Quote:
Originally Posted by McBane
It was security overkill, to the point that it's like why even bother hosting these events. Basically, secret service forgot that people live and work in the city. In order to secure a religious figure and accommodate his followers, city residents and businesses were swept aside.
Transit and road closures made it impossible for people to get in and out of the city; schools and businesses had to shut down on Friday and Monday; non-essential city offices closed; people living in the ridiculously large "secure zone" had to move their cars off the street; and because of the uninviting atmosphere, most city residents skipped town, people from the burbs stayed away, and small businesses lost a lot of money.
I'm just imagining that if the city tried to shut down the streets again, the people will rebel due to the misconception that closing the streets to cars would replicate the same circumstances that occurred this weekend. Of course, that would NOT be the case and so I'd fully support shutting down the streets to cars for a weekend.
EDIT: Yes, Londonee, your assumption is correct.
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As a Center City resident, it was surreal, interesting , and something me and my family will remember. Playing ball (wiffle ball, soccer) and walking down the middle of the streets created views that you normally don’t see as pedestrians on sidewalks. The National Guard guys were great – friendly, helping tourists and getting to know the neighbors. It was a weird mix of feeling like we were in a zombie apocalypse and also a snow day, without the snow.
The reality is that the impact was not worse than a major snow storm and considering that if we rely on history, the Pope may not be back for another 35 years. I think it was well worth putting Philadelphia on the international stage for an entire weekend.
As far as the lost restaurant business, while I’m sure true, we could easily blame everyone who ran out of town. And why? I guess because they felt that if they needed to drive in and out of the downtown, they wouldn’t be able to do so. The restaurant owners should be blaming their usual customers if they want to blame anyone.
As a Catholic who attended the Sunday Mass, it was an incredible experience – I won’t focus this post on that.
I think a lot of people wrote the negative headlines before the event even occurred and because they might be personally inconvenienced, wanted it to fail. Sorry, it didn’t folks. For those that didn’t come down for the events and also don’t live in Center City, what are you even complaining about? No need to complain on my behalf, I was rewarded with a lifetime of memories.
Common negative retorts to the positive news from the haters:
The Parkway was full from Eakins Oval to City Hall for the Mass – “but they said it would be 1.5 million people and it wasn’t so the whole thing sucked.”
Security lines were too long – “not enough security personnel.”
There were no security issues – “that’s because there was too much security.”
The hotels were at 90% - “but they should have been 100% and they only got to 90% by dropping prices.”
Unlike the Phillies parade, SEPTA managed the surge of riders at the conclusion of the Mass, vowing to leave no one behind – “that’s because they didn’t sell enough passes.”
Basically, any logistical success was due to the failings of the event. Any failings of the event was due to the failings of the government”
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