A Celebration of Democracy Becomes an Orgy of Security

From Marc Fisher's blog Raw Fisher

Inauguration madness has hit a new and disturbing peak with the Secret Service's effort to turn Washington into Inauguration Island, cutting the District off from as much of the outside world as possible on Jan. 20.

Virginians will bear the brunt of the over-the-top restrictions, as every single Potomac River crossing inside the Capital Beltway is shut down to vehicular traffic for the entire day. They're not just closing the bridges to cars, they're even blockading the highways -- vast stretches of the GW Parkway and I-395 will be closed, along with a preposterously long list of other roads.

If Inauguration Day were some kind of holiday, the road closings would be awful enough -- another sign of a reckless security apparatus extending its elbows simply because it can. But in fact, that day is one on which many thousands of commuters must go to work, in addition to the hundreds of thousands who will attend inaugural festivities. The message from the authorities is, hey, take Metro, even as the very same officials warn that the transit system is almost certain to be wildly overrun.

Why cut off Virginians' access to Washington, but not Maryland's? What is so frightening about the bridges over the Potomac that is not true of the major bridges, avenues and highways that bring Maryland drivers in over the Anacostia River and along land routes from Montgomery and Prince George's counties? The issue cannot be proximity to the Mall and the federal enclave, because they're not shutting down only the Memorial, 14th Street and Teddy Roosevelt bridges, but also the Key and Chain bridges, which are farther from the District's core than are some of the bridges from Maryland.

I asked Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine whether the closings were a result of security or congestion concerns, and he said the issue was the gridlock that would result if, for example, people got terribly backed up and frustrated and even abandoned their vehicles on or near the bridges.

Later that day, the governor called back to clarify that security is indeed part of the rationale: "We're not closing them because of a worry about a bomb coming in or something like that so much. But there is a public safety component. We predicted that if we did not close the bridges, there would just be an immediate lockdown because of the congestion; it would just gridlock up. And then we would not be able to move emergency vehicles if there was some public safety emergency."

That is a legitimate concern, but couldn't the objective of keeping a path clear for emergency vehicles be met by reserving a lane entirely for official vehicles, or even closing just one bridge?

Virginians may be excused for wondering what it is they did to deserve this. After all, they just voted for a Democrat for president for the first time in 44 years, and what do they get for it? A virtual blockade.

But wait. Northern Virginians may not win the prize for most disrupted populace on Inauguration Day. Vast stretches of the District, including residential neighborhoods outside the federal core, have been declared bus-only zones. In places such as Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, Capitol Hill and virtually all of Southwest, residents will be banned from parking on the streets where they live. What those residents are supposed to do with their cars is unknown.

Only a government obsessed with security and blind to the realities of city life could issue a plan like this. In a real city, one that is permitted to govern itself, the authorities would feel -- and bow to -- pressure from the people who need to be able to use their city.

No podcast today. "Raw Fisher Radio" has run its course. I'll be back with a new radiocast next month. Please join me Thursday at noon to discuss the inauguration madness on "Potomac Confidential" at

http://www.washingtonpost.com/liveonline.