District Line Daily: Remembering RBG

The day Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away, on Sept. 18, hundreds of residents gathered at the Supreme Court building to mourn and remember her.

They left flowers and signs of remembrance at the steps of the building. Mourners could be heard saying Jewish prayers. Sept. 18 also marked the first day of Rosh Hashana. The gathering was organic. The first residents to show up told the media they just thought to visit the Supreme Court to pay their respects. Posts on social media likely swelled the gathering to hundreds more.

The next day, the flowers and signs were moved from the steps to the sidewalk in front of the Supreme Court building. The night of Sept. 19, mourners organized a vigil. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts stopped by to speak.

Residents paid tribute to the civil rights giant in the ways they knew how. Artists honored her with a mural. It can be found at 1620 I St NW. (There is another mural of her at 15th and U Streets NW.) Halim A. Flowers, a local artist who designed City Paper’s June 11 cover art, honored the late Supreme Court justice through photopoetry. “I am free because she voted against JLWOP,” Flowers writes over a Wall Street Journal article on RBG. JLWOP stands for Juvenile Life Without Parole. Flowers was arrested at 16 and sentenced as an adult, and thanks Ginsburg for her vote in Graham v. Florida.

People continued to pay their respects at the Supreme Court building throughout the weekend and into today. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen paid a visit to the Supreme Court building this morning.

Ginsburg’s death is also spurring residents into action. The Poor People’s Campaign plans to visit Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s D.C. home this afternoon, because he intends to hold a vote on President Trump’s nominee and fill Ginsburg’s vacancy. A lot is on the line, including D.C. statehood.

Here is to remembering the life of Ginsburg, in her own words.

—Amanda Michelle Gomez (tips? agomez@washingtoncitypaper.com)

As of Sept. 21, D.C. reported one additional death related to COVID-19 and 23 new positive cases, bringing the total numbers of people to 621 and 14,978, respectively. The mayor also updated the way it presents its reopen metrics and shows progress. The public can no longer see underlying data, only a static image. [EOM]
D.C. updates its list of “high risk” states that people need to self-quarantine after visiting. Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, West Virginia, and Wyoming were added to the list while California, Hawaii, and Ohio were removed. [Twitter]
DC Public Schools struggle to fulfill Mayor Muriel Bowser’s calls for small groups to return to in-person learning this semester, because principals and teachers still don’t know how it is to be done logistically and safely. [Post]
George Washington University launched its own in-house testing site and requires everyone on campus to get tested once a week. [DCist]

—Amanda Michelle Gomez (tips? agomez@washingtoncitypaper.com)

Pinto Campaign Offers Stingy Salary for Last Minute Field Director Position

With less than seven weeks to go before Election Day on Nov. 3, Ward 2 […]

Rick Murphree drops out of the at-large Council race, leaving 23 (he’ll still appear on the ballot). [Twitter]
Five potential election disasters. [Washingtonian]
How about Ruth Bader Ginsburg High School? [Washingtonian]

By Mitch Ryals (tips? mryals@washingtoncitypaper.com)

These bars and restaurants won RAMMY awards at a streamed ceremony Sunday night. [Washingtonian]
Grading the nation’s hard seltzer varieties. [Post]
Some parts of Maryland can start seating indoor dining rooms at 75 percent capacity today. [DCist]

By Laura Hayes (tips? lhayes@washingtoncitypaper.com)

Local parks have seen record numbers of visitors during the pandemic. [DCist]
Here’s where you can enjoy the fall migration of monarch butterflies. [Washingtonian]
Virginia Opera has created a virtual showcase called Stayin’ Alive. [DC Metro Theater Arts]

By Kayla Randall (tips? krandall@washingtoncitypaper.com)

The Washington Football Team dropped to 1-1 after a 30-15 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Prior to the game, it was announced that team owner Dan Snyder and his wife, Tanya, are quarantining after coming in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. [Hogs Haven, ESPN]
After the Big Ten reversed its decision to not play the fall season, the Maryland football team released its fall schedule, which begins on Oct. 24 at Northwestern. [ESPN]
The Nationals’ playoff chances are, as first baseman Eric Thames puts it, “pretty bleak right now” as the team sits in last place in the NL East with a week remaining in the regular season. [MASN]

By Kelyn Soong (tips? ksoong@washingtoncitypaper.com)