WASHINGTON (AP) — Hundreds will gather in Washington for a candlelight vigil to remember children who have died from cancer after a previously scheduled event was shut down by the Secret Service.
Organizer Mike Gillette says he expects more than 300 people to attend the ceremony, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday in Lafayette Park in Washington.
On Sept. 19 roughly 700 people gathered in Lafayette Park for the vigil, but moments before it began theSecret Service shut down the event so President Barack Obama could travel to a gala.
Gillette said Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy called him to apologize, and that the group has been so impressed with the agency’s response that children are going to present a representative with the “Secret ServiceROCKS” award.
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Do such “shutdowns” occur often? If so, rerouting POTUS egress from the White House should be seriously considered. If shutdowns don’t occur often, or never before, why was this departure singled out? Is the Secret Service deliberately creating “bad optics” for President “attending a gala” Obama from resentment?
This got some big coverage from my small-town weekly paper because some local folks were there. Glad it worked out in a friendly way. OR2, I think it was probably the kind of unfortunate glitchy misunderstanding that happens everywhere all the time and will forever.
You are probably right, but there have been a history of “glitches” by the Secret Service and the Obamas.
God knows there’ve been a series of strange incidents where they sure weren’t professional and they really, really need to be.