For the vast majority of the nearly 2 million people who crowded the National Mall for President Obama's Inauguration, the event was memorable for the powerful speeches, performances and imagery that accompanied our nation's 44th peaceful transition of power. But for between 5,000 and 10,000 of those people, the event was spent under the hellish Third Street Tunnel, located just north of the Capitol.
In response, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., ordered an investigation to be carried out by the various police agencies involved in the planning of the Inaugural festivities. The investigation will attempt to ascertain exactly why these people were diverted to the tunnel and then forgotten about. The sergeant-at-arms of the Senate, the chief law enforcement official in charge of the Inauguration, wrote a long apology to a Facebook group of angry tunnel people. Complimentary pictures of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have also been made available as consolation gifts.
For some this is not enough. For many the missed opportunity to see history outweighs any apology or complimentary photo. In response to the anger, media outlets - including this one - have spent time covering the story of the wayward ticket holders; an unfortunate response to an otherwise beautifully run event.
Out of 1.8 million people, only the tiniest fraction experienced any sort of real problems. While all had to wait in endless lines and deal with frigid cold, most who attended the Inauguration were guided by proficient and knowledgeable policemen, who had to contend with surly and cranky tourists. Despite the difficulty of keeping order amid the seeming chaos, not one person was arrested during the Inauguration.
In any large event, bad things are bound to happen. Trying to cram double population of D.C. on one small patch of grass, in a relatively short period of time, is a difficult task. The fact that such a small number ended up stuck in a tunnel should be viewed as an amazing accomplishment, not a cause for endless recriminations.
We are all sorry to those who spent hard-earned money to fly to D.C., rent one of the scarce hotel rooms and then ended up huddled into a tunnel for the very thing they had come to see.
Their anger is understandable, but it is still unfortunate that such a small hiccup - amid so many other successes - should have garnered so much attention across the country. The Metropolitan Police Department, the Capitol Police, the Secret Service and the many other police departments involved deserve accolades and congratulations, not accusations and censure.
