Guido Reichstadter Occupies Frederick Douglass Bridge, Closing South Capitol Street
guido reichstadter said he was on top of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., around 3:30 p.m. Friday, and the climb led to a barricade situation that shut South Capitol Street in both directions. By Saturday, the road had reopened at the bridge, but two right inbound lanes were still closed and one left lane remained open for police activity.
Guido Reichstadter on X
Reichstadter, a Florida-based activist, wrote on X: “Hi my name is Guido Reichstadter & I’m currently occupying the top of the Frederick Douglass memorial bridge in Washington DC.” He also wrote: “I’m calling on the people of the United States to bring an immediate end to the Trump regime’s illegal war on Iran and the removal of the regime power…”
D.C. Fire and EMS said a high-angle technical rescue team worked with police after the person climbed the bridge Friday afternoon. The closure hit during the afternoon rush and affected traffic near Nationals Park, where a baseball game was underway.
South Capitol Street by Nationals Park
Marideth Sandler, who lives in Dock 79 near the bridge, said she saw traffic stopped on the other side, fire engines, police boats and a black ribbon in the breeze before spotting the person overhead. Rachel Murray, manager of nearby Atlas Brew Works, said the situation would “definitely impact foot traffic and customers coming in on a Friday night.”
D.C. police said Reichstadter is the same person who scaled the bridge after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. After that earlier climb, DDOT said it planned permanent safety and security measures for the bridge, but on Friday a DDOT spokesman said the agency did not install them because it could not find anything safe that would not create issues for the bridge.
Saturday’s partial lane closure showed that the scene had not fully cleared even after South Capitol Street reopened. For drivers and businesses near the bridge, the immediate problem shifted from a full shutdown to a slower police-controlled cleanup along the inbound lanes.
