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Morning Roundup: Second Helpings Edition
Fire at 17th and L NW Forces Evacuations
The annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund begin on Friday, and the city will see a number of changes in traffic patterns and road closures this weekend as a result. Here's what you should plan around:
Streets closed to vehicles:
Beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 19, until 2 a.m. on Sunday, October 21
* Pennsylvania Avenue, NW between 17th Street and 20th Street, NW
* 19th Street, NW between I (“Eye”) Street and F Street, NW
* H Street, NW between 17th Street and 20th Street, NW
Beginning at 8 pm on Friday, October 19, until 9 pm on Monday, October 22
* 18th Street, NW between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
* 19th Street, NW between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
* 20th Street, NW between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
* F Street, NW between 17th Street and 20th Street, NW
Pedestrian restrictions:
Beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 19, until 2 a.m. on Sunday, October 21
* 600, 700, and 800 blocks of 18th Street, 19th Street, and 20th Street, NW
* 1700, 1800, 1900, and 2000 blocks of G Street, NW
* 1900 block of H Street, NW
To add to the fun, the MPD has said that all street closings are subject to change at any time, without notice. All of these measures are in place, of course, because of the inevitable protesters that will tie up traffic even more. Over at Free Ride, Mike Grass has been keeping tabs on tomorrow's planned "October Rebellion" in Georgetown. The organization's web site is here.
If you're looking to avoid any potential frustrations getting around town this weekend starting tomorrow, the only thing we can think to recommend is to stay east of 17th Street NW and either north of Eye Street NW or south of E Street. Theoretically, Georgetown should be fine for Saturday or Sunday shopping -- just be careful how you get there.
Photo of World Bank protests in 2006 by MatthewBradley
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Oooooh....puppets!
Meet me at the Grassy Knoll. I'll be the one handing out Fair Play for Cuba leaflets.
And it looks like Columbia Heights gets to host these delightful little street urchins and their hijinks:
During previous times that St. Stephens' has been used for mass housing for supposedly radical events, people have disrespected the space by urinating on pews, vandalizing church property, and otherwise acting foolishly.
You folks may want to avoid Red Derby and Wonderland.
Well I know now to make plans to take me out of town. I just hope there is some hippie bashing this weekend and its caught on film. That would be great to see.
Somehow, they indicate on their website that their march is unpermitted... how did they get streets closed if it's unpermitted? Posers.
The streets are closed to "protect" the World Bank and the meeting attendees from the protestors, not to provide a venue for the protestors to gather. They fence them off with chainlink and everything.
Also, wouldn't the headline of this piece more accurately be expressed by "Fifth Straight Year of Protests Against World Bank & IMF Meetings to Cause Street Closures"? If the anti-globalists didn't keep showing up with a stated agenda of disrupting and "shutting down" the meetings, the authorities wouldn't feel these road closings were necessary.
World Bank, IMF Protests to Cause Shrugging, "Whatevs"