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Norton Meets with D.C. Third Graders About Capitol Fencing and Shares Their Writings

March 12, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) met this week with third grade students from Brent Elementary School, a public school in the District of Columbia located near the U.S. Capitol, to hear their concerns about the fencing around the Capitol complex. The students have been working on their persuasive writing and brainstormed Capitol fencing as an issue that they felt strongly about.

"I enjoyed my time with these astute future leaders," Norton said. "I strongly oppose permanent fencing at the Capitol complex. I continue to press for the complex to be returned to the public, and we are making progress, as evidenced by the recent Task Force 1-6 report, which recommended against permanent above ground fencing at the complex. The fencing around the complex has seriously impacted the surrounding neighborhoods, especially the children who live here, as the Brent third graders showed. These budding advocates did an excellent job in meeting with me and in writing and sharing their experiences. They practiced and used their persuasive writing to push for the fences to come down in their neighborhood.

"Many children across the country have been stuck at home learning remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. On top of the restrictions posed by the pandemic, the children near the Capitol have also seen the closure of their outdoor spaces, where they used to run, walk, and play before the attack on January 6, 2021. I applaud the children's courage in raising their voices, and the work of their wonderful educators like Abby Maslin, who are finding ways for their students to connect to current events and the world around them, despite the many challenges of remote learning."

Norton has introduced the No Fencing at the United States Capitol Complex Act, which would prohibit the use of federal funds to install permanent fencing at the Capitol complex.

Below are excerpts from the students' writing. The complete writings can be

.

  • "When I was small I used to sled down Capitol Hill. My dad used to jog around it, along with many others, and my mum used to bike down the Hill to work. But now we can't, because the barriers surround the Capitol. It looks like a prison from the outside. And the barrier is taking away our nation's Capitol from its people!" – Azania Neill
  • "Our people are intimidated and scared because the fence comes off as unwelcoming or ominous. The fence is a bad reminder of something awful that happened in our city, and is unsettling for many [citizens]." – Eliza Summers
  • "One time my family [walked] down to the fences and it felt like there was a prison in front of our house. It was not something to joke about. My body was so scared I wanted to run away." – Max Lightner
  • "Think of all the childhood memories people have made at the Capitol. Sledding, biking, walking around the Capitol grounds. I remember paying tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court steps when she passed away. I remember all those times the streets and sidewalks were filled with cars and people. Now the Capitol grounds are basically a ghost town." – Nate Brindger
  • "It is the [cherry of] annoyingness on top of the ice-cream Sunday of [difficult] driving. … It's splitting the city in halves. People don't want to go around it and it's straight smack in the middle of the city." – Alex Webster
  • "What if a kid wanted to become an artist someday. What if they wanted to paint a picture of the [Capitol]? All they would get in there painting is some trees, a little bit of the [Capitol] and the fence. That kid would feel ashamed of not being able to get a good painting of the [Capitol and] maybe even give up his dream. I mean there goes the next Leonardo da Vinci." – Virginia Walker Hanna