DC Metro Closures on Oct 11
to Impact Cleve's March
to Impact Cleve's March
If you're organizing a massive gathering of people in Washington, DC, over a fall holiday weekend, the last thing you want is a major public transportation headache, and that is exactly what the Metro system announced late today. From the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority release:
The Waterfront-SEU and Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Metrorail stations will be closed and the Green and Yellow Lines also will be closed at the L’Enfant Plaza, Metrorail station from 9:30 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 9, through Monday, Oct. 12, with no Green or Yellow Line service at these three stations at that time. Service will resume at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13. There will be no Yellow Line service in the District of Columbia or Maryland during the Columbus Day holiday weekend, with service available only between the Huntington and Pentagon Metrorail stations.
Since my memory is rusty on the stops affected and their proximity to where I believe Cleve Jones is holding his march and rally on October 11, I emailed a DC friend and asked if the Metro plans would impact the rally and people getting to it:
Absolutely. I'm not sure exactly where Cleve is planning on having his main event -- I seem to recall both the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol grounds being mentioned.
But the main part of the Mall with the Smithsonian Museums is from 3rd to 14th Streets, and the Navy Memorial and L'Enfant stations are at 7th St, just north and south of the Mall. The line in from Anacostia will be terminated early -- cue the race card, as well as the line in from the less expensive parts of DC and Maryland, specifically the U of Maryland.
I predict no more than 10,000 LGBT folks and our straight allies will show up for the march, but even that number of people will need extra help getting around to the key locations for the march due to the Metro issues. Will the crew putting on the event soon announce plans for dealing with the Metro station closures and limited service?
2 comments:
With no disrespect, isn't your DC contact's juxtaposition of "Absolutely" with "I'm not exactly sure ..." a bit contradictory?
I'm sure he/she will be happy to learn that the rally will be on the WEST side of the Capitol. None of the four closest Metro stations—Capitol South, Federal Center SW, Judiciary Square, and Union Station, involve the affected Green & Yellow Lines, but rather Orange and/or Blue and/or Red Lines.
And, for those who would normally transfer from a Green or Yellow Line to lines serving the relevant stations above, note the Metro advisory also says:
"Metro will operate free shuttle buses between the Navy Yard and Gallery Pl-Chinatown Metrorail stations to help riders get past the track work. [With announcements of other shuttle services to come.]
Metrorail customers who normally ride the Yellow Line between Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia are encouraged to ride the Blue Line during Columbus Day Weekend."
I'm also happy to share that both the Blue and Orange Lines service the ***stations within walking distance of the Memorial Service for Leonard Matlovich in Congressional Cemetery at 2 PM on Saturday, October 10th: ***Potomac Ave and Stadium-Armory.
Speakers now include Frank Kameny, Troy Perry, Eric Alva, and DADT casualties Lt. Dan Choi, Tracy Thorne, and Alex Nicholson.
http://wiedamark.com/nem/MatlovichMemorial9-8W.jpg
Nobody is going to Cleve's Charade. It is embarrassing for our Community. I wish Mixner had the balls to postpone it. Cleve Jones shouldn't be trusted.
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