Obama, Be The People's President...No BLEACHERS!

Seems that the ANSWER Coalition is still fighting with the National Park Service on behalf of aaverage Americans. Their goal...eliminate RESERVE SEATING for the rich and elite at the Presidential Inaugurations...they have won a partial victory, and though planning on going back into court, they cannot win a full victory before Obama is sworn into office. That being said, I remind President Elect Obama promised to be the President of CHANGE, promised to make his White House, his administration accessible to ALL THE PEOPLE...PROVE IT MR. OBAMA, show us on Main Street you are a MAN OF YOUR WORD. You can, with your words eliminate ALL BLEACHERS, ELIMINATE SPECIAL ACCESS FOR THE RICH AND ELITE, and make your Inauguration truly an event for the people that is open to ALL AMERICANS on a FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS!

Posted at 3:56 PM ET, 11/17/2008

ANSWER Coalition Still Fighting Parade Bleachers

An anti-war group, whose 2005 lawsuit is freeing up a majority of the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue so that more people can see Barack Obama’s inaugural parade, won’t be satisfied until it gets the entire street.

The ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) was in U.S. District Court again this morning to go against the National Park Service, which controls America’s Main Street.

ANSWER argues that the park service effectively privatizes a public street by giving portions to the Presidential Inaugural Committee for ticketed bleacher seats, often purchased by corporations and big campaign donors.

Judge Paul L. Friedman ruled in ANSWER’s favor earlier this year with a permanent injunction, but he left the question of how many bleacher seats were too many up to the park service. The park service’s response was to reduce the number of reserved seats from the about 20,000 in 2005 to 8,790, according to new regulations released today.

But ANSWER’s lawyer Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, of the Partnership for Civil Justice, said that response is “contemptuous.” In other words, we’ll see you in court. Again.

The bleacher spots are in prime spots, like the White House sidewalk, and still blocking the view of spectators, Verheyden-Hilliard said. ANSWER is still pleased that the park service agreed to reduce the number of bleachers, but she added: “We believe there’s still an unfinished battle here.”

Unfortunately for spectators, the issue probably will not be resolved until next year, Verheyden-Hilliard said. Here's looking toward Inauguration 2013...