22 Jan This is Not F*cking Normal: Scenes From Outside Joe Biden’s Inauguration
BY JASON PETERS
Washington D.C. transformed into a mundane yet mystifying military occupation for the Inauguration of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Metal fences were erected and more than 25,000 members of the National Guard were on sight at the Capitol Building in response to the ransacking of the building that took place on January 6th.
The police presence was palpable as far from the White House as Greenbelt, Maryland, which is 17 miles away. The security in subway stations strengthened as one approached the city center. Pockets of unorganized and infrequent protest roamed between Union Station and Black Lives Matter Plaza in the vessels of the city that were accessible.
Crowds present at the Inauguration were small and unsure. Not once was there an organized chant that more than 15 people participated in, nor was any of the actual inauguration accessible to the crowds outside the White House. The majority of people near the Inauguration in D.C. on Wednesday were military personnel; the media made up the second largest group of attendees; and then there were a number of civilians interested in protest or the Inaugural proceedings. At one point, a man walked up to me and said, “D.C. looks like a warzone, we’re all wearing masks. This is not f*cking normal.”
Below is a collection of videos captured outside of the White House and Capitol Building on January 19th & 20th for the Inauguration of the 46th President of the United States.
1. The William Thomas Anti-Nuclear Protest, also known as the White House Peace Vigil, has been in front of the White House everyday since June 3, 1981. Restricted access to the White House in the name of safety pushed the vigil onto Black Lives Matter Plaza in front of the White House.
This video depicts an aggressive encounter between a maskless British person and anti-fascist protesters. Seconds after this “pushing incident” that resembled a rugby scrum, the Brit commented “I just want to have a reasonable conversation.” Police made him put a mask on and leave.
2. 8am on Inauguration Day: Bystanders and media gathered on Black Lives Matter Plaza to witness the Presidential helicopter, Marine One, take Donald Trump away from the White House for the last time. In the background you can hear music playing from the William Thomas Anti-Nuclear Protest: “na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye,” the speakers screamed.
3. Just before 8:45am, dozens of press gathered to see then president-elect Joe Biden attend mass at St. Matthews cathedral. Hundreds of police and military obstructed that view. However, just behind the hoopla, I spotted Biden’s close friend Delaware Senator Chris Coons and asked him, “How does it feel to have someone from your home state in the White House?”
4. The loudest voices protesting Joe Biden were Christian extremist groups from the Key of David Christian Center. Christians lobbed homophobic slurs loudly through a megaphone and called every non-white person they spoke to Muslim. In this clip, you can hear the Christian extremists chastising a Catholic protester about the difference between the two. Neither the Christians nor the Catholic protester supported Joe Biden.
This clip shows a disinterested young progressive witnessing the Christian in-fighting outside of the Capitol.
5. This clip features Pastor Shurland, a man in his mid-50s who traveled to D.C. for the Inauguration from New Jersey. He brandishes a massive horn, called a shofar, which he would sound roughly every 10 minutes. When asked, “What is that horn for?” Shurland responded, “Peace and stability. It’s my job to pray for leaders to make the right decisions, whether or not I agree with them.”
6. Although the majority of protestors and activists were unorganized and scattered throughout Washington DC, the Arizona Dream Act Coalition flew from Phoenix to D.C. with immigration reform on their mind. Carina Ruiz, an organizer with the Arizona Dream Act Coalition explains what she wants and expects from the incoming Biden administration.
The state of DC during Biden’s inauguration was reminiscent of a stagnant war zone. Not one bullet was fired, not one person was harmed; yet, 25,000 members of the National Guard, officers from the NYPD, US Capitol Police, and the Secret Service were visible at all angles to ensure the protection of America’s ruling class. In 2017, the discussion around Trump’s inauguration was primarily about crowd size. In 2021, crowds were dissuaded from attending the event by a terrorist attack two weeks prior and a pandemic that continues to rage.
President Joe Biden has now adopted the levers of power along with a variety of the responsibilities that come with it. The crowd outside of the Capitol for the Inauguration represented a segment of America that was dissatisfied. Fans of Biden were dissatisfied with the previous administration, Trump supporters were dissatisfied with mask mandates and the election, and beyond those two broad categories each individual had their own gripes with how America has treated them. Immigration activists pleaded for empathetic policies mere feet from Christian extremists shouting slurs. The divisions in America are strong enough to rally people of both mindsets to risk their health during a pandemic in order to feel like they have a voice in a political system that often seems to ignore the masses.
Jason Peters is a journalist and artist living in South Philadelphia. He has bylines with Billy Penn, WHYY, Green Philly, Grid Magazine, and Philly Weekly. He covers working class issues and whatever slips through the cracks.
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