The Capitol Hill Sledders Are DC’s Most Successful Protesters in Decades

It’s a rare day when the will of District residents trumps that of Congress, but participants in the Great Sled Uprising of March 5 pulled it off. After years of being told they couldn’t sled down the west side of Capitol Hill—because of a ban enforced since 9/11 in the name of “national security”—a band of kids on a snow day (and their parents) took to their toboggans in defiance. A few Capitol Police officers milled about down the street but made no attempt to stop the little ruffians. In May, the House approved an appropriations bill instructing the cops to ignore renegade sledders in favor of chasing, you know, actual criminals.

This article appears in our July 2015 issue of Washingtonian.