Good morning, this is The Smoke Eater for Jan 18, 2021, and don't press your luck!
Quick Hit
* A photoessay *
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Don't Be Stupid
"Don't be stupid," I keep telling myself. "Please, don't be stupid."
A security guard eventually lumbered out from the car to give me some guff about shooting without a permit or authorization. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and shrugged, apologized, and said I wasn't sure how close I could get. I gave he my card, explained I was a wire photographer, and showed her my badge.
A DC Metro cop pulled up and I explained the same thing to him.
"If you need me to bug out so they can load in..." I gestured with my head to the Guard members climbing off buses, "I'll but out. It's not a big deal. Just trying to get some photos, but I wasn't sure how close I could get."
He sighed, punched my name into his phone and took a picture of my card. After a minute he sighed again, and read off what sounded like a script while he fixed his mask.
"It's cool, man. Look, I understand you have a First Amendment right to freedom of the press, but..."
"Look, dude," I stopped him, "I get it. You're just doing your job and shit's extra crazy right now. Seriously, you're not hurting my feelings. You need my ID to run me through the system or anything?"
He relaxed and apologized, and said, "Nah, it's just...man, everything's fucked up and we're all just trying to make sure nothing gets worse. I appreciate you, I do."
We nodded, I shrugged, and headed for the Hill. Security had expanding several blocks from the night before, and now there were heavily armed soldiers and police of all 31 flavors guarding barricades. While heading past the Supreme Court a Capitol Police officer with a shotgun stopped me from across the street.
"Hey, I want to talk to you for a second."
"Sure, what's up?"
"You look familiar to me. Were you here last week? Where do you live?"
"Nooo," I said, "I was in Chicago, sitting in my PJs freaking out last week."
"What's you name? You got a card or anything?"
I explained I was a stringer for a wire news service, and I'd jumped one of last trains out of Chicago.
"Dominic. Gwinn." He looked at me. Back at my card. Back into my eyes. Back at my badge. Another Capitol Police officer walked over. Eyed me up and down. "Nah, I don't know you."
"Damn, man, under the circumstances I don't know if that's an insult or a compliment," I joked.
They laughed, and shook their heads.
I explained that I grew up in D.C., and moved out to Chicago for school and decided to stay because I could actually afford living there -- as long as I worked weekend in a bar.
"Man, I miss going to bars," he confessed.
"Dude, me too. I'm back home and all I want to do is get a beer or a bourbon and a chicken Philly, and smoke a cigarette over at Union Pub."
"Aren't they open?"
"I mean, the patio's open, but COVID, dude. I can't risk it. I haven't been to a bar in over year almost. At least my wallet's not complaining..."
"Oh, man, I hear you," he said. He then told me about the last time he and his friends went out for drinks. The story ended with him puking his guts out on 395.
"Well, you be careful, man," he cautioned. "Appreciate you!"
It would happen again at the other end of the block. A woman who said she lived in D.C. and was out walking around stopped me to chat about how everything was just so strange. A father and son carrying a sign professing their support for the police and Guard told me that they just wanted to know they cared.
"My heart goes out to them," he said with with a sorrowful croak. "They're protecting us. Our country, our city."
One More Thing...
OK, here's a cute critter video: PYGMY MARMOSETS!
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