By DAVID HERBERT
Security brought in metal barricades to keep the overflow Youth Ball crowd at bay at the Hilton Washington on Tuesday night. (Credit: David Herbert)
The hundreds of inaugural Youth Ball ticket holders who were shut out of the main ballroom at the Hilton Washington on Tuesday night for "safety reasons" may yet get justice, according to President Obama's inauguration committee.
"As sometimes happens at large events, a determination was made by the fire marshal to temporarily stop letting people into the ballroom for safety reasons," said Presidential Inauguration Committee spokeswoman Melanie Roussell. "We are in the process of determining a response to ticketed guests who were unable to attend."
Roussell declined to say who might be eligible for restitution or what that might entail.
After the ballroom doors were closed, a crush of tuxedo-clad 20-somethings pushed forward to no avail, imitating soccer hooligans by cheering "Ole, Ole, Ole" and shouting down law enforcement officials, who repeatedly made clear that no one else would be getting in. At one point, officials brought in metal security gates to keep the crowd at bay.
Roussell insisted that the event was not oversold and said the 35,815-square-foot International Ballroom never reached capacity (it can hold as many as 4,200 guests). She declined to reveal how many tickets were distributed.
Unable to access the ballroom, hundreds of party-goers crowded around television screens in an adjacent lounge area to watch Kanye West and Kid Rock perform and see the president and first lady dance. The ball was also broadcast live on MTV.
The face value of Youth Ball tickets was $75, but some fetched as much as $1,000 on craigslist. While aggrieved Youth Ballers await recompense from the inauguration committee, a few collectors of political bric-a-brac are providing some salve with offers of $25 to $50 for inaugural ball ticket stubs.
Partygoers wait in vain to get into the main ballroom. (Credit: David Herbert)
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The Police Officer I heard speak right outside the ballroom door said that it wasn't the Fire Marshall or Secret Service who made this decision, but that "staff" made this decision. Not sure if he meant Obama Staff, PIC Staff or Hotel Staff. Sure hope this gets resolved though, as I heard Obama volunteers/Youth Ball attendees say that they would never work for Obama again.
If you want to work with others to seek answers, join the Facebook group "The Oversold Inaugural Youth Ball Was A Total Disaster".