Life Goes On For DC Residents Adapting To Inauguration Security

Michael O'Connell
·5 min read

WASHINGTON, DC — Washington, D.C., is not just the seat of the U.S. government, it's also home to more than 705,000 people. Many of those residents have learned to adapt to the occasional disruption caused by demonstrations, parades, and special events. It's the trade-off for sharing the city with the federal government.

One day before the 59th presidential inauguration, large sections of the District remain under heavy security. Streets and bridges are closed; Metrorail has shut down 13 stations; more than 25,000 members of the National Guard man checkpoints around the U.S. Capitol; and miles of non-scalable fencing block access to many of the city's most significant historic structures.

The heightened security comes after insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as lawmakers were working to certify the 2020 presidential election results.

Despite all of this, life goes on for most District residents.

Alexander Howard, who lives on Capitol Hill, said the increased security would be on his mind if he decides to go out this week.

"I ran and walked the entire perimeter of the green zone and felt pretty safe under the eyes of that many guardsmen and women, Secret Service and MPD, in a way I did not on Jan. 6 or Dec. 12, when I was chased and threatened as a libtard and communist," he said.

Catherine Moran, a Fort Totten resident who's lived in the District for six years, said she hasn't been affected by the increased security around the U.S. Capitol.

"I live in a residential area, so I haven't seen any National Guard in my neck of the woods," she said, adding that she's traveled downtown a few times in the last week and saw some military in the Foggy Bottom area.

When the District went into lockdown last spring due to the coronavirus pandemic, Moran switched from relying on public transportation to ride-sharing. She'd recently started taking Metro again but hasn't experienced any delays because of the inauguration.

"I actually had a faster trip today because several trains skipped several stations," she said. "I took the red line to Metro Center and then transferred to head to Foggy Bottom and the trains skipped Union Station, Judiciary Square, McPherson Square and Farragut West due to the increased inauguration security, the Metro train operators said over the speaker."

Moran was already limiting trips downtown before the security was increased and plans to avoid the area entirely this week.

Kevin Goldberg lives with his wife and son about 10 blocks from the Capitol. He's had to switch up his daily routine due to the increased security.

"My usual running route almost always takes me across the Capitol grounds at some point," he said. "Sometimes I like to run to the steps on the upper plaza and back. Can't do that anymore. Instead, I run along fencing that covers one entire sidewalk and nod to National Guardspeople as I go by."

Out of an abundance of caution, the preschool Goldberg's son attends will close early Tuesday and Wednesday.

"I'm pretty much pinned in up here on the Hill as most roads downtown are blocked from about the west side of the Capitol onward," he said. "I was going to try to stop in at my office to check that everything is OK and whether any mail is there but realize, there's no way to get over there — it's literally next to the White House on G between 14th and 15th. I was thinking about riding my bike over because there's no way to actually drive there, let alone park."

Goldberg and his wife had to spend 15 minutes looking at maps, Metro closures, and parking updates to figure out how to get to her dental appointment.

"The good news is that I really don't feel unsafe," Goldberg said. "I grew up here and understand the drill. I'll be monitoring the situation, doing shopping, necessary errands early and making sure I can just stay home come Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm hopeful that the extra security presence works and that no one turns their attention to the nearby area if things escalate and they are rebuffed from another attack on the Capitol building itself. I thought about leaving town but am not worried enough to do that, especially in a pandemic."

Last Thursday night, D.C. resident Rockfeller Twyman and his friends were out on the street trying to coax people into participating in a prayer vigil "for our divided country."

"With the heightened security and guns everywhere, it is difficult to get people to stop and pray," he said. "We are on the verge of a civil war. We need to call on God to help us right now."

Twyman is disappointed that increased security means that he won't be able to attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

"I love parades and am angry that there will be none," he said. "I had an opportunity for a great seat at the swearing in, but the heightened security has cancelled that. Because I was in the civil rights movement of the '60s, I am angry that I will not be able to see the fruits of our labors in the inauguration of Harris."

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This article originally appeared on the Washington DC Patch