January 6, 2021 Letter from the Mayor Dear Washingtonians,
I want to start by saying thank you. Thank you to the 712,000 residents of Washington, DC for doing your part to keep our city safe. Today, we saw an affront on not only our American democracy, but our DC values — the values that make the District of Columbia a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive city. We step up daily to support our federal government and the many federal events and activities that take place in our hometown, to ensure safety in the nation’s capital, all despite having zero voting representation in the Congress that came under siege earlier today.
I also want to thank the women and men of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who performed admirably – they made our city proud and nation proud. After weeks of planning, MPD immediately answered the call to support our federal partners without hesitation and quickly restored order to the Capitol.
This was an unprecedented attack on our democracy by the United States President, and he must be held accountable. His constant divisive rhetoric led to the abhorrent actions we saw today, and sadly, the loss of life that will forever be a stain on what could have been and should have been a peaceful transfer of power. Again, he must be held accountable.
At this hour, we can report that the Capitol is secure, and MPD has worked in collaboration with the U.S. Capitol Police and Secretary of the Army to further secure the grounds for the upcoming days. According to our plan, this afternoon, I called for a curfew that began at 6:00 p.m. today, January 6 and will expire tomorrow morning, January 7, at 6:00 a.m. All essential and emergency personnel are exempt from the curfew, and the DC Government will open on time for normal operations on Thursday, January 7.
Additionally, I want to thank the lawmakers who returned to the Capitol tonight to do the work of the people in the People's House. And I want to thank our regional partners, including the Governors of Maryland and Virginia and the County Executives and Police Chiefs in the surrounding jurisdictions who responded to MPD's call for mutual support in the city and also the call from the U.S. Capitol Police for support at the Capitol.
This evening, I signed a Mayor’s Order that extends the public emergency that I declared earlier today for 15 days so that we can ensure peace and security through the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Today was a dark day for our democracy, but there is hope and change coming.
Once again, thank you, DC.
Sincerely,
Muriel Bowser