They've CLOSED the Metro lines down!!!

[KyndCulture]

I just got a call from a friend on the ground in DC, the police have closed down the metro lines. People are stranded. He thinks they are trying to prevent people from getting there....

:nuke:

[Atman]

1. Locked OUT or locked IN?

Hmmm. This could get ugly.

[tofubo]

77. president of vice cheney is 'in the hospital', * is @ northern_command

i'll flip you a coin, is it freedom or fascism ??

[Tsiyu]

2. kick

You knew they'd pull some kind of shit...best of luck to all in DC. We wish we could be there with you.

:kick:

[KyndCulture]

3. He got to a worker, they said "Routine Maintenence"

this IS NOT good.

[soleft]

4. Wasn't there supposed to be some kind of drill in DC today

[JaneGat]

29. Today in DC: Commandos in the Streets? (Sept. 23, 2005) WAPO

Today in DC: Commandos in the Streets? (Sept. 23, 2005)

Today, somewhere in the DC metropolitan area, the military is conducting a highly classified Granite Shadow "demonstration."

Granite Shadow is yet another new Top Secret and compartmented operation related to the military’s extra-legal powers regarding weapons of mass destruction. It allows for emergency military operations in the United States without civilian supervision or control.

<snip>

The sensitivities, according to military sources, include deployment of "special mission units" (the so-called Delta Force, SEAL teams, Rangers, and other special units of Joint Special Operations Command) in Washington, DC and other domestic hot spots. NORTHCOM has worked closely with U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), as well as the secret branches of non-military agencies and departments to enforce "unity of command" over any post 9/11 efforts.

Further, Granite Shadow posits domestic military operations, including intelligence collection and surveillance, unique rules of engagement regarding the use of lethal force, the use of experimental non-lethal weapons, and federal and military control of incident locations that are highly controversial and might border on the illegal.

http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2005/09/today_in_dc_com.html

[Wickerman]

5. ABC reported it as an "electrical problem"

And that there weretens of thousands already there, but organizers were "downplaying" expectations for attendance now that there was a power outage on the Metro.

:tinfoilhat: firmly in place.

[KyndCulture]

7. FUCK THAT!!!!!!!

My friend says it's chaos.

[MelissaB]

13. Can you tell us more?

What is happening?

[KyndCulture]

15. People are stuck all over the city.

There are a lot of people in the stations. Getting loud.

[MelissaB]

14. Can you tell us more?

What is happening?

[cyberpj]

70. AMTRACK USED SAME EXCUSE. nt.

[Mike Daniels]

97. Please.....

Metro has power/train problems on a weekly if not daily basis.

But because something happens when you are on a march it's a conspiracy.

RIGHT.......

[0007]

6. Those dirty fucking rotten bastards

[MelissaB]

8. Surprise....not

:yoiks:

[struggle4progress]

79. "Transportation officials are asking people to leave their cars at home ..

.. and take Metro."

Human Mosaic to Take Shape in D.C.
By Petula Dvorak
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 24, 2005; Page B01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/23/AR2005092301873.html

[helderheid]

9. AARRGGH

[Pirate Smile]

10. Amtrak service to DC out of NYC is down from Daily Kos

"Amtrak service to DC out of NYC is down
by gmb
Sat Sep 24th, 2005 at 07:34:12 PDT
Trains out of NYC have been "delayed" since at least as early as 6:40 a.m. The place was packed and there were lots of people holding signs for the march (my favorite: Make Levees, Not War). I went up to one of the groups and they said that they sat on a train for 2 hours before they were told to get off. They told me that they were told that some electrical repair was done on the route between NYC and Trenton, NJ....suggested that it was elective. I spoke to a couple of folks and the concensus was that the timing of the repair seemed, how you say, convenient. I also saw a very white, red-faced idiot who was saying something to three cops about the protesters signs being "fire hazards." Fortunately, the cops were looking at him like he was insane. The signs were still there when I left. "

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/24/103412/375

[Pirate Smile]

19. Here is a reply on the thread.

"According to Amtrak (none / 0)

They had a "steel beam" in Trenton over the lines - but the lady was a little puzzled by this explaination. She said that the latest official report she had was that they were supposed to leave around ten am, but now as of 11:25am none of the tains have left the station.

I called and told her I had a friend coming from NYC scheduled to arrive around 11am in DC. Waited on hold while she investigated all of the tralns. She said the entire corridor is still shut down to DC.

So it is confirmed. Call the Amtrak number if you'd like to double confirm.

by inclusiveheart on Sat Sep 24th, 2005 at 08:25:09 PDT

"

[Stephanie]

WOW

That is unbelievable. They've shut down Amtrak AND DC Metro?

WHO WILL REPORT THIS?

[KyndCulture]

41. WE WILL REPORT IT!

[Rose Siding]

30. T.O. has an 11am post about Amtrak: "All service has now been restored."

http://truthout.org/campcaseydc.shtml

Chanting at Penn Station
By Scott Galindez

Saturday 24 September 2005 11:00 AM

Amtrak service from New York has been delayed for 2 hours. A spontaneous demonstration erupted at Penn Station as delayed passengers chanted, "Bring the troops home now!" All service has now been restored.

[JHB]

11. Now taking bets:

Freepers calling in (false) bomb threats?

[rfranklin]

12. this shows how afraid they are...

but it also shows how desperate they are--and that is very frightening.

[non sociopath skin]

18. Ain't it the truth!

The Skin

[whatever4]

62. Yes

Came on this morning to see what was up, and wow. All kinds of great comments already. What worries me is that they aren't even really desperate yet. The possibilities of what actions this admin might take are beyond my imagination, and the depths to which they will sink are too, pretty much.

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. They did this to us before. Turned whole buses away. *grrr*

[malaise]

22. Hope the speakers make this public n/t

liev on Cspan now.

[salin]

36. I missed that story

could you give a quick recap?

[whistle]

17. No wonder Bush is in Colorado Springs getting wasted

[Junkdrawer]

20. During the Million Mom march, Metro was BY FAR the most popular way...

of getting to and from the Mall.

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

[Mairead]

51. Likewise during the Pro-Choice marches in '89 -- they were PACKED (nt)

[Bernardo de La Paz]

21. This is a serious cowardly act by the regime. Too many coincidences.

Nominated for Greatest page.

[cwydro]

74. i agree

and there is no such thing as a coincidence

[Sydnie]

23. They are banking on having to make arrests and maybe worse

They want panic and fights and arrests and mayhem all over the country today.

Keep strong, stay patient and don't give them a reason to arrest anyone. Protest where you stand if you can't get there. That is really "taking it to the streets" and it will be more than they bargained for.

[KyndCulture]

35. The people in the stations are getting angry....

God give them patience... stay CALM PEOPLE!!! STAY CALM!!!

everybody send good wishes... it really sounds like chaos.

[Botany]

37. Sydnie this just stinks!

Just like here in Columbus 62 "extra" voting machines were on
trucks driving around town all day.

Fucking Fascists ......

Random chance .... my ass

[kster]

68. Good advice.nt

[Telly Savalas]

87. In another thread I read that police offers were laughing

at Black Bloc members who were doing their usual juvenile bullshit like knocking over dumpsters and newspaper boxes. If they (whoever "they" is) truly desire panic and mayhem, then why aren't they busting Black Bloc heads?

[MyNameGoesHere]

24. Metro or Amtrak?

All of the metro lines?

[mandomom]

25. Metro "Service Disruption" announcements

http://content.wmata.com/NewSite/servicealerts/alertdisplay.cfm

[mandomom]

26. Disruptions happen to track protest venues.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

31. And Three Different Color Lines.

[mandomom]

27. AND routine maintenance gets advance announcements.

[leveymg]

63. Yellow and Blue lines still down, accord2 Metro website

[Bernardo de La Paz]

28. March downtown. Converge. They'll have a rabble march not an organized one

Spread the word among stranded marchers. Get downtown even if you have to walk there.

The "authorities" didn't want an organized march. They shall have a rabble. The people will not be denied in expressing their guaranteed First Amendment rights, which include Freedom of Assembly.

[KyndCulture]

32. Blue, Yellow and Green lines all down

Metrorail is currently experiencing a service disruption at Fort Totten station.
Disruption details: Trains will share the same track between Fort Totten and Greenbelt..
Rail line(s) affected: Green Line.

Metrorail is currently experiencing a service disruption between Pentagon City and Eisenhower Ave stations.
Disruption details: Trains will share the same track between Pentagon City and Eisenhower Ave..
Rail line(s) affected: Yellow Line in both directions.

Metrorail is currently experiencing a service disruption between Pentagon City and Van Dorn Street stations.
Disruption details: Trains will share the same track between Pentagon City and Van Dorn Street..
Rail line(s) affected: Blue Line in both directions.

[Botany]

33. Just like the voting machines were not ready on 11/2/04

pure bullshit .... they know many people were staying around DC
and taking the metro in today.

[KyndCulture]

34. Lots of yelling going on...

Sounds like a TON of people where my friend is.

[Az]

38. Try what they will there are still a ton of people down there already

Watching on CSpan and traffic cams. Place is packed.

[Az]

40. Traffic cam

15th and Constitution... quite the crowd.

http://www.trafficland.com/findacam/trafficvideo.php?uid=0&map=142

[Bernardo de La Paz]

52. 15th St. NW & Penn was showing huge crowd; then went AWOL

The 15th St. NW & Pennsylvania Ave / Lower East Street Northwest was showing a huge crowd and then just a few minutes ago went on the blink. Frobotzed.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

53. 15th St / NY Av / Penn Av. Camera "waiting for data"

Different but nearby the other frobotzed one.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

57. 7th & Independence Ave on the Mall is "waiting for data".

Independence, hunh.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

59. Massive crowd at 15th NW & Constitution NW

[MADem]

73. Direct link to DC working

http://app.ddot.dc.gov/services_dsf/traffic_cameras/map_10.asp?200127

[KyndCulture]

39. Everybody take a second and send CALM VIBES to DC

people are getting very angry... I'm very worried.

[Festivito]

42. Perhaps the METRO cannot handle so many people protesting!?

The huge number of war protesters overwhelm the D.C. metro system known to be able to handle rush hour traffic flawlessly for years.

...te-he-he-he

[nashbridges]

61. Uh

<The huge number of war protesters overwhelm the D.C. metro system known to be able to handle rush hour traffic flawlessly for years.>

All due respect to the protesters and you, but anyone who takes the metro to work every day would beg to differ with your "flawlessly" assessment. Metro hasn't been run correctly since 1986.

[Festivito]

65. Just fun to make a dirty trick backfire, should it be one.

Please excuse my sarcastically hyperbolized prior post. I don't think there is a flawless system.

[applegrove]

43. That is so sad. I can remember a demonstration on Parliament Hill

that was 200,000 strong - and all unemployed workers. What is up with you in the USA?

Perhaps the Pentagon knows the value of the lesson you are trying to teach today. Desperate to not have you all in one picture.

Meanwhile Bush is probably wearing the jumpsuit & hardhat - cause he is a command-com.

Your country is so strange.

[KyndCulture]

45. They are TERRIFIED of us!! that's obvious now,.

[helderheid]

44. I've called someone at the rally and told her to spread the word

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4870129

[KyndCulture]

46. Good please spread the word to anyone there...

That people are stranded.

[Scout1071]

47. I immediately thought that when I read the DC/NYC line was down.

Nice way to keep the crowd down.

[nashville_brook]

48. out getting out -- apply lessons of NOLA

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

49. I wonder if this is part of Northcom's "exercises"???? nt

[shance]

66. That would make sense.

Why is it legal and allowed for the military to engage in "exercises", much less during one of the largest protests in history.

Because that is the precise day they would want to do an "exercise". IOT, sounds like its not an exercise at all. If in fact that is what is taking place.

[Maccagirl]

50. They cannot arrest people legally

so they're doing everything in their power to make it as uncomfortable and disorganized as possible. Ever here of a pro-government (or right-wing) march or rally having any trouble? No! The Pentagon gives them buses and teeshirts! Freedom indeed!

:puke:

[leveymg]

60. And they still didn't get more than 7,000 people on the 11th.

Even with all the roadblocks, I bet we get a hundred times that number.

This is the real Freedom Walk.

[fed-up]

54. Call the media-especially TV, get live coverage

This just means that there will be many, many sites for the protest.

Keep everyone calm, if they are stuck there without transportation then it can be an impromptu gathering..don't know what the requirement for a permit is, but if they are forced to be there they may as well get their message out.

I can see it now, dozens of protests spread out all over downtown D.C. instead of just one major protest.

[KyndCulture]

56. They wanted CHAOS and it would seem they are provoking it.

dammit I hate these people!!!!!

My friend has a camera and a digital voice recorder.. he's using them. If anything happens he'll get evidence.

[shance]

64. I contacted Pacifica in LA They are broadcasting live. Told them what was

happening and the blue green and yellow lines are all down.

If anyone has GOOD accurate and up to date information, those are the best individuals to call.

[KyndCulture]

67. Most people gave up and walked!! nt

[cyberpj]

71. I understand = but NUMBERS IN ONE PLACE is what gets coverage.

that's why both Amtrack and Metro w/be used to stop the gathering in one place.

[cyberpj]

72. I HEARD WILL PITT was blogging, can we get this to him? -

both Amtrack and metro using "repairs" excuse to hold up people?

[helderheid]

75. I wish I knew how to reach him

[KyndCulture]

55. I've lost contact with my friend... he's not answering his cell

He's stranded on the "green" line in a station with his fiance.

[KyndCulture]

58. My friends walked!!! They are almost there.

The green line is open again.

[cyberpj]

69. Eariler, someone said Amtrack was delaying trains for 'repairs'. nt.

[cwydro]

76. this is unbelievable

or not. These people will do anything. They ARE scared and like a cornered rat...that makes them dangerous.

[Rainscents]

78. Can someone please tell me location of this rally?

[struggle4progress]

80. Service disruptions c 1:30

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Metrorail is currently experiencing a service disruption between Fort Totten and West Hyattsville stations.
Disruption details: Trains will share the same track between Fort Totten and Greenbelt..
Rail line(s) affected: Green Line in both directions.

Metrorail is currently experiencing a service disruption between Pentagon City and Eisenhower Ave stations.
Disruption details: Trains will share the same track between Pentagon City and Eisenhower Ave..
Rail line(s) affected: Yellow Line in both directions.

Metrorail is currently experiencing a service disruption between Pentagon City and Van Dorn Street stations.
Disruption details: Trains will share the same track between Pentagon City and Van Dorn Street..
Rail line(s) affected: Blue Line in both directions.

http://content.wmata.com/newsite/servicealerts/alertdisplay.cfm


Also:

Numerous Metrobus service changes to take effect Sunday, Sept. 25
http://www.wmata.com/about/met_news/story.cfm?ID=389
http://www.wmata.com/metrobus/metrobus_advisory.cfm

[sofa king]

81. I just walked down to the Rosslyn Metro; it's open.

It's working just fine. The info boards were reporting elevator outages as they usually do. There was a message over the PA about some sort of outage on the blue and yellow lines, but I couldn't catch it all.

I slso saw this:

<img src="" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

In the foreground is a black minivan, license plate beginning with 566M followed by three more numbers which I can't remember, with Diebold magnetic stickers on the side and the driver talking on his cell phone with the driver's side door open. The driver was a black male in his 20s or 30s and he was sitting sideways in the vehicle so that he could see into the mini-mall which adjoins the Rosslyn Metro. I looked inside the minimall and saw nobody, which is not uncommon on a Saturday.

Outside of the Kellog, Brown and Root offices, I saw a big guy, white, in his 40s, talking on a cell phone, wearing an identification badge on his hip with the identification itself reversed so that it was not visible. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who wanted to pose for a picture. He was gone by the time I walked back up the hill.

I'm sure it's nothing, but since I happen to think this weekend is going to be the Night of the Long Knives, I thought I would mention it.

[helderheid]

82. FACINATING!

[sofa king]

83. Oh, I should also mention....

Cutting off the yellow and blue lines prevents any unruly types from getting off at the Arlington Cemetery, Pentagon, and Pentagon City Metro stations, effectively isolating the Pentagon from foot traffic. The Green Line passes through L'Enfant Plaza, which is the connector station between Virginia and DC on the Yellow Line.

This might be part of the Granite Shadow operation which is... let me choose my words carefully here..."simulating" the imposition of martial law in the wake of an emergency.

At this point, I am about 40% convinced that this weekend is going to be the weekend in which the Bush Administration attempts to make a grab for enough power to stifle the Department of Justice's investigation of the Abramoff scandal, which I think is closing in on the conclusion that the Republican Party and White House officials were laundering al Qaeda funds in advance of the September 11 attacks. See here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1798900

It's all falling into place: the President is hiding out in Cheyenne Mountain, with his puppeteer Karl Rove (who is scheduled to go to North Dakota thereafter but, if I'm right, won't). Dick Cheney has ostensibly undergone surgery at GW Hospital, but as that place is only six blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue from the protesters I consider it unlikely that his security would actually allow such a thing to happen--you don't cut off thousands of travelers from the Pentagon when the Vice President is just down the street. High-ranking Democrats have also left town.

I don't know what happens from here, but if it's going down, I'll squeal about here it until they come get me.

[unrepuke]

92. Hey, you're Sofa King cool! LOL

[LiberalEsto]

84. We just got home from DC on the Shady Grove red line

A group of us me and rode in at 11:15 am with no problems. There were hundreds of peace marchers getting off the same train.

On the way back, we found that one of the smaller Farragut stations was closed, but the police directed us to another one a block away and we got home with no problems.

The crowd at the march was enormous, but it was extremely disorganized. I saw no march organizers directing the march. Everything bogged down in front of the White House as dozens of marchers stopped to take pictures of one another there.

LibE

[hippywife]

85. A friend in DC

tells me they close some of the stations sometimes to force people to spread out more to other stations and relieve congestion with people gravitating to one area and causing a bottleneck. She says they do it on 4th of July, too.

[Telly Savalas]

88. Oh come on....

can't you let us have our fantasies that they're trying to keep everyone cooped up so they can nerve gas 'em all?

[hippywife]

89. LOL

I got pissed when it was first mentioned that some stations were closed, too.

[mb7588a]

86. alrets and advisories:

http://content.wmata.com/newsite/servicealerts/alertdisplay.cfm

Nothin' out of the norm, they often have track maintenance etc on the weekends.

[despairing optimist]

90. Yellow line was NOT down. I rode it. Service sucked, but it existed

I flew down on from LaGuardia on a 9 a.m. shuttle to make the 11:30 rally at the Ellipse, naively confident that DC Metro would whisk me there in 20 minutes or less. Ha! As soon as I got to the airport Metro station and was ready to go up the escalator, I saw scissor gates preventing that and forcing passengers onto the opposite platform. I soon learned that trains were using the same track for both directions, and then I waited 15 minutes for a Yellow line train since the time was getting late.

Instead of switching to the Blue Line at L'Enfant Plaza, I decided to stay on the Yellow Line for one stop, which put me at Archives/Navy and in the middle of a freeper demo right outside the station. This turned out to be good since I was curious as to its size and nature. Size: a couple dozen people. Nature: men and women alternating with a bullhorn or small-size amplifier on a little square, pretty much ignored by the hordes of people like me headed toward the Ellipse and the Washington Monument. No nasty confrontations, which was good because I decided to return home the same way I arrived.

After hanging out a few hours by the Monument and the Ellipse, I headed back toward the Archives/Navy stop. Same freeper scene, rather pathetic, but not confrontational even though still more antiwar people were coming out of the station I was about to enter. I had to wait 20 minutes for a Yellow Line train to arrive, and then it was one dead stop after another between stations as the conductor apologized for the delays. It took at least twice as long for the train to get to the airport, but it did get there.

I go on at length here because it isn't true to define "down" as meaning "lengthy delays." "Down" means "no service at all," and at least as the Yellow Line was concerned, from about 10:30 this morning until 1:30 or so this afternoon, the service existed. Now, as far as complaining about doing maintenance when Metro should have known this weekend would have large crowds relying on the system, let me know where I can complain. Surely the powers that be could have waited till next weekend to resume the repair work, no?

[JPZenger]

91. METRO has become unreliable

The D.C. Metro system USED to be a great system. However, because of funding shortfalls, it has become rather unreliable. Needed repairs and maintenance have been delayed and delayed It also has become very overcrowded during peak hours and their is no money available for additional cars. But we do have $102 BILLION available to send two guys to the Moon and few trillion to send a couple guys to Mars.

[lizerdbits]

93. I got off at the Smithsonian around 11:45 with no problem

I was on the red line to Metro Center, tranferred to blue or orange, had no problems.

[captain disgruntled]

95. I encountered no problems on the Red Line either--

just it was packed as hell.
Which was a good thing.
The Metro is a lovely concept, but like many other infrastructure pieces, has been neglected and underfunded. There are also numerous problems with the escalators, for example, because many of the stations were sort of 'open air', and therefore frequently frozen and/or wet, which not surprisingly caused a lot of electrical problems. As the population in the area has grown, Metro now serves far more customers than it was originally designed to handle, and it is also prone to problems due to our extremes of temperature (rail expansion due to high heat, disruption of electricity when rails are covered with snow).
I note with some interest that the site given above is currently reporting similar outages on the same lines <i>today</i>, when there were apparently PRO-war rallies (whatever the hell THAT means) scheduled in the area.

I have no idea how many people were there--there were folk on the Mall, and folk all over the Ellipse, AND people all over the streets. I second the reports of people who described it as somewhat ill-regulated--we all rushed to congregate in the street promptly at 11:30, but then stood there till nearly TWO O'CLOCK before we started moving!!!! Fortunately, it was cool and somewhat breezy--otherwise I suspect we would have started to see people falling out. Most of the people around me seemed to have anticipated something like that, and came prepared with water and snacks, but it was still a serious drag to just be standing around like that with no feeling of control or organization.

I marched with Code Pink (they do good costumes); I think we were kind of near the end?? and we could look down the perpendicular streets and see marchers who had already walked an intervening 8-10 blocks!!! and were parallel to us. An incredible turnout, very energizing.

Didn't see too many cops, and many of those I did see were kind of lounging around boredly. There was a helicopter that passed over repeatedly, but it was white, so I took it for a news outlet.

[Alva Goldbook]

94. METRO was incompetent, that's all.

The Metro wasn't shut down. However, METRO was doing repairs on the blue and yellow lines south of the Pentagon. If it was intentional to screw up the protest, they would have done it "repairs" on the yellow and orange lines by the Metro Center, Smithsonian, and Federal Triangle stops. They didn't. They just working on the lines going south into Virginia.

When Metro does work like this, they go to "single tracking" which means all the trains have to share the same track, slowing things down. Normally, they do this at night, but for reasons we can only guess they decided to do this on the weekend. I would think that they were just trying to hinder the protest, but the METRO has been doing this kind of repairs on the weekends for the last several weeks now.

However, doing this was competely incompetent. Not only was there a massive peace rally in DC, that could easily number as many as a million people, but there was also the National Book Fair on the National Mall that brought out even more people to the city.

By the way, judging from the crowding I saw at the March for Women's Lives that happened in April of 2004 and this march, I would have to say that the numbers were fairly compariable. The March for Women's Lives were calculated (in a very organized manner) to be 1.3 million people. Judging by that, I would have to estimate that this protest was very close to that number.

For more images of the protest, take a look at my blog.

http://nitwitplanet.blogspot.com

[Flint-oid]

96. I read the Metro to and from the march. No problems.