There won’t be any sledding on Capitol Hill for D.C. kids -- or anyone else -- during this snowstorm, Capitol Police announced Saturday.
“Unfortunately, due to the current security posture, COVID-19 restrictions, and the deconstruction of the Inaugural platform, we cannot permit sledding on the Capitol Complex at this time,” Eva Malecki, the communications director for the police department, said.
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The news arrives despite D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton's plea for authorities to allow sledders, after she said children in American “endured an extremely challenging year."
“D.C. children in particular have not only endured the coronavirus pandemic but now the militarization of their city, with the hostile symbols of fences and barbed wire," Norton said. "Sledding is a simple, childhood thrill. It is the least we can allow for our resilient children this winter season."
This isn’t the congresswoman’s first time championing the pastime. Sledding was banned on Capitol grounds in 2001 until 2015, when Norton added language permitting the activity to a federal spending bill.
The year before, determined children and families gathered for a "sled-in" to protest the ban. While the sled-in wasn't legal, Capitol Police did not enforce the ban that day.
This time, however, families will have to turn to other areas or other activities to keep the little ones busy, as the District prepares for its first major snowfall in two years, which could possibly dump several inches in the area Monday and Tuesday.
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“We, however, look forward to welcoming sledders back in the future,” Malecki said.
