Yesterday, my wife and I went to Washington DC to witness Biden and Harris’s inauguration, and my experience, as well as what I saw, have totally shattered my heart.Washington DC has always had a special place in my heart; it’s so special to the extent that when I came to America, my first stop from the airport was visiting Capitol Hill. I started learning about Washington DC's history back when I was in secondary school, and I immediately fell in love with the city. I was always amazed at its historical sites, building structures, and the astounding amount of power that it holds.
The city and its welcoming traditions of allowing the general public to freely tour many federal buildings and museums with ease are fascinating. Many people might not know that in the early 19th century, the White House doors were always kept open for the public to visit. People could simply walk up to the White House and meet the president without needing an appointment. The Capitol Hill, on the other side, was truly the people’s house. Seeing such a rich and immense history of Washington DC eroded because of the selfish harbored ill intentions of our previous president over the election loss is simply shocking and heart wrecking.
Capitol Hill is where I always bring my relatives and friends to visit when they come to visit me from overseas and out of the states. I remember when I took my father to visit the White House, the Capitol Hill, and the Pentagon for the first time. Those are the biggest hotspots politically in the DMV (DC, Maryland & Virginia) area. My father was amused at the level of transparency of the USA government. He couldn’t believe that he was allowed to climb up the long steps at Capitol Hill and meet up with some congress members for a quick photo op. I still remember that day as if it was yesterday. When we got on to the Pentagon, my father turned to me, looked me directly in my eyes, and shook his head with disbelief. “This country is very confident and civilized; many countries would never allow any person to even take a picture of such a sensitive military building like this, let alone visiting it” – Those were his exact words.
In Washington DC, I saw yesterday, not the Washington DC that many of us know and admire. It took me and my wife about 2 hours and some change to go from my house to my hotel room on Pennsylvania Avenue. Normally that is a 20 minutes trip. We had to pass through almost a war zone security atmosphere. We had to go through hundreds of armed soldiers, barriers, fortresses, fences, and checkpoints just to get to the hotel. Even after passing through the checkpoints, we still had to call our hotel to come and pick us up from a secured designated area. I literally shed tears yesterday, and trust me, tears don’t come easily for me. The last time I cried similarly as in 2008 when Obama was giving his acceptance speech after he won the 2008 election.
I understand these are difficult times, with COVID-19 engulfing the country and the uncertainty of the toxic political polarization propelled by the previous president; at this point, with everything that has happened at the Capitol and the security that we saw yesterday, I can only hope and pray that these barriers and fences will go away after the inauguration and that the city can go to back to its usual level of openness soon.
Under normal circumstances, DC is very busy on a day like this one, full of tourists from other countries, dignitaries, and people from all over the United States, who would mostly be here for the inauguration. The businesses in DC would be bustling, the nightlife full of young folks trying to have a great time and experience the Washington DC nightlife. However, everything was quiet yesterday. My wife and I had to walk 2 blocks from the hotel just to find an open restaurant. The city was literally empty. The streets were empty, except for the soldiers and military.
I’m not trying to get into the politics here, but the truth remains, this city and country are screwed up. Washington DC totally broke my heart yesterday, and President Biden and his team have a long, tough road of recovery.
Okay. Good opinion for readers outside the U.S.
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