Apparently the incoming Administration is a tad concerned that there may be one or two people who wish to express a negative opinion about the way they are conducting themselves.
The National Park Service has filed an “omnibus blocking permit” on behalf of the Presidential Inaugural Committee in order to protect delicate Republicon fee fees on this point.
As a result, no protests will be allowed anywhere on the National Mall, Pennsylvania Avenue, the Washington Monument, or the Lincoln Memorial several weeks before and after the January 20 inauguration.
This is clearly aimed at squashing the Million Women March/Women’s March on Washington planned for January 21, as well as a counter-inaugural planned on January 20 itself, and any other nascent protest plans by folks who might want to point out that the would-be emperor has no clothes.
The National Park Service is claiming in Orwellian fashion that all these historic areas are “construction zones” between November 1 and March 1 because they are building “inauguration bleachers and viewing stands”.
I grew up in DC and can say for a fact that it does not take ten weeks to build the reviewing stands or six weeks to take them down. Not only that, somehow every other presidential inauguration managed to handle inauguration construction without the need for a blocking permit that lasts for weeks. Back when traffic used to go right past the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, the reviewing stands were usually down the next day! Maybe DJT is having a hard time hiring roadies—any national tour rock band staff can tear down a stage that big in a matter of hours.
I know DC well and have a suggestion that I don’t mind stating publicly because I don’t think there is anything Rcons can do about it. We should go to DC anyway, writing protest slogans on our coats and wearing large buttons on our outerwear (since they may confiscate signs) and just walk up and down the streets on the sidewalks in the nearby downtown business districts. Those who care to may break into song, or begin talking loudly with one another in a rhythmic repetitive fashion. Although those actions may lead to arrest for disturbing the peace, they cannot bar people from walking on every downtown and uptown sidewalk. Those streets need to be open and accessible because the stores and restaurants and hotels count on doing big business from inauguration visitors. And they cannot know for sure that we are not there to shop or eat!
A hundred smaller protests stretched out all over the three major business districts of the city will be much harder to police. Business owners will be extremely angry that a million extra people wandering about aimlessly are making it harder for customers to get in and out of their establishments. Dawn will break over Marblehead and they will realize that is the reason why large protests should be taken to areas like the Mall and the Lincoln Memorial where they do not interfere with regular sidewalk traffic.
Funniest thing about this, if any part of it could be said to be funny (we have to laugh to keep from crying) is that they think we will have calmed down by March 1. Damn—that’s just getting to be good protesting weather! Besides, how do they know we are not there to see the cherry blossoms?
LBNL, anyone who thinks they will allow demonstrations after March 1, please raise your hand.
I don’t see any hands in the air. Perhaps you didn’t understand the directions.
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Everyone please read and rec these other diaries on the same topic
jabberwoky had a diary up first
Dartagnan also posted ahead of me
more eyes means more visibility!