An Autumn Afternoon in Washington D.C.
How it looks, when a regime declares war on its capital.
The Washington Monument, in the low sunlight of mid-autumn, from the National Mall in Washington D.C.. The forlorn mood of our capital, in one image. (Photos by Deborah Fallows.)
Two months ago, I posted a photo-log of a five-mile foot journey Deb and I had made, from Union Station in Washington to the Lincoln Memorial and beyond. That was just after Donald Trump had ordered National Guard troops into the nation’s capital.
Today’s post is a photo-log of what we saw four days ago on a similar Sunday-afternoon journey through the heart of monumental Washington. It happened nine months into the current Trump era, and four weeks into the ongoing government shutdown. Among other effects, the shutdown has closed the Smithsonian museums that are usually the major attractions of the Mall.
This past Sunday was a day of clearing skies, light winds, and balmy temperature. Overall a beautiful day to enjoy the beauties of the nation’s capital. And yet …
A Mall for people, without people.
A refreshment stand in prime location on the Mall that would normally be bustling on a lovely Sunday afternoon. No people were lined up to buy. The one potential customer seemed reluctant to commit.
Maintenance is also part of the shutdown.
A view down a main corridor of the Mall, complete with a few of its bulging trash containers. It appeared that trash-collection and general maintenance were among the government functions currently shut down. From outside, the museums and public spaces had taken on the look of a house whose owners had moved out months ago, where no one was keeping things up. Notice how many people were there, at mid-afternoon on a sunny Sunday.
Here’s a view of the nearby array of port-a-potties, as a cloud cover was clearing overhead. These facilities were available for use but seem not to have been serviced during the shutdown. Don’t ask me how I know.
Flags in poignant tribute.
In front of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, flags in the still air, reflecting a listless, depleted civic moment.
But on the bright side…
We were on the Mall as part of an inspiring History Teach-In, organized by DC Educators for Social Justice. You can read about them and their plan here.
In the 1960s, “teach-ins” about the Vietnam war suddenly mushroomed from a few events in a few cities to a nationwide movement. Our era’s teach-ins, in favor of democracy and decency, should spread as well.
… and wishing I had eyes in the back of my head.
Here I was, talking about our moment in history, during my stint at the teach-in. And having no idea about the National Guard troops strolling behind me at just that time. (Photo via MusicologyDuck on Bsky.)
Photo from MusicologyDuck.
Fortress White House.
A view through multiple layers of security walls and fencing, and past an armed guard who kept his eyes on us, toward what was once known as The People’s House. The trees on the right side of this photo block the view toward what had been the East Wing of the White House, demolished two days before this photo.
Hyper-security was in place even though on the day we visited, the current president was on the other side of the world, in Asia.
Construction cranes, where the East Wing had been.
Please remember the ACECO company, of Silver Spring, Maryland, which accepted the job of demolishing the East Wing. And Clark Construction Company, of Bethesda, which has accepted the job of building Trump’s gaudy new Albert Speer-type palace.
No one forced them to take this money. You see their cranes in this photo, where the East Wing was.
Remember them. ACECO. Clark Construction.
Visitors, thinking there is something to see.
The People’s House, as it appears to people who walk around to the north side.
They can take clear photos if they get close enough to point their cameras through spaces in the huge, towering fence.
Valedictory, from Lafayette Square.
The usually bustling park facing the White House, on a beautiful, inviting Sunday in the fall.
Jim: thanks for sharing the names of the demolitions contractor and the construction contractor.
I retired 9 years ago from my capstone job as Inspector General and three years before that as Deputy General Counsel. Both for the Architect of the Capitol.
We were required to compete these sort of construction contracts. Without such competition, the government would have been on the hook for the cost of building projects without limits.
Trump has “specified” $250 million, $300 m, $350 m as the cost to complete the work. He hasn’t made a declaration of when this monstrous addition will be completed.
I would not be surprised if the project took his entire term.
We shall see.
Jim, warm thanks for your photos of the ‘crime scene’ in D. C. Perhaps the scenes look iconic because National Guard soldiers were there doing landscaping.
Actually, the only true crime scene in D. C. Is at the White House. Bone Spur Donald has already murdered dozens of people in international waters, while Stephen Himmler Miller is swinging his ICE pick indiscriminately, with special focus on folks with non-white skin and who speak Spanish.
Also, what the Supine Court is doing to the Constitution I consider criminal.
I suggest that you and Deb carry your passports, as you walk around such a dangerous locale.