As the shutdown continues, there’s a sense of unease in the city, along with the knowledge that many are suffering without government paychecks or government services. Here’s some of what we saw this week:
Democracy melting away
An ice sculpture of Democracy started to melt as soon as it was installed on the Mall on Wednesday.
Voting rights at risk
The Supreme Court heard Louisiana v. Callais on Wednesday, a case that may strip away many of the protections in the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act.
©Miki Jourdan
©Miki Jourdan
Communion America
Communion America was a four-day event stretching over most of the Mall. There was a tent for each state:
The communion table stretched for 1 1/2 miles:
The event drew thousands of worshippers.
Around Capitol Hill
While no legislating is going on, there are still school groups walking around the Capitol area, and other typical scenes there:
Most free museums are closed
Last Saturday was the last time the Smithsonian museums will be open until the shutdown ends, and we were wondering what to go to on the last day – but then we thought that the butter cow would be appropriate, so we went to the Renwick.
©Miki Jourdan
©Miki Jourdan
What to see now that the Smithsonian is closed? One alternative is the new free Milken Center.
There are also a number of fee-based museums, which we often neglect in favor of all the free choices. Some of those museums are offering free entrance to furloughed Federal workers, so we took advantage of this and went to Hillwood, Merriweather Post’s estate.
National Guard still here
Small protests
The big No Kings protest is tomorrow, October 18th, but in the days before, a few activists were outside the White House.
The United Methodist Building, diagonally across the street from the Capitol, is displaying the message that most of us wish legislators would see:
