Phase 1: Ten Days
May 30 to June 8: Police and protests following George Floyd’s death
To mark the pandemic’s fifth anniversary, these “Social Distancing Diary” installments will appear two to three times a month on Thursdays until March 2026. To see previous entries, visit this link.
May 30
This was an odd, disjointed day in Old Town Alexandria. The weather was absolutely pitch perfect and I walked 10 miles. People were on the streets, dining outdoors, enjoying the sun. Some social distanced; others appeared not to care. Many wore masks; others chose not to do so. Returning to normal — whatever that is — has a different feel.
This is Phase 1, mirrored in cities across the country cooped up for more than two months because of COVID. On light poles up and down the streets, signs alluded to the police-related tensions seen in Minneapolis and other large cities since George Floyd died five days ago.
But, for the most part, people just seemed to be content and enjoying the sun.
June 4
This week in Alexandria has been hot and, for the most part, quiet — strange given the protests just a few miles away over Floyd’s death.
On May 31, I rode my bike into Washington, D.C. for the first time but stayed away from the area near the White House, where vandals have smashed doors and windows of businesses and painted graffiti on statues during the demonstrations. That night, a fire was set in the basement nursery of the historic St. James Episcopal Church during more demonstrations.
On June 1, protestors were forcibly removed from Lafayette Square so the president could walk across the street to the church for a photo opportunity. He held the Bible as a prop; he did not tour the church. Afterward, a tall black mesh metal fence was erected on the north side of the square, where demonstrators have peacefully protested for years.
Before the week ended, more fencing and concrete barricades went up, blocking all entrances to Lafayette Park, the Ellipse and other spaces around the White House. National Guard trucks could be seen on the perimeter of the White House.
In Alexandria, a 131-year-old Confederate statue — named Appomattox and featuring a soldier facing southward — was removed without fanfare from the intersection of Washington and Duke Streets. The United Daughters of the Confederacy, which owns the statue, chose to remove the memorial a month ahead of schedule because of the nationwide demonstrations.
The push-pull debate between public health and trying to restart the economy has seen some restrictions lifted and others put in place. Black Lives Matter signs have popped up along King Street, as have plywood boards over some of the higher-end shops that have been closed since March. Businesses now require you to wear a mask when entering, thanks to the governor’s order, but restaurants continue to seat guests outside.
We are living in strange times.
June 8
The police killing of George Floyd two weeks ago has shaken much of our nation to its core. It has forced many to examine, rethink, and recalibrate long-standing traditions and views about race, biases, long-term public and mental health and safety, and how government, business, and education should run.
When this diary started 2½ months ago, my loosely defined plan was to chronicle a community and how it dealt with a pandemic. Over the past 10 days, as social distancing restrictions have been eased, it has evolved in ways many of us would not have imagined a few short weeks ago.
Among them: A peaceful demonstration that passed down King Street just a couple of hundred feet from our home. It was one of several that occurred in the Washington, D.C., suburbs over the weekend.
Since March, I’ve walked daily, more often than not shooting photos with my phone. I’ve wondered at times if this diary would continue. But just as each day in our lives is different, so are the things I see and the lessons I learn anew.
These entries serve as supplemental materials to my photo book — Keep Your Distance. Unless otherwise noted, the photos in this series are not part of the book.
Keep Your Distance: Walking Through the First Year of COVID is available for $40 plus $5.95 for shipping and handling. You can order it by visiting this link.
Thanks for your witness, Glenn. In these current beyond-strange days, among the most distressing has been the pushback against the movement that started with George Floyd's murder. The attempt to rewrite the history of that killing, its minimization. Some days it puts me in free-fall. Keep bearing witness.
Strange days, indeed.