🚀 go-pugleaf

:>I was inclined to a similar view of the size until I saw a photo
:>in the Wash Post (on Thursady, I believe) which showed Pennsylvania
:>and Maryland Aves packed for blocks.

The other major issue was flow. This was not a static event. Just as you 
can't count the number of stars by looking at three of four photos of 
the sky, you can't accurately count the number of people who came by looking 
at a few snapshots. The snapshot method can't begin to account for the 
vast numbers who weren't there at the moments the snapshots were taken.

People were coming and going constantly last Monday, many staying for an 
hour or so and then going back to work. When Jesse Jackson spoke, the mall 
was packed solid. By the end of Farrakhan's speech, there were huge gaps. Not 
everybody could afford to take off the whole day. Because of the importance 
of the gathering--both historically and morally--many people just wanted to 
_be_ there. It wasn't necessary to stay for hours and hours. I know many 
people from Philadelphia to Richmond who showed up early in the morning, 
taking a half a day off work. They stayed until 10 or 11 or so, and then left 
to drive so they could be at work after the lunch hour. After all, being at 
work and supporting families was a major part of the message.

Some others did the flip side, working in the morning and then taking 
the afternoon off. Still others just went during the lunch hour, many of whom 
work in the DC area.