‘No more years’

Jubilant crowds celebrate outside White House as outgoing president hunkers down,

WASHINGTON— In this pandemic campaign year, the honking of car horns replaced the cheers of a crowd at candidate Joe Biden’s drive-in rallies. In the early afternoon, that beep-beepbeep became the soundtrack of the cities where he’d just become president-elect.

For a Torontonian in Washington, it sounded like someone had just won the World Cup. And it went on for hours.

Streets across Washington were filled with cars honking, many of their occupants leaning out of windows and screaming with joy as they passed sidewalks and parks full of people jumping up and down, waving Biden/Harris signs, or homemade variations of their message to Donald Trump: You’re fired.

Black Lives Matter Plaza near tthe White House, closed to traf- f fic as it has been since the spring resurgence of a protest movement that gave it its name, wwas as full of bodies as a mosh pit in the warm afternoon sun. “Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, heeeeeeeey, goodbye!” the masked crowd sang at one point.

Champagne was uncorked and sprayed over the crowd. Fireworks were shot into the air.

People lined up to take turns banging a loud gong that could be heard blocks away.

The crowd was so large, and so vocal in a street defined by midrise buildings on both sides, that at one point when a cry of “whoooooooooo!” spread through the street, I thought momentarily it was a flyover by military jets.

A block away at McPherson Square park, a go-go band played its dance-hall Washington vibe as hundreds of people raised their arms in celebration.

“I’m feeling exhilarated, and validated,” Julie Sincore said, dancing in the street and waving a black-and-white feather boa. “It’s been a long time coming.”

After a pretty difficult year, I said. “Four years,” she replied. People posed for photos with cardboard cut-outs of Biden and his vice-president-elect, Kamala Harris. Some banged pots and pans as they bounced along the sidewalk. A woman wwandered around holding out a package of “Impeach-mints” calling out, “I’m having a You’re Fired Sale! Half price!”

There were people banging drums, and someone with a stereo system played “YMCA” as the crowd surged and bounced and threw its arms up.

A chant of “No more years!” went up.

For these many thousands crowding the streets, the end of the Trump presidency, especially after days of waiting on election results, was like a fever breaking.

“It’s a catharsis! I feel good, I feel hopeful,” said Shelley Feist, a made Washington a “Victory resident for Love” who’d sign her friend was holding. “I’m also a little scared that whatever brought Trump into office is very powerful and we have a hell of a lot of work to do.”

Still, surveying the crowd, she let out a cry: “Love conquers fear!”

After the go-go band was finished, the hundreds in McPherson Square watched a giant screen where a news broadcast showed similar scenes playing out in other major American cities. Times Square in New York was packed like New Year’s Eve. The screen showed an interview with a woman out- side tion the Center Pennsylvania in Philadelphia Convenwhere protests have accompa-w nied decisive ballot counting my m there city for right days. now,” “I’m mt she said, so proud and of he Washington crowd screamed its approval.

In some places across the United States, crowds of Trump supporters gathered in protest, chanting “Stop the Steal” in support of the president’s contention that the election is not yet decided.

But in Washington, people lined the route Trump’s motorcade travelled back to the White House after he spent the morning playing golf, taunting the outgoing president as he passed.

Arriving home, Trump’s staff called an early “lid” for the press just before 3:59 p.m., signalling he planed down more public appearances or travel for the rest of the day. But as Trump hunkered down, people kept flooding into the streets for blocks and blocks, a into the evening. Near Dupont Circle, a 15-minute walk from Black Lives Matter Plaza, a steady stream of people walked toward the White House as the sun was setting, periodically throwing their arms in the air and cheering.

The traffic circle was jammed with cars, going around and round, honking and beeping their joyful noise into the darkening night.