So, many of you may have heard about the 1,000 or so people that had tickets to the inauguration and were not able to gain entry. The section that I was in, the Purple Gate, was the area of most concern. Satellite photos taken at 11:15am show this section very bare of people. I was in line for hours and just barely made it through the gate at around 11:50am, right before they closed it down. It was completely unorganized, which was a shocker to me after how well the campaign organized everything.
Now, this is not some omen or some reflection of mismanagement that will plague President Obama’s Administration. Mistakes happen. No one was sure exactly how many people were going to flood DC or what to do with them. No one was sure exactly what to do with all the busses. No one was sure where to make lines, or where those lines were heading. Mistakes were made for sure, but mistakes happen.
My friends and I were very lucky to have just barely made it through the gates. We stood in what can only be jokingly called a "line" for hours. It was frustrating. However, we did bond with the other people in line. One guy, who had spent two years in the Peace Corp gave me great advice about the application process (which I am just beginning). We joked and chanted, and made the best of an annoying situation.
Now what is important here, is not just that a lot of people who made plans around having tickets were not let in, it is about who those people were that were shut out of the purple section. People with purple tickets were Obama staffers (entry level organizers) and the most dedicated of volunteers that were lucky enough to get an organizer’s extra ticket. These were the people that get no prestige, no vip passes to any events, many of us never met the candidate that we put in 70-110 hour weeks for. These were the small people that sacrificed good jobs, better salaries, friends and family, health, and sanity to elect this man. They were people that traveled all over the country to knock on doors and make calls. And they were people that traveled from all over the country for this Inauguration only to find themselves stuck in one of the only places in the world where you could not hear or see the Inauguration. Here are some personal stories from the facebook group: Purplegate – "Let Us In!"
Kristin
How devastating was that!? I flew in from Hawaii. Fortunately I had a little radio, so I could hear what was going on. I could have stayed in Hawaii and watched on tv. I watched someone crying next to me just after Obama was sworn in. These were not tears of joy for the moment, but sadness for just having missed the historic moment. I would have been happy in the mall watching the jumbotrons and celebrating with everyone. If only somebody had been there to direct us and let us know what was going on. Given enough time I could have made it to the celebration.
Jordan
We came all the way from Kansas. We had our official-looking purple tickets and got there 4-1/2 hours before the start. We did what we were told and got within 100 yards of getting in (I think...). My group was crushed in the crowd in the intersection of 1st and D as people tried to get to the gate from all directions. Ambulances pushed past, Samuel L. Jackson pushed past, Jesse Jackson pushed past (but did not get in to the Inauguration!) and everyone in the intersection was just smashed for over two hours with no movement. A total CF, but somehow fun in a strange, sick way. I still would definitely like to have seen the inauguration though. I still have a unique memory of the event and am now part of a unique (albeit unfortunate) group...the PurpleGaters.
Elizabeth
Thank you for creating this group! There needs to be an investigation of this tragic situation. It was totally unorganized. No police, no volunteers, no signs, no information, nothing to indicate where to go. Everyone was trying to do the right thing (getting up super early, finding their section, remaining patient) only to discover that incompetent organizing was steadily leading them down a path to nowhere. My heart especially goes out to those who traveled thousands of miles to be here today and were left terribly disappointed. What happened at Purplegate is a disgrace and a disservice to the spirit of what this day symbolized to so many Americans.
There’s plenty more at Purplegate – "Let Us In!", including photos and videos, but I am sure you get the point. For anyone that has been to a Obama campaign event, you can understand my surprise that this happened. His events were always well organized, with a sea of volunteers keeping the lines in order and providing frequent updates so no one is confused about what is happening. This was not what happened yesterday. Yesterday, people in line had no clue whether it was actually a line, where it was going, or where it ended. People came from all over, showed up early, did everything they were told to do, and were let down. And so many of them were people that devoted much of their life to electing this man. These were the people that did more than vote for him. They deserve an apology.