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Barack Obama victory speech in Grant Park draws massive crowds but not drama
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Imagine if every single Taste of Chicago attendee decided to pack it up and leave at the same time. That's exactly what it felt like as a flood of Barack Obama supporters swarmed downtown Chicago's streets after his victory speech Tuesday night. Crowd surfing through Grant Park would've been more plausible than hailing a cab; cops manned the nearest Red Line entrance, with a line at least 30 people deep above ground alone. But leaving the park proved to be the only headache of the evening (and even so, it only took me an hour and a half to get home). For all the doomsday scenarios of riots, disorderly crowds and violence discussed since the party was announced, it ended up being a peaceful evening of revelry. Maybe even too chill for those attendees who didn't get coveted tickets to the main event.
I approached a group of twentysomethings and asked them why they thought it was important to attend the rally. They mused about wanting to commune with their fellow man, and that they came down not because it was important to be there but because it was exciting, and then sulked that there wasn't enough communing or excitement going on. And it's true that before Obama's speech, many people looked, well, bored—like they were standing around waiting for another act to come on stage at Lollapalooza.
"It's very calm, and I'm having a good time," said North Sider Zoltan Fay. "This is far from the pandemonium that certain people were expecting...to be involved in something like this, we may never get this chance again."
By 9:40, though, Columbus from Congress to Jackson and every inch of space in between filled in with Obama fans and Chicagoans who wanted to grab their slice of history. Looking around the crowd, I could spot everyone from mothers with babies strapped to their bodies to young professionals in their business casual clothes to hipsters drinking Steel Reserve out of plastic bags. The diversity of the crowd truly seemed to represent not only the city but the country, and people from all walks of life united in their reactions to CNN's coverage of the election results. They went wild when the anchors talked about the youth vote or when Oprah and Stedman would flash on the jumbo trons. People sporting homemade Obama shirts and hand-painted signs inched through the crowds, stopping to cheer "Yes we can" and "U.S.A." The crowd reacted kindly to Senator McCain, though everyone turned on him at the mention of Sarah Palin. But it was Barack Obama's victory speech that drew everyone to Grant Park. And it was that speech, which followed three songs including "Sweet Home Chicago," that really set the audience in motion, jumping up and down, cheering nonstop and rising up on their tippy-toes to try to snap photos of the action.
Even after Obama's speech ended, the crowd's enthusiasm continued as we all made our way west toward some form of CTA. It felt surreal strolling down the middle of a car-free State Street while people randomly started Obama chants. One fearless, overly enthused fan even climbed on top of his car, waving an American flag and leading passersby in a cheer. Can Chicago throw a killer party? Yes we can.
Were you lucky enough to get tickets to the main event? Let me know how it went in the comments field below.
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