfortunate, this inconvenience is hardly the disaster many were predicting.
Hospitals and jails adequately served the million-man Mall. The twenty-or-so patients coming from inaugural festivities that doctors treated at Georgetown Hospital led spokesperson Marianne Worley to characterize the day as “nothing out of the ordinary.” Leslie Kershaw, a spokesperson for Mayor Adrian Fenty’s office, said the mayor called Inauguration Day “a tremendous success.”
While other American cities’ management of enormous crowds draws mild admiration or goes unnoticed, the District’s unique situation garnered alarmist speculation, reminiscent of that which surrounded Beijing this summer as it prepared for the Olympics. Commentators cast D.C. as a dewy-eyed, unsuspecting city that wouldn’t know how to cope when its population ballooned to potentially ten times its normal size. But the District’s competent handling of the sure-to-be storied “Inaugurama” should absolve it from such snide speculation and snobbery in the future.
Was it good for you? Let Molly know at mtr37@georgetown.edu
