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Friend --
I'm not going to mince words. I am beyond disturbed by
what we’ve seen unfold today at the US Capitol. This isn’t protest,
this is violence against our democratic institutions and our country.
I don’t know how you can call this anything other than an attempted
coup and insurrection. And it's happening in our front yards.
The situation remains tense and I’m staying in constant
touch with law enforcement and our emergency management agencies.
The Mayor has issued a citywide curfew beginning tonight,
January 6, 2021 at 6 pm. The National Guard has been
activated and we are also partnering with the Governors of Virginia
and Maryland to provide additional assistance. If you aren't already,
please get home and stay home. We need to have as few people out as
possible to get the situation under control. Please spread the word to
neighbors or friends and family.
A few specific closures: all public COVID testing sites are closed.
All public libraries are closed. WMATA will be ending rail service at
8 pm and bus service at 9 pm. Metro stations located downtown and near
the Capitol will be closing even earlier. Safeway has announced all
stores are closed. Please stay at home.
Here's the full text of the stay at home order:
"(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered a
citywide curfew for the District of Columbia from 6 pm on Wednesday,
January 6, until 6 am on Thursday, January 7.
During the hours of the curfew, no person, other than persons
designated by the Mayor, shall walk, bike, run, loiter, stand, or
motor by car or other mode of transport upon any street, alley, park,
or other public place within the District.
The curfew imposed by the Mayor’s Order shall not apply to
essential workers, including working media with their outlet-issued
credentials, when engaged in essential functions, including travel to
and from their essential work."
And like many of you, I can’t ignore the disparate treatment of an
almost all White group storming the US Capitol Building compared to
how majority Black and Brown protestors were treated this summer for a
photo op outside St John’s Church. It's unconscionable.
Stay safe, we're going to get through this together.
Charles Allen
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