Vincent Brown’s Journal and Photography

Archives for April, 2008

Philly Obama Rally (pics)

The rally was great.. there was over 35,000 people there. I walked around for a bit, met people, ran into friends and perfect strangers. The atmosphere was electrifying and gave me hope for the future. All of these people, unified regardless of race, gender and social standing all in support of a single, African American candidate. Everyone was friendly, parents brought their children, there were lots of couples and big groups of college students. My favorite sights while at the rally were the parents lifting children on their shoulders so they could see what everyone was clamoring about.

Unfortunately I wasn’t close enough to see Barack or get a good photo of him, his voice had enough of an impact on myself and the 34,999 others around me

The first thing I noticed was the impressive police presence.

In this photo you can see a police officer tipping his hat toward me while two sharp shooters make their way to their next position. Later on that evening, snipers and spotters were clearly visible atop the buildings surrounding Obama’s speech podium.

Supporters gathered on the other side of Arch street… while the more brazen supporters gathered on the lawn of the Independence Visitors Center.

Unexpectedly, I ran into an old friend. His art and work ethic has inspired me to move forward with my photography interests.

Some of the best spectators turned out to be the little ones. Although they didn’t understand what was going on entirely, their demeanor and blissfulness should set an example for everyone.

And the massive crowd disperses.

According to official reports, Sen. Barack Obama drew 35,000 people at the downtown rally in Independence Park — Making the crowd at the event his largest ever. The sea of people sprawled across nearly three city blocks.

You can view my full set of images on Flickr.com

Tags: obama, Philadelphia, Photography