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Children bravely defy sledding ban on Capitol Hill, because freedom

By German Lopez

The federal government prohibits sledding on Capitol Hill. But when dozens of protesting children showed up with sleds in hand on a snowy Thursday afternoon, US Capitol Police surrendered the hills and let the children sled.

Media outlets documented some of the brave protesters via Twitter:

The Capitol Hill sledding ban, the Washingtonian explained, has been in place since the 1980s, but it's been enforced more strictly since 9/11 as a matter of national security.

Prior to the snowstorm that hit DC on Thursday, Congresswoman Eleanor Norton, DC's nonvoting representative in the US House, asked Capitol Police to lift the ban from Thursday to Sunday. But the Capitol Police Board declined.

The children didn't seem too concerned with the ban. When the Washingtonian's Benjamin Freed asked a seven-year-old if she was scared of being chased off or arrested by Capitol Police, she responded, "I don't care."

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