Washington DC After 9/11

Congress this Week Due to the September 11th observances Congress will be keeping a relatively light legislative schedule this week. The Senates expects to spend most of the week on H.R. 5005, the Homeland Security Bill. Additionally, they will continue to debate the FY 2003 Interior Appropriations bill.

The House will debate a resolution commemorating September 11th as Patriot Day and then at the end of the week will consider H.R. 5193, the “Back to School Tax Relief Act of 2002.” This legislation, introduced by Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-CO), would create a $3,000 above-the-line tax deduction for low-income families for K-12 educational expenses.

September 11th

This week marks the most unbelievable day in many Americans memory. It is hard to believe that these events played out just one short year ago. I distinctly remember the emotion of that day, the incredulity and fear. It is hard to put into words the mix of emotions that you can feel in the short span of a few hours. And it is hard to get over the lingering sense of vulnerability. Everyone has a story from that day and the story continues. As a resident of Washington, DC employed in the ‘business’ of politics the lasting effects of September 11th have become engrained in my average day. Therefore I would like to talk a bit about how September 11th changed and continues to affect your nation’s capitol from an insider’s view.

Living in Washington, DC you realize that as the capitol of the United States it is probably a primary target for any future hostile action. Some residents decided to not take a chance of future aggression and have moved — choosing Raleigh or Duluth over Capitol Hill. But mostly you have to weigh your fear of any possible action against trying to conduct your everyday life. For the most part, daily life has returned to normal. For weeks after September 11th we would see humvees in the streets and have to endure random street blockades as SUV’s and police cars screamed past with blinking lights. Now however there is just the general inconvenience of access and mobility. Immediately after the 9/11 attacks several streets were closed off around the Capitol and the adjacent House and Senate buildings. Most of these streets have remained closed forcing much of the traffic between downtown Washington and Capitol Hill to detour. The main thoroughfares on either side of the Capitol have thankfully remained open (for now!) but police cars remained stationed at many corners leading up to the Capitol to stop and divert any trucks or other suspicious vehicles. Furthermore, concrete “jersey barriers” have become a mainstay of the landscape – so much so that you barely notice them anymore.

Both residents and D.C. workers understandably have had to make certain allowances. Gone are the days of unfettered access to the Capitol Building and other monuments. I wonder if one day I will be looking up to the West Front Terrace of the Capitol waxing nostalgically about how you could walk around freely up there and actually take a panoramic picture of the Mall as it extends out to the Monument. Also, gone are the days when lobbyists roamed the halls of the Capitol at all hours searching for one last arm to twist or to drop by a leadership office. Now every visitor to the Capitol either has to be with one of the guided tours, which have declined dramatically in the past year, or have a scheduled appointment and pass. In all, I feel that these changes have a more negative impact on our temporary visitors rather than the residents and workers. Now instead of a majestic capitol open to them for their enjoyment and perusal instead they only experience a series of delays and detours. While the new Visitors Center that is being constructed may increase the availability for tourists Рthat is many years off and serves now to only create impediments to entr̩e around the Capitol.

Due to the events of 9/11 these changes have become a rudimentary part of everyday life. Before last year having to stop for 10 or 20 minutes and cool your heels on the Capitol tarmac because some access ways have been temporarily cut off would have been a source of major anger and frustration. However now we just sit and wait it out assuming that the delay is in response to some security provision. And you arrive early to the Capitol to account for the extra block walk since cabs can no longer drop you off right next to the Capitol and instead must stop across the street.

But as the months have passed normalcy has resumed – and we start to forget how things were before 9/11. You see frustration on the faces of people awaiting the passage of the motorcade or annoyance at having their briefcase checked yet again. But anniversaries are good for reminding and for reflecting. The flags are re-emerging in the windows of houses on Constitution Avenue and there is again the realization that dozens if not hundreds are of our friends in the Capitol barely escaped the unfortunate fate of over 3,000 Americans last year. And you are thankful – and you wait patiently for the next motorcade to pass.