The Tribune

With CHARLIE HARPER

It’s early on a weekend morning in downtown Washington DC in the time of the coronavirus and Black Lives Matter. A light north breeze carries away some of the deepening humidity and rising air temperature, but summer has totally arrived in America’s capital city and everyone on the streets feels it.

Normally, Washington’s parks and sidewalks would be thronged with tourists, families mostly, black and white, Latino, European and Asian. But on this morning, streets and parks in every direction from the White House are blocked off to all but law enforcement vehicles and personnel. The thoroughfares are completely devoid of cars except for the occasional US Secret Service sedan or DC police utility vehicle. DC cops, US park police and “DEA police” are the principal identifiable law enforcement officials on the streets.

The broad, 20-block perimeter area surrounding the White House is mostly unnaturally, even eerily quiet on this clear summer morning. The predominant sounds are birds courting and squalling in the trees and the whoosh of bicycle tyres rolling along the heating asphalt of the city streets. Joggers run by, hoping to finish before it gets too hot. No police sirens shatter the calm, at least not this early in the day. Maybe that will come later.

One place it’s not quiet is on the north side of Lafayette Park, at the intersection where 16th St dead ends into H St. and the curious can peer across the leafy park to have a look at the front entrance to the White House. Here, even at 8.0 in the morning, a crowd is gathering. Almost everyone is wearing a mask. The mood is sombre and almost festive at the same time.

There are families with little kids in the growing crowd. Some protesters are ready with their signs and message t-shirts and banners. Several earnest 20-year-olds are intently weaving brightly coloured letters spelling Ban Stop and Frisk into the black links of the barrier fencing off the park. A couple of medical school interns extended signs far above their heads so everyone would see White Coats for Black Lives. A stooped white man’s sign said Trump Mocks Christ. Several people wore shirts proclaiming that Revolution is not a One Time Event.

A man stood in the middle of the street with his quiet potcake dog who wore a sign inviting the authorities to Bring on Your Vicious Dogs. The man and his dog were favourites of print and TV reporters and their photographers.

Protesters moved slowly up and down the two blocks of 16th St. designated Black Lives Matter Plaza by DC mayor Muriel Bowser late last week. To ensure no one can miss the name change, Black Lives Matter is spelled out in giant yellow block letters that extend for the entire two city blocks. You’ve probably seen it on TV. Vendors are already set up to sell bottled water and souvenir t-shirts.

Bowser, who was born just before Richard Nixon was sworn in for his fateful second term as President and has been DC’s mayor for five years, has become more sure-footed and decisive as the current crisis continues. Her clear, resolute, even defiant push back against President Trump’s attempts to co-opt and possibly take over law enforcement in the District of Columbia has revived calls for statehood for the District, whose population exceeds that of Wyoming and Vermont.

On Washington’s central streets, access to Lafayette and Maurice Ferre Parks, the Ellipse behind the White House and “the people’s house” itself is cut off by heavy gauge steel barriers fastened together with steel bolts and standing eight feet high. Protesters did manage to get behind barriers to decorate a small panel on the east side of the US Treasury headquarters building with some profane graffiti, but damage around the White House was otherwise limited.

Almost every restaurant, hotel and commercial establishment has boarded up its ground floor windows and St. John’s Episcopal Church, the fire-damaged site of Trump’s infamous photo op with the Bible and military leaders, has secured its second-floor windows as well.

Imbedded in the sidewalk on 15th St. in front of high-priced hotels are medallions celebrating the founders of Goodwill Industries, Easter Seals, Lions Club, Habitat for Hum and Girls Clubs and the Red Cross. Also commemorated is Paul Harris, founder of Rotary International. His was the only medallion defaced in the protests. “Probably racist” was painted across the bottom of his memorial.

Famous establishments like the Old Ebbitt Grill, the oldest restaurant still operating in DC, and the Washington franchise of Joe’s Stone Crab both displayed prominent Black Lives Matter banners across the plywood protecting their front windows against looting and vandalism.

Crowds gathered around the north side of Lafayette Park through the day, eventually swelling to an estimated 10,000 peaceful protesters. It was the largest demonstration so far in Washington. There were signs that the protesters might have ignited irreversible resistance to what increasingly seems like not only unacceptable police misconduct but presidential indifference to the nation’s interests and well-being.

The crowd near the White House was joined at one point by Utah Senator and 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump in the Senate impeachment hearings six months ago. Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski publicly fretted about Trump’s behaviour, and supported former Defence Secretary Jim Mattis’ blistering denunciation of Trump.

Mattis, a former Marine Corps 4-star general born in 1950, said: “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people. Instead, he

tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without Trump. This will not be easy, but we owe it to past generations that bled to defend our promise and to our children.”

Former Secretary of State and 4-star Army General Colin Powell, an avowed Republican, announced on Sunday he would vote for Biden and urged others to “put country above self-interest” and do the same.

George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police less than three weeks ago, though it somehow seems like much more time has passed. The national outrage has touched the top levels of the Pentagon, the National Football League, the US Senate and tens of millions of Americans at home and abroad.

It does feel like Mr Floyd’s death might indeed bring about change.

In one House at least, Democrats look to be tightening their grip

There has been much talk in the media about what will happen November 3 in Senate races across the country, and if the US will see Democrats regain control of the Upper House. There has been much less speculation about the House of Representatives, where the Democrats currently enjoy a 17-seat advantage after their 2018 landslide victory.

In that triumph two years ago, Democratic candidates won the total national vote in all House elections by a whopping eight percentage points. Most polling so far this year has indicated the Democrats may be expanding that advantage. A June Monmouth public opinion poll cited by news media shows Democrats with an overall ten-point advantage.

While President Trump’s central campaign presently enjoys a big financial edge over Democratic opponent Joe Biden, in key House races the picture is different. A political research firm called the Cook Political Report found that in highly competitive contests where Democrats hold seats in districts won easily in 2016 by Trump, the incumbent Democrats have on average raised more than six times more money than their Republican opponents.

The Washington Post cited one example that typifies Republican problems for November. In a Salt Lake City, Utah district carried easily by Trump in 2016, Democrat Ben McAdams unseated a Republican two years later. Now, after a popular GOP state senator backed out of a challenge to McAdams, the remaining Republican candidate recently reported about $115,000 in his campaign account. McAdams had $2.2 million on hand to defend his seat.

Making a bad picture worse for House Republicans is the fact some of this polling and reporting was done before the coronavirus really took hold and sent unemployment levels to record high levels.

However much the President may benefit from economic recovery between now and an election less than five months away, the conventional wisdom is clear: The Democrats will continue to control the US House of Representatives.