<P> Other bus rides featured racial tension, as black activists criticized liberal white participants as fair - weather friends . </P> <P> Hazel Mangle Rivers, who had paid $8 for her ticket--"one - tenth of her husband's weekly salary"--was quoted in the August 29 New York Times . Rivers stated that she was impressed by Washington's civility: "The people are lots better up here than they are down South . They treat you much nicer . Why, when I was out there at the march a white man stepped on my foot, and he said, "Excuse me," and I said "Certainly!" That's the first time that has ever happened to me . I believe that was the first time a white person has ever really been nice to me ." </P> <P> Some participants who arrived early held an all - night vigil outside the Department of Justice, claiming it had unfairly targeted civil rights activists and that it had been too lenient on white supremacists who attacked them . </P> <P> The Washington, D.C., police forces were mobilized to full capacity for the march, including reserve officers and deputized firefighters . A total of 5,900 police officers were on duty . The government mustered 2,000 men from the National Guard, and brought in 3,000 outside soldiers to join the 1,000 already stationed in the area . These additional soldiers were flown in on helicopters from bases in Virginia and North Carolina . The Pentagon readied 19,000 troops in the suburbs . All of the forces involved were prepared to implement a coordinated conflict strategy named "Operation Steep Hill". </P>

What came out of the march on washington