Garbage Cans, Mailboxes, Newspaper Racks Disappear

2009_0119_newsboxes.jpg
Photo by James Calder

DCist contributor James Calder reports from his morning trek for bagels at Dupont Market on 18th Street this morning: as per his usual routine, James stopped on the way back home at the corner of 18th and T to grab an Express. But as you can see in the above the photo, the box was missing, along with the Washington Post box. A third box had also been spirited away, but he couldn't be sure to which publication it belonged.

We had been expecting newspaper boxes, mail boxes and metal garbage cans to be removed along the parade route and at certain locations inside the boundaries of Inauguration Island, but not on the edge of Dupont. I also spotted the remnants of a removed garbage can, pictured below, on Rhode Island Ave. NW near 10th Street NW, in Shaw, yesterday.

There's no pattern we can discern to the removal of these metal containers outside the Inauguration zone—another garbage can less than a block away, on 9th Street NW, remains, and on 18th Street, El Tiempo Latino's box is still there. Have you noticed any missing boxes in your neighborhood?

2009_0119_garbage.jpg
Photo by Sommer Mathis

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I noticed at the BWI and Baltimore Penn Amtrak stations as well as the MARC stations last week that all the metal cans had been removed and replaced with plastic ones that they probably removed Saturday before the train went through.

does anyone know why there is a need for national guard troops to be on every corner even in dupont circle? they have been there for hours...groups of 5 and 6 of them about every 30 feet! is this really necessary? there are more guardsmen than workers and tourists in this part of the city today!!!

These removals away from the parade zone are around site of inaugural balls. DC publishers (of which I am one) received notice from MPD over the past several weeks that news racks would need to be removed from many locations throughout DC. Publishers that do not remove their racks by a certain time will have them removed by the DC DOT. The list of areas includes the Washington Hilton, with the boundaries being Columbia Road, 18th St, S St and T St which explains the situation above. The Convention Center is also a removal zone. There are 8 locations in total.

Such a waste of time and effort. When was the last time you heard of a terrorist using a garbage can bomb, or a newspaper rack bomb? Why not just leave the bomb in the bushes, in the storm drains? The security mania has to end, it's ridiculous.

It is only a matter of time before the Secret Service decides that in order to make the Inaguration "safe," every man, woman, and child will need to be evacuated for a 30-mile radius around the Capitol.

b/c a bomb above ground level (eye level is best) does the most damage.

does anyone know why there is a need for national guard troops to be on every corner even in dupont circle?

To protect the out-going president from airborne footwear.

Could people be stealing them to stand on? I saw the paperbox-as-ladder technique in several places at the concert yesterday...

what a waste of effort. 10th and rhode island? give me a f'in break.

The mailboxes were removed from in front of the post office at 18th and Kalorama in Adams Morgan...how ridiculous is that?!

nothing left at foggy bottom metro other than people hocking $1 obama memorabilia, and a few national guardsmen.

Well one thing anyone with a brain knows that are not concerned about republicans being a concern. Most violent criminals/rioters are Democraps. SO they must be afraid Dems will use the boxes as weapons or to hide explosives.

And the National Guard (and most of the military) lean heavily conservative, so again the conservatives there to protect all of us while the liberal make mayhem. Same old, same old.

This is an awesome post because it is simple, actionable, and I’m sure it will make a difference.

I’m going to implement this right now.

Thanks, Brian!

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