Inaugural security: leave chairs, strollers home

[Guest GaySacGuy]

This is from an Associated Press story on Yahoo News. I think that this is going way overboard on security!! I know, I know...they can't be too careful. But, when you can't even have a chair, and no stroller for a kid....bullshit!! What a free country the USA is....NOT!! I hope they enjoy waiting hours being miserable to hear Rick Warrens invocation!! More power to them.

 

 

WASHINGTON – No strollers near the U.S. Capitol. No tents on the National Mall. None of that Silly String on the parade route.

 

That's just a sample of the items forbidden from President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration for security reasons. And while many people say the inconvenience is a small price to pay to witness the swearing-in of the nation's first black president, others are scratching their heads, trying to figure out how they'll sit, snack, carry diapers or transport tired tots.

 

Some seniors are backing out of their inaugural plans, partly because of a no-chair rule for the parade route. Parenting blogs are abuzz with complaints about the less-than-kid-friendly restrictions. Thermoses, coolers and backpacks are out at both the Capitol and the parade route.

 

"Of course, they're not going to say, 'no children,'" said Sunny Chanel, a San Francisco-based contributor to Babble.com, a parenting Web site. "But they're definitely not making it easy for parents with smaller children to go."

 

The tightest rules are reserved for the lucky 240,000 ticket-holders, who get to sit closest to the swearing-in ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol. There are understandable prohibitions on weapons and pepper spray. But you also can't carry an umbrella. And don't think about holding up any "Yes We Did" signs — posters also are not allowed.

 

It could get tricky as people congregate along the parade route, where many items allowed on the Mall will be off-limits. That list includes bicycles, backpacks, aerosols (which could include Silly String), coolers, thermal containers and chairs.

 

Signs or placards can be brought to the parade — but only if they're made of cardboard, poster board or cloth and are not more than 3 feet by 20 feet.

 

Antron Johnson, who's organizing an inauguration trip with three busloads of Obama supporters from Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., said he's had about a dozen people, mostly elderly, who dropped out after learning about the parade's no-chair policy.

 

Additionally, Johnson said seven people, including families with young children, recently backed out — losing their deposits — because they're afraid they won't be able to maneuver in big crowds. Turnout estimates vary widely, with Mayor Adrian M. Fenty saying 2.5 million to 3 million people are a possibility and the National Park Service planning for at least 1 million.

 

Johnson said some people are worried about packed Metro trains now that officials are sounding warnings. Metro has said its bathrooms will be closed for security. The option left for parents wanting to change stinky diapers? Hundreds of porta-potties the transit system and park officials are providing downtown.

 

"It's truly scaring people," Johnson said. "The news is becoming more and more bleak."

 

The rules aren't so strict on the National Mall, where most people will end up because tickets aren't required. Officials have said everyone will be checked, but they haven't said what that will entail.

 

People won't be able to see much, except what's on Jumbotrons, but they can bring all sorts of stuff. Besides the obvious no-nos — firearms, explosives, fireworks — the only bans are on alcohol, tents and glass bottles.

 

"The ground rules for the Mall encourage the greatest number of participants and we've made it as welcoming as possible," said Kevin Griffis, a spokesman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

 

But officials are making a plea: Don't go overboard with your junk. For safety reasons, they don't want people bogged down if they need to clear an area. They also don't want to overload the stressed public transportation system.

 

"The more you bring, the more difficult it's going to make your movement," said Sgt. Robert LaChance, a spokesman for the U.S. Park Police, which patrols the Mall.

 

Authorities say expect to go through some type of security screening. If you have an item prohibited for a certain area, they will confiscate it.

 

When asked if specific items such as canes, walkers, lighters, matches and diaper bags would be prohibited from the parade route and the Capitol, authorities said they didn't know yet.

 

While most people say they understand why some restrictions are needed, they're struggling with how to follow the rules and still function during such a large-scale event. Creativity may be key.

 

Lamar Tyler, of Waldorf, Md., who runs the Web site BlackAndMarriedWithKids.com with his wife, Ronnie, partnered with Orbitz to give away an "Inauguration Day survival pack" stuffed with a hat, Chapstick, gloves, wipes and small toys. If he ends up bringing his four kids, ages 10 months to 15 years, he may have to make his own pack.

 

"We're coming, but whether we bring the kids or not is still up in the air," he said.

 

Reena Johar, of Palo Alto, Calif., plans a trip to the Mall with the group she's leading from the West Coast. But she faces the backpack dilemma: If she carries one, no parade; if she doesn't, how will she carry water and snacks? Will plastic bags do?

 

"I'm very puzzled about the whole thing," she said. "We have to work this out ... This is a major challenge."

 

 

[Bob]

Whether it's going way overboard, I'm not so sure. Given they are expecting 1-2-3 million people (i.e., absolutely huge crowds), they've got to have a lot of rules in place to prevent some problems purely from a safety point of view.

 

I'm from a dinky town (15,000+) people and I occasionally go to our dinky farmer's market on Saturdays during the summer months. A rather large group of people are there, at times it's like

walking through the night market in Chiangmai or Chatachuchak Market in Bangkok (albiet on a tremendously smaller scale) and I am dumbfounded how stupid people will occasionally try to push a stroller through there (thus clogging everything for 10 yards), bring their horse-sized dogs, attempt to stop in groups for conversation in the main paths of travel, etc. It's inconvenient to the majority and, at times, a little dangerous. By the way, the 2-year-olds and strollers aren't there to shop for vegetables or baked goods, they're there so the parents can, so to speak, walk the dog with them.

 

It's safe or intelligent to place small children or strollers or whatever in crowds of this size? Not to me.....and, if an incident happened where crowd panic occurred, the personal injuries the crowd would cause would far outweigh whatver the incident created.