Why were ticket holders turned away from Obama’s speech at KU? President was in the building

Members of the Alam family of K.C. MO. were some of the dozens of people with tickets, who were turned away by security at 10:30 a.m. to see President Barack Obama's speech Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. I

Dozens of people who had tickets to President Barack Obama’s speech Thursday at Kansas University were turned away at the door, starting about an hour before Obama took the podium.

The facility wasn’t over capacity, organizers say. Rather, as is routine with presidential appearances, the day’s schedule fluctuates to accommodate the President’s movements, and at that time the President had gotten to the building.

“Based upon the White House instructions, when the President arrives in the building security just goes into lockdown mode, just like when he is in the White House,” said Charlie Persinger, KU’s director of university ceremonies and special events.

A cheering crowd inside Anschutz Sports Pavilion welcomed Obama when he took the podium about 11:30 a.m., shortly after the originally announced start time of approximately 11:20 a.m.

However, Obama arrived at the facility considerably earlier and greeted VIPs before taking the stage, Persinger said.

“He was in the wings,” Persinger said.

A White House spokesman declined to comment specifically on the doors closing at KU.

But it’s normal for access to presidential appearances to close early, and many details about the President’s schedule are not publicly announced in advance.

Persinger said that’s why organizers could not announce when doors would close, and why they tried to emphasize the 8:30 a.m. opening.

Most of the crowd had passed through security in the pavilion parking lot by 10:20 a.m., and people who had been in line got in.

Some KU employees working as event volunteers tried to hurry people who continued to straggle into the parking lot.

“I wanna see the leader of the free world, too,” one employee said. “We can’t go in until you go in.”

Finally a few minutes later, the gates were closed.

Some ticketholders who didn’t get in were crushed.

M.D. Alam, of Kansas City, Mo., and his three children, 11-year-old Sajid, 9-year-old Anupriya and 8-year-old Shubham, were among those turned away.

M.D. took off work and took his kids out of school to see the President, but said when he arrived about 10:30 a.m. he was told he was barred from entering the pavilion. 

They did not get to the site as soon as they had planned because Anupriya was sick most of the night, Alam said. Though they originally planned to leave at 8:30 a.m., their departure was delayed. 

“This is stupid,” Alam said. “You give a ticket out and it doesn’t say when the doors are going to be closed.” 

A few of those turned away were themselves VIPs a few minutes earlier.

When Plymouth Congregational Church senior pastor Peter Luckey arrived, ticket in hand, about 10:45 a.m., he was told nobody was getting in.

Luckey was late because shortly before he had been shaking the President’s hand during Obama’s visit to the Head Start program located at the downtown church.

Luckey said he was disappointed he didn’t get to see the president speak, and was particularly disappointed a couple of his staff members and others who were with him didn’t get to. But he said he obviously had a great day getting to meet the president and talk with him briefly.

Luckey said he shook the President’s hand, and Obama asked him to pray for his wife, his two daughters and his dog. Luckey told him he would.

More reports from President Obama’s visit to Lawrence