Young revelers take to the streets after Obama victory

(Video by Milton Valencia)

Dozens of young people, elated at Obama's victory, splashed in the reflecting pool at the Christian Science Plaza.

By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff, and Gabrielle Dunn, Globe Correspondent

Hundreds of revelers, mostly college students and 20-somethings, took to the streets in Boston early today to celebrate Barack Obama’s triumph in Tuesday’s elections.

Dozens jumped into the reflecting pool at the Christian Science Center after marching from the Boston Public Library, along Huntington Avenue, waving Obama signs and chanting, “USA, USA, USA.”

“It was the excitement of it all,” said Becky Tinker, a 19-year-old sophomore from Connecticut who attends Emerson College. “This was such a historic night, why not do what you want?”

Police reported no arrests as of 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. Instead, police seemed to let the crowd celebrate, guiding revelers along streets while patrolling the area on motorcycles to make sure no one was acting disorderly.

The mobs occurred near the Fairmont Copley Plaza, where the Democratic Party held its celebrations Tuesday night. Even those who didn’t partake in the celebrations, marveled at the sight.

“It’s a historic election and we have a lot of kids who are excited and loud but so far they’ve all celebrated appropriately,” said Superintendent Daniel Linskey, head of police operations. “It’s just a lot of happy, jubilant kids and we’re helping them celebrate appropriately.”

Linskey said police had extra officers on duty since early Tuesday day as part of their plan for Election Day. Officers on motorcycles, bicycles, and even Segway scooters responded to the crowd. He estimated more than 700 people had taken to the streets.

Students screamed out "Obama," and cars honked their horns. Several had cardboard cutouts of the president-elect, while others just rushed ecstatically through the streets.

Sophie Grace, a 19-year-old sophomore from Vermont who attends Northeastern University, said she decided to celebrate after witnessing history.

“How often does a black president get elected for the first time?” she said.

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