I attended the March for Women's Lives on the Mall in 2004; that rally had 1.1 million people on the Mall and stretched from 3rd Street to the Washington Monument; it was the only time I ever felt claustrophobic on the Mall (and I don't have claustrophobia, and the Mall is gigantic). The area from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial could hold several hundred thousand more.

If it's true that most people won't go to the Mall, where will they go? You can only fit in the hundreds of thousands on the actual motorcade route, and even then, most can't see much. There are only so many bleachers because of court rulings that forbid the privatization of the street.

I have my doubts that 3-4 million will actually be there; however, if there are, this is not good news for the residents of the District, who can expect their residences and streets trampled over and sheer madness. DC is used to large crowds - very large crowds - but this is insane. 1 million is barely tolerable; what will 3 to 4 million do? The human crush of people could be very dangerous.

I ask that if people go back to my former city that they do whatever they can to remember that people live there and to respect those people. Granted, half the city will be trying to attend the Inauguration, but it's no less true that outsiders often show an absolute lack of respect for the fact that there's a local population. If people can clean up after themselves (even though the garbage cans will be full), tread as lightly as possible, and remember that this is causing a dangerous situation for themselves and others alike, then maybe ...

Also, remember DC's large homeless population. They are always scooped up off the streets during the Inauguration or forced away from their homes, especially those who live in the streets along the parade route (a large area, for instance, is next to the Canadian Embassy). During the Bush Inaugurations, those homeless were being forced to show ID's and were otherwise harrassed. There are approximately 12,000 homeless living within the city, a little more than 2% of the population. Think of them and if you see a police officer, please ask them what they are doing for the homeless in light of the Inauguration and that they be treated with respect.

Jim Macdonald
The Magic of Yellowstone
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