In the days leading up to then-Sen. Barack Obama’s rally, murmurs of riots circulated through office buildings, classrooms and other workplaces throughout the city. But on the actual night, the issue seemed to vaporize into the warm autumn air.

Prior to the event vendors sold colorful pins adorned with rhinestones, T-shirts that read “Yes we can!” and visitors sported homemade outfits supporting the man of the night—Obama.

Megan Schulte, an account supervisor in Chicago, said she thought the threat of violence and rioting was a non-issue.

“I think this crowd seems pretty [much] on the same page about just having a good time tonight,” she said at the rally.

Schulte was situated in the non-ticketed area and said she attended the rally because it was a historic night and that nowhere in the world was there anyone as excited as she was. She attended with her colleague Lori Goldenhersh, who equated the experience of the rally to being at Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Goldenhersh agreed with Schulte that riots were not in the forefront of her thoughts, and she didn’t want to think about the negatives in general. She said she thought the night may have ended violently if the election had swayed in Sen. John McCain’s favor.

“I think it is going to be a big deal if this doesn’t go the way we think it’s going to go, because across the country people are so divided right now. It’s an interesting time,” she said early in the night.

But the word “riot” was not completely abolished in Grant Park. Steve Colelli of Oak Park, Ill. ,said that he was actually hoping to riot if Obama won the election.

“Hopefully we will riot, but if we don’t riot, we’re going to go to the bar,” he said. “I want everybody celebrating and being crazy.”

Colelli, a Pennsylvania native, said he saw the Phillies win the World Series on Oct. 27, but a riot wasn’t the celebration he craved. He said he hoped Obama fans would riot in a positive and excited way, rather than a violent one, and agreed that a celebration like the one in Grant Park was exactly what the country needed.

“The whole experience has been a lot of fun, everybody is having a good time and that’s the most important thing that America needs to have again is having everybody come together again,” he said.

After Obama gave his acceptance speech, people exited Grant Park and filled the streets with positive energy. Police officers blockaded northbound and southbound streets while filing people west. There were 3,000 to 4,000 officers on duty, and some of them were equipped with riot gear, including helmets and shields.

Seven people were taken to area hospitals during the rally, but the injuries were minor. People just seemed happy to be celebrating with their hometown hero.