I was at the rally today. I arrived at 7:30am and by that time, both sides of the Reflecting Pool were filled. I was located at the opposite end of the Reflecting Pool, from the stage, right in the center.
From 7:30am-10:00am, as I looked back at the Washington monument, it was a steady stream of people, at least 5 wide, on the sidewalks. These people filled the spaces under the trees on both sides, as well as the areas beyond the trees, to the left and right side.
Once these areas were filled, people started to fill the Washington monument grassy area. This was still going on, after the event started. As the event continued, the area around the Washington monument, was still filling with people.
The overhead picture by the BBC does not even show the full extent of the people there. I would bet my life, that there were, at least, 500,000 people there, if not, 750,000.
Beck mentioned that both sides of the Reflecting Pool held 200,000 people, the two areas next to Lincoln’s Memorial, which were packed, held another 150,000 or 250,000, don’t quite remember that number. These numbers do not include the people under the trees and to the left and right of them, and the people on the Washington monument area.
It was a great time and am glad I was able to attend. For those wondering if we continued our habit of keeping the area clean, we did just that. Only a couple of water bottle caps, misc. paper, and worn out grass. The trash cans were overflowing but the items around them were in bags and neat.
There were no signs, except flags. People were patient, understanding, and courteous, even with the heat and congestion. The security personnel, had an easy day.