In December, we asked our readers to explain why they live in the District. We thought describing why they stayed while others retreated to cheaper, less populated cities during the pandemic would offer new arrivals of the Biden administration an opportunity to learn about the District beyond federal land.  

Then Jan. 6 happened. 

The Capitol insurrection incited by President Donald Trump made Inauguration Day anything but a welcoming occasion. Mayor Muriel Bowser is discouraging individuals from visiting for the inauguration. Law enforcement is omnipresent in downtown D.C. a week out. White nationalists and conspiracy theorists threaten to return on Jan. 20. 

D.C. residents are a resilient bunch. Readers who wrote about their appreciation for the District ahead of last week’s horrific events that left six dead have no intention of retreating. Their reflections, among others, make up this month’s cover story, available in print and online. 

“The Capitol dome sits atop a hill, a symbol of American democracy for everyone except the actual residents of D.C., taxpayers whose representation in its marbled halls is limited to one non-voting delegate,” writes editor Caroline Jones in the story’s introduction. “And yet, watching rioters storm the building and break windows to dispute the outcome of an already decided presidential election felt inherently personal. We may not have much of a say in what happens in the Senate, but this is our town.”

Read the story here or bookmark for later. 

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