Surreal Scene as #DCFerguson Protest Shuts Down Street Near White House

A #DCFerguson protester shuts down a street near the White House

It’s 5:40 p.m. in Washington, D.C., and protesters have shut
down the intersection of 15th Street and Constitution Avenue NW.
They are staging a “die-in,” with dozens of marchers lying in the
middle of the road, in memory of Mike Brown and Eric Garner, two
unarmed black men killed by police this year. They are angry and
they want justice. But amid chants of “If I can’t breathe, you
can’t breathe!” and “Who shuts shit down? We shut shit down”
another sound reaches us from the nearby White House Ellipse.
There, a very different sort of event is happening: the ceremonial
lighting of the National Christmas Tree. “This is what democracy
looks like!” shouts the crowd as an upbeat rendition of “Rudolph
the Red-Nosed Reindeer” plays in the background. At one point, the
protesters fall quiet as the operatic vocal group The Tenors sings
“O Holy Night.” Then it ends and they’re back to marching, singing
“We Shall Overcome,” and yelling at the many members of the press
(myself included) to put down our cameras and join them.

A second demonstration is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Mount Vernon
Square, and I would not be suprised if this group made its way to
join the protest there. I’ll post photos of the action later
tonight—or you can check out my Twitter feed for live updates,
including lots of pictures, right now.

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