With the coronavirus pandemic still humming in the background and calls from D.C. government officials to enjoy fireworks at home and not in public, the scene on the National Mall was relatively sparse but nonetheless intense.

In case you gave your attention to the news a bit of a rest this weekend, we’ve got you covered.

The District’s Fourth of July was a little spicy and a lot smoky.

Independence Day weekend in the region looked a lot different compared to years past as people largely heeded local government guidance to stay home. But protests, sit-ins, and celebrations still happened all over the city — beginning the day before the official holiday by calling for the removal of controversial statues and taking a hard look at systemic racism.

President Donald Trump hosted a private celebration at the White House while small crowds gathered at the Washington Monument. Behind the backdrop of the planned fireworks display, Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters confronted each other briefly as U.S. Park Police moved to separate them. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, four people were arrested in incidents related to civil unrest, though D.C. Fire and EMS noted that this year saw just the slightest uptick in calls: 718 compared to 711 in 2019, and 208 non-EMS calls over 2019’s 175.

And despite the many, many fireworks in and around the city, FEMS noted just two firework-related incidents: a structure fire on 1st Street SW that displaced three people, and one significant hand injury from a firework near Oxon Run Park.

Elsewhere in the District, an 11-year-old was killed in Southeast on Saturday. According to a tweet from Markus Batchelor, D.C. State Board of Education vice president and Ward 8 representative, Davon McNeal was watching fireworks when he was hit by a stray bullet.

With this turmoil as the backdrop, we asked people across the city a simple, direct question: What does freedom mean to you?

Remember COVID-19?

Officials in Montgomery County have expressed concern about meeting coronavirus testing needs should a new surge in cases emerge in the area.

Meanwhile, more people are venturing out with confidence once again as D.C., Maryland and Virginia continue to reopen their economies. People are gathering (and sometimes even crowding) on restaurant patios and in parks, and some businesses are beginning to open up indoor spaces, too.

In Fairfax County, half of the confirmed COVID-19 cases are in the Latinx community, affecting three times its share of the population. The Fairfax County Health Department has instituted mobile testing centers, but some argue it may not be enough.

And in other news from the city proper…

Longtime Advisory Neighborhood Commission member Kathy Henderson is running as an independent candidate to fill David Grosso’s at-large D.C. Council seat in November. Henderson joins a crowded field of 18 other independent candidates for the spot.

And calls for Washington’s NFL team to change its name have reached a new peak as team owner Dan Snyder has agreed to review the controversial name. The move comes just after FedEx, whose name adorns the stadium where the team plays, joined in requests for a name change. The name, a slur used to describe Native Americans, has come under increased scrutiny by local lawmakers. The team’s current location sits in Landover, Maryland, but ownership has sought to move to RFK Stadium in Washington. D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton has said it won’t happen under the current name, which she calls “an ethnic outrage.”

Possible new team names for consideration have been circulating on Twitter.