Since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Washington has been steadily hardening -- more bollards, more barriers, more guards, new roads cut off, less access.

That will surely escalate even more now. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/upshot/washington-dc-security-versus-public-access.html

This means, on one level, that while the rioters at the Capitol have returned home across the country, it is the residents of the District who will live with the government's response -- and with a more restricted city.

On another level, it is a sad symbol for our democracy that the the broad avenues of the L'Enfant city, with their intentional sightlines on the Capitol, today lead to a fortified compound.