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On my way to work, at approximately 8:45 am, I crossed Dupont Circle. There there was a group of I'd say about 50 people who had joined themselves in a "snake" with a series of ropes -- about four across and about 12 long. They were wearing leaves in their hair and waving sparklers. Some of them were wearing dancers' tights and dance clothes. Some unchained people in the front were dancing in ballet like fashion. Some women held construction paper daises.

Who KNOWS what this meant! I looked at them astounded: a preschool class might try something like this at recess. Well, on they went, northwest across the circle to the intersection of Mass Ave on the circle with southbound Connecticut, and there they veered ONTO the actual traffic circle and apparently were going to parade ever so slowly about the circle to slow down traffic.

Cop cars came from literally *nowhere* -- they just materialized out of thin air. And before they could even fully block the street, they were ushered out of it. One cop car went briefly the wrong way on Dupont Circle (with traffic already stopped, and his lights on) to reach them.

Cops are doing a good job. Johnny-on-the-spot.

Man-on-the-street view:

This town is mostly democrats. But EVERYONE I know at work thinks these protestors are just silly. I haven't met anyone local who thinks this is a good idea. People are all saying: (1) these guys don't dress well (2) they have too many messages and (3) how do they persuade me or get their point across my disrupting my morning commute?

I work near all this and I agree with nina and ned: we haven't seen much by way of a disruption in commutes this morning. The downtown traffic is proceeding apace.