Photojournalist Jeffrey Delannoy spent four days on assignment for The Smoky Mountain News in Washington, D.C. both before and after the Jan. 20, 2021 inauguration. Without credentials, Delannoy had to work to get the story in the streets – out on the fenced-in fringe of what barely resembled the National Mall.
Delannoy has contributed to publications including The New York Times, Miami Herald, Rolling Stone, Vogue and The Guardian U.K. among others, and is based near Asheville, North Carolina.
Looking west down the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the Washington Monument is one of few landmarks visible above the miles of perimeter fencing.
Bolted together top and bottom and backed by a concrete jersey barrier, D.C.’s fencing is topped in places with a foreboding holiday tinsel – razor wire.
At intervals of about 30 feet, troops from the National Guard stand silently behind the barriers, rifles at the ready.
Several checkpoints, like this one on South Capitol Street, allow for approved vehicles and pedestrians to enter and exit the perimeter.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (center) walks to a press conference with members of her administration on Jan. 19.
During a pre-Inauguration statements issued in a grassy median on Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser implores residents to report suspicious activity, telling them, “The eyes of the world are on DC right now, and we’re going to continue to show everyone why Washington D.C. is the greatest city in the world.”
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also used her press conference to push for D.C. statehood. That would also bring control of the D.C. National Guard, which currently reports to the Secretary of Defense.
Heading south towards the Capitol through Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown, there are more soldiers than civilians.
All in all, more than 25,000 members of the National Guard were stationed in or around Washington, D.C., several days before the Inauguration.
Merchants along 7th St. NW boarded up windows for a storm that never came.
Some of the plywood on Chinatown storefronts had been in place long enough to acquire decoration of its own.
Much of D.C.’s major interstate traffic is nonexistent during the week of the inauguration, due to extensive street closings.
Normally, the D Street Bridge over Interstate 395 would be packed with cars. On Inauguration Day it was silent, as it had been for days before.
Military vehicles are a common sight at various intersections around Washington, D.C.
Used in combat since 1989, the familiar Hummer and its subsequent variants still serve. This one, at an outpost in Washington, D.C., serves to cordon off a street.
Although many D.C. streets are open to pedestrians, some are closed to vehicles via roadblocks.
Colorful characters are a constant in Washington, D.C., and the inauguration is no exception.
Although few in number, attention seekers of all stripes found all sorts of ways to garner notice in the moments leading up to the 59th Presidential Inauguration.
At one of the very few mass gatherings that took place north of the Capitol on Jan. 20, law enforcement presence was substantial.
After the insurrection of Jan. 6, Washington, D.C. Capitol Police weren’t taking any chances.
Just as Joe Biden takes the oath of office, a man blows a flag-draped shofar two blocks away.
Christian extremists showed up with bullhorns, but onlookers (bottom) often took the opportunity to disrupt their displays.
Sen. Bernie Sanders wasn’t wearing those mittens for no reason – Inauguration Day was cool and blustery.
A handmade message hung on the perimeter fencing obscures the soldiers standing behind it.
National Guardsmen often used parks and greenspaces to congregate.
Security near the Capitol on Jan. 20 looked much different than it did on Jan. 6.
On Jan. 21, workers began to remove displays and equipment used in the previous night’s festivities.
The day after Biden was sworn in, some perimeter fencing began to come down around the National Mall.
A razor-wire ringed perimeter fence still surrounds the Capitol Complex on Jan. 21.
Congressman Madison Cawthorn, Republican representative from North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, has had a turbulent first month in office.
Cawthorn, speaking to Blue Ridge Public Radio, said he thought his speech at the Jan. 6 rally may have led to less violence. Some are calling for his removal for inciting the violence.
On the morning of Jan. 21, Guardsmen within the Capitol perimeter could be seen preparing for a move.
Members of the California National Guard pose for one last photo before for the long journey home.
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