My thoughts on Obama’s inauguration

We finally did the calculations and estimate that we walked for 7 hours total or about 8 miles on inauguration day.

We had a chance to go to Obama’s swearing in ceremony with his basketball buddies, Boyd Eldredge and Alan Lum and his 5th grade Punahou teacher, Pal Eldredge. I think we all sort of bonded in the experience. It was a 4 hour “pilgrimage” to the National Mall from our hotel which normally would take about 20 minutes. We walked in single digit termperatures when you consider wind chill and ran into roughly 2 million people. Everyone was confused about where to go and it truly felt like chaos.

During the whole experience, I never saw any fighting or violence. Everyone was moving toward one goal.. and that was seeing Obama. At one point, I got pressed up against a cement wall in a sea of bodies and that got scary. We got lost and ran into many barricades. Finally, it seemed as though we weren’t going to make it and Uncle Pal seemed too tired to keep going when people started chanting, “Let us in. Let us in.” Then the lines started moving and we shouted “ABC, KITV with Obama’s high school friends!.  They traveled all the way from Hawaii to see him.” We became instant celebrities and people let us through the lines, they helped us over barricades and even the secret service let us go into the Mall without getting checked.

Finally hearing Obama was an amazing experience but even more amazing was seeing his friends witness history.   I do think no matter what we went through on inauguration day, it pales in comparison to the challenges President Obama will face including helping our economy in crisis and ending the wars in Iraq and Afganistan.

During the three hour walk back to our DC bureau, I saw a little girl crying and panicking.  She had lost her parents.  Any parent or child who’s been lost knows that feeling of terror.  Imagine being lost in a sea of 2 million people.  Then a group of strangers rushed to the girl and asked if she knew her telephone number.  They looked around and then amazingly, the girl saw her parents in the distance and ran to them.  I lost sight of the girl in the crowd but it reminded me about how all these people here were helping each other and had bonded together as one during the experience.

Me and my cameraman, Dan Churma, made a decision that we wouldn’t try to run after the Punahou band or try to walk to any inaugural balls that night because it was logistically impossible to do any more walking and get our stories live on the air by 5pm Hawaii.

President Obama’s inauguration is something I will never forget.  It was my most challenging and stressful assignment ever, but I would do it again.  We’ll see what happens in 4 years.

Mahealani Richardson
mahea@kitv.com
twitter: @mahealani

“It’s CRAZY!”

While you were at home watching the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama at home where it’s 65 degrees, Mahealani Richardson is in Washington, D.C. in 21 degree weather (with a slight wind chill) and trying to overcome the HUGE crowd at the National Mall. She was on her feet for about four hours and watch the inauguration with people from Hawaii. She almost was crushed into a barricade. Mahealani said it’s so CRAZY that people actually broke through a plastic barricade.  She also said she had a hard time dialing out on her cell phone and the only number that worked was my cell phone.  Yeah, nobody calls me anyway.
Mahealani Richardson will have reports from Washington, D.C. on KITV 4 Island Television News at 5, 6 and 10.

Clayton Wakida

KITV

Mahealani Is With Obama’s Friends During The Inauguration

Mahealani Richardson is currently following Barack Obama’s basketball friends and will get their reactions as it happens during the swearing-in ceremony.
She also had some problems navigating through the sea of people in Washington, D.C. At point, she says, she was pinned into a wall. But, she is safe and you can see her on KITV 4 Island Television News at 5, 6 and 10.

Clayton Wakida
KITV Producer

Punahou Band at First Practice in the Cold

The reality is really setting in for the students of the Punahou Band. Dealing with the cold and staying precise is serious business. The students are still looking forward to performing but there are many challenges. In the beginning of practice, the valves on the instruments were stuck becuase of the cold. One student apparently got overwhelmed, shed a fear tears out of frustration and cold and they took her to Starbucks to warm up. I feel for her because this cold DC weather is overwhelming. It’s hard to think and function. However, I’m hopeful the band will be able to take the stage with no major problems.
aloha,
Mahealani Richardson
mahea@kitv.com

Mahealani Richardson & Hearst-Argyle’s Sally Kidd

Hawaii Folks At The Airport in Washington D.C.

This is Dolly Strazar and Louis Doody at Dulles Airport in DC.  They are from Hilo and I actually met Dolly years ago during some stories.  I figured I’d run into Hawaii folks during this inauguration trip but I didn’t think it would happen so soon.  Dolly and Louis were actually on my flight but I didn’t meet them until we were catching the subway to the baggage claim.  Dolly went to the Democratic Nat’l Convention in Denver and was an elector in the November election.

I’ve got a lei on my briefcase so that I can be easily spotted by folks from Hawaii.  The cold was a bitter greeting at the airport.  Funny thing… I’m wearing the long wool coat and when our DC bureau chief, Wendy Wilk, saw my jacket, she asked, “Is that what you are going to wear?”  I said yes so she said she’ll bring another jacket from home.  Apparently, I’ll need something thicker.  Oh boy.

Since we are the farthest media organization coming into our DC bureau, they are giving us some gifts… those warm hot packets.  Of course, we are returning the favor with coffee and macadamia nuts.

aloha,

Mahealani Richardson

mahea@kitv.com

Inauguration Logistical Nightmare

I’m truly honored and excited to be covering the Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C.  I just received some sobering news from our Shaun Neville, the Special Projects Producer for Hearst-Argyle, which is our Washington bureau where we will be working out of.

“What I can share with you is that this is setting up to be a logistical nightmare.  Secret Service announced perimeter restrictions yesterday and they are the most extreme ever implemented.  Various bridges from Virginia and Maryland will be closed to traffic and Metro is expected to be jammed… Traffic is expected to be very heavy.  I can tell you that folks here at the Bureau are adding 2-3 hours to their commuting time in fear that the crowd estimates of 1-3 million are accurate,” said Neville.

I personally am up to the challenge both mentally and physically.  These trips require an incredible amount of stamina and I can sleep later.  Many people don’t want to deal with the hassels but I thrive off of assignments like this.  This is an important time for our nation and I’m determined to bring the best stories to you!  I’m also going into new territory with blogs, Twitter updates and photos from my cellphone.  Let’s just hope the Secret Service doesn’t shut down electronic communication and that the DC system doesn’t get overloaded.

aloha,

Mahealani Richardson

mahea@kitv.com

Twitter address:  @kitv4, @mahealani