Torch Relay in SF - Mr. 3rd person...and mixed emotions

Guys, normally I probably wouldn't care much about this, but since it took place in my town of residence, I found myself engulfed in the debate. The general consensus is that the Mayor was overly cautious by pulling the bait and switch on all the spectators...with the torch emerging two miles from the starting point after disappearing into a warehouse. Essentially, they successfully avoided the largest groups of protestors, but they also avoided all the "fans" who came out to catch a glimpse of the olympic torch.

One part of me is happy that none of the runners got hurt (nor did any spectators), but part of me burns inside because my town basically caved in to the Chinese and Olympic organizers, preventing most people from seeing the darn thing. One could even argue that by avoiding the pre-planned torch route, they essentially legitimized the anit-Chinese / Pro-Tibet cause they were avoiding in the first place.

Oh yeah...my buddy caught this footage on his cell phone. It's a bit grainy, but I think you'll recognize the African American runner...none other than Mr. USA Bobsled and one-day Viking wonder, Herschel Walker. If I had known, I would have been down there so I could have blamed him, face-to-face, for ruining our beloved team.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/ireports/2008/04/10/vo.irpt.torch.calderon.ireport

The video also shows that they clearly didn't manage to avoid all protestors...