While many memorials, parks and monuments overseen by the Park Service were closed off to visitors, others, like Lafayette Square, McPherson Square and Dupont Circle, remained open as pedestrian pass-throughs.
It would be impossible to close them, said Park Service spokeswoman Carol Bradley Johnson. In the cases of other parks, its difficult to make it evident that a park is closed, said another Park Service spokeswoman, Jennifer Mummart.
In big Western parks, where you have an entrance gate, you shut the gate and its very evident to everyone that its closed, she said. Here, in D.C., its pretty unique, because theres . . . what essentially amount to neighborhood national parks, she said. Although theyre not fenced or barricaded, they are in fact closed because we dont have a (funding) appropriation.
She said the Park Service sought to close the citys 20 playgrounds at federal neighborhood parks for safety reasons. Because we dont have anyone to patrol that playground area, and empty the trash and check for broken equipment . . . we just felt like its better to ensure safety, she said. David Shove Brown, 40, passed a locked-down playground at Lincoln Park with his 3-year-old daughter, Brighid, and two dogs. Its very surreal, he said.
