Traditional celebration disrupted
Supporters cancel plans ahead of inauguration
WASHINGTON – Doug Peterson drove 1,100 miles from Houston to Cedar Falls, Iowa, last year to canvass in frigid temperatures for then-presidentialcandidate Joe Biden.
He volunteered relentlessly for him across Houston and attended countless Zoom meetings with other organizers. When media outlets named Biden the winner of the presidential election in November, Peterson’s mind immediately raced to attending the inauguration. But those hopes were quickly dashed.
On Wednesday, he’ll watch the inauguration with other activists on a TV in south Houston. At 69, Peterson can’t risk traveling during the coronavirus pandemic. And the threat of violence at the hands of overzealous supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump seemed to jettison any remaining thrill out of the event.
“It was like the second hammer coming down,” Peterson said of the violent siege of the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump supporters earlier this month. “It’s too dangerous.”
Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, traditionally a joyous occasion filled with pomp and marching bands, has been disrupted by the twin threats of disease and civil unrest. Ordinarily, people would be streaming into the U.S. capital this week to witness not just Biden’s swearing-in but the first African American and South Asian American woman to be named vice president in Kamala Harris.
Instead, supporters around the country are scratching plans to attend the event and those who showed up to Washington, D.C. encountered a scene more akin to a military takeover than a time-honored peaceful revel: concrete barriers, checkpoints, troops toting assault rifles, military helicopters circling the sky.
An FBI warning of possible armed protests by Trump supporters – who believe his false claim that the election
was rigged – at the U.S Capitol and state capitol buildings during the inauguration have put the nation on edge and irreversibly altered the look and feel of this year’s inauguration.
Pro-Trump rallies are expected through Wednesday. In Washington, the FBI was vetting all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming in for the inauguration to prevent collusion with pro-Trump protesters.
Edna Havlin, 44, navigated the militarized streets over the weekend with her husband and two children. Havlin celebrated Biden’s win by popping open champagne in her hometown of São Paulo, Brazil, then immediately booked flights to Washington to be part of the historic occasion.
“Little did we know everything would be upside down now,” she said.
Her 10-year-old daughter, Anna, said she was disappointed to see so many security restrictions.
“The city is very pretty and there’s a lot of history,” she said. “But I’m sad I can’t see the Lincoln Memorial and it’s just so quiet. I’m bummed.”
The family has tickets to some inauguration events but are worried attending could make them a target of proTrump agitators. Havlin said she has to
remind herself and her family that these are historic times: “It is what it is,” she said. “And we can come back on a better day.”
Earl Stafford, philanthropist and Democratic campaign donor, attended both inaugurations of former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. At Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, he brought more than 300 underprivileged guests, including homeless, wounded veterans and victims of domestic abuse, to the celebration, setting them up in hotel rooms and furnishing them with new clothes to attend galas.
Though he lives in McLean, Virginia, less than a half-hour drive from where Biden will be sworn in as the 46th U.S. president, Stafford, 72, said he’ll be watching this inauguration from his couch at home with his wife, Amanda.
“The inauguration is the transfer of power … We celebrate as a country and people get behind that,” he said. “But not everyone’s getting behind it. It’s crazy this time. It’s embarrassing.”
Given the risks and challenges, the Presidential Inauguration Committee announced this week the traditional parade from the U.S. Capitol to the White House will be replaced with a virtual “Parade Across America,” which will be livestreamed and include performances by comedian Jon Stewart, musical group Earth Wind & Fire and performers and speakers across the country.
Julian Johnson will be at the live event. Johnson drove from Minneapolis to Washington last week to sell inauguration memorabilia. On Sunday, he peddled Biden calendars and Black Lives Matters hats to a light flow of tourists. He appeared to be the only vendor selling inauguration souvenirs on Sunday evening, a stark contrast to the dozens of vendors who lined the National Mall for the pro-Trump rally earlier this month.
Washington residents Charles and Gina Hall walked along C Street near the Lincoln Memorial, "Biden/Harris" buttons pinned to their jackets. Eight-feettall metal fencing blocked access to the nearby National Mall, their usual walking route. National Guard troops from as far away as Florida were manning roadblocks and security, along with local police and uniformed members of the Secret Service. Tourists snapped selfies.
“We walk around here all the time; it’s our normal place,” said Gina Hall, who works in environmental finance. “It’s wild to see.”
Juston Jackson was a 23-year-old student at Grambling State University when he marched with his French Horn at Obama’s 2009 inauguration with the renown “Tiger Marching Band.” He remembered fondly how his toes went numb in the biting cold and how the crowds brimmed with excitement.
Jackson, now 35 and living near New Orleans, voted for Biden and would have entertained a return-visit to Washington to see the inauguration. But the pandemic precluded him from even considering such a trip. The violence at the Capitol further soured the prospect. On Wednesday, he’ll watch the inauguration from home with his two children, ages 4 and 2 months.
He’s eager to point out that Harris is not only the first African Asian woman sworn in as vice president – but the first one to have graduated from a historically Black university, just like their dad. The inauguration's military presence and threat of civil unrest won't detract from that historical moment, he said.