Nearly half of the attendees of last evening's Werner Herzog forum were turned away due to safety concerns.
Packing the aisles, the back and the outside, 800 people from the University community and Philadelphia tried to cram into Meyerson Hall's auditorium 40 minutes before the event, entitled "Was the 20th Century a Mistake?"
They missed work, visited Philadelphia for the day - anything for a chance see the popular German filmmaker.
That many bodies, however, created a fire hazard.
Meyerson Hall's auditorium only has enough seats to accommodate 437 people, according to signs posted outside.
Guests at the event were not pleased at the overcrowding, staying in the aisles and sitting in the back of the auditorium until police pushed them out. Eventually, they threatened to cancel the event if the aisles were not cleared.
Attendee Justin Roman said he was confused about the problem.
"I don't understand why a school with the University of Pennsylvania's resources and modern technology cannot broadcast the event on a separate screen," he exclaimed. "I was here right before 4:30, and the seats were already full."
Ilene Poses believed the problem of seating came as a result of poor planning. A member of the community, she asked for time from work to travel the hour to the University in hopes of viewing Herzog.
"If you open [the event] to the public, you should have enough space," she remarked. "The venue is too small, . and Irvine Hall is right next door. You have a world-class filmmaker. Why wouldn't you have more seats?"
Her daughter, Joanna Poses, shared the same annoyance.
"We are life-long Philadelphians and want a good relationship between Penn and the community," she complained. "This sows ill will."
