Divided: Scenes from Inauguration 2021 Gallery

Two white men wearing camoflage National Guard fatigues and black facemask look at the camera. Behind them, are other National Guardsmen standing a park in downtown D.C.

National Guard Lieutenant

Lieutenant in charge of a national guard squad stationed at Logan Square and his corporal (left).

Identification of each soldier consisted of a number hand-written on green duct-tape. No name tags were visible, and soldiers had been instructed not to give names. The lieutenant stated that he could only give the origin of his unit as “The Midwest."

Several of the soldiers asked me what I thought might happen on inauguration day. The corporal had several clips of ammunition in his vest, but no weapons were visible. When I asked why, the leader said he couldn’t comment on this, or his mission, and politely referred me to the Public Affairs Officer for the deployment.

Two tropps wearing military fatigues and long, black guns stand in front of a tan military vehicle in downtown D.C.

Pennsylvania Guardsmen

Two soldiers from a unit “from Pennsylvania” at a checkpoint about 1/2 mile north of the capitol. Both weapons and clips were visible, but the weapons were not loaded. The corporal on the left was the only one with a visible name tag.

A man wearing a black jacket, black pants, a black face mask and a grey winter hat stands with his arm around a woman. Professional camera are slung over each of the man's shoulders. The woman, who is smiling, wears a black jacket with a fur-lined hood around her head, an orange winter hat, a black jacket, and black gloves, and she has a teal face mask tucked under her chin.

Sarah Baxter and Jez Couslon

Sarah Baxter of the London Sunday Times. During Barack Obama’s first inauguration, she sat within yards of the president. When this image was made, she and her photographer Jez Coulson had just been denied entrance to the “green zone.” Over the past several months, Sarah and Jez have done extensive coverage of the Proud Boys.

“It’s very disturbing to see a new president inaugurated in what looks like a bit of a war zone, but it does presage an absolute break with the previous era.”

Read Sarah's piece on the Proud Boys at The Times.
View Jez Coulson's work on his website.

Several soldiers wearing military fatigues, helmets, and black masks stand in front of a mesh fence. In front of them, a black woman wearing a white wig, rainbow bow tie, magenta bikini top, faded blue jeans, and a pink, yellow, and blue tie-dyed furry coat holds a microphone.

Performance Artist Taunts Soldiers

Performance artist “Crackhead Barney” attempting to provoke national guard troops at K and 14th streets. The young soldiers maintained their composure and did not engage her.

Four white men wearing black police uniforms and gear, black winter hats, and dark face masks, stand in front of law enforcement vehicles in the streets of downton D.C.

Law Enforcement Stands at the Ready

Law enforcement officers patrol the D.C. streets ahead of the inauguration.

Image of a white man with a graying beard and mustache from the nose down. He is wearing a mint green and orange streaked facemask under his chin and a navy blue puffer winter jacket. On his jacket are two buttons: a red, white, and blue button that says BIDEN PRESIDENT and a light blue button that says PROUD TEX DEM.

Texas Democrats

This man said he found it to be very challenging to be a Biden supporter in Texas. He traveled to the inauguration in D.C. to show his support for the incoming administration.

A navy blue shirt, bearing the words BIDEN HARRIS sits on a wire rack, behind is part of an American flag.

Biden Harris Shirt

Celebratory inauguration memorabilia for sale on the streets of Washington, D.C.

Close-up image of a black woman from her forehead to her mouth. She wears bright blue eyeliner and a black mask with the letters DAM in pink paint on the fabric. She looks directly at the camera, while behind her is a crowd and a blury Biden for President flag.

BLM Activist

A self-described “Black Lives Matter activist” at Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington, D.C. during the inauguration.

A white man wearing a black winter jacket, carrying a black duffel bag, and dressed in a suit walks along a mostly deserted street. Behind him are white stone buildings. In front of the buildings are presidential banners in gold, navy blue, and red.

Desolate Pennsylvania Avenue

A lone man walks along Pennsylvania Avenue on Wednesday, January 20th, which would normally be crowded with throngs of people during inaugurations of years past.

A line of police officers, most wearing black winter hates and black face coverings, line the street in front of the white stone buildings along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.

Security Along Pennsylvania Avenue

Security forces line the street along Pennsylvania Avenue on Wednesday, January 20th, a few blocks down from Trump Hotel, and route of inauguration parades of years past.

Inauguration Souvenirs

A souvenir of the inauguration for sale by a street vendor.

Chalk art, reading #46!, scrawled on the pavement in downtown Washington, D.C.

"46" Street Chalk Art

The number “46,” representing Joseph Biden as the 46th President of the United States, rendered in chalk on the street at Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington D.C. on the day of the inauguration.

An Asian woman with her dark hair pulled back from her face looks at the camera. She is smiling slightly and wears a red, grey, blue, and yellow plaid scarf tucked into a black winter jacker.

Haruyo Miyamoto

Haruyo Miyamoto, Correspondent covering the inauguration in Washington for Tokyo Broadcasting System News in Japan.

“[Trump is] very popular among some Japanese people… Still today, there are some Japanese people who think that President-elect Biden wasn’t elected fair and square.”

Barricades

Chipboard window barriers protecting businesses were ubiquitous throughout downtown Washington, D.C.

Joel Selanikio

Long-time DC residents Joel Selanikio, his wife Miaochun, and son Kai live about one mile from the Whitehouse. This will be Joel’s fourth inauguration. They have no immediate plans to move.

"With the Capital riot, people felt like these are folks who are trying… to overthrow the government... I think I’ll sleep OK tonight, but at the same time you think 'that could never happen here, until the moment when it actually does.’ "

A slightly smiling Mexican man stands in front of a giant U.S. flag, which is missing its stars. The man wears a tan cowboy hat, a black bandana around his neck, and a navy winter jacket.

Roberto Marquez

Mexican artist Roberto Marquez. The flag he carries is 25 feet long and is missing its stars, which he says is a commentary on immigration policy in the United States.

Image of a white woman wearing pink lipstick from her nose to below her shoulders. She weats an army green jacket with a black fur collar, and a dark grey neck gaiter. On the jacket are a yellow patch that says "Trans rights are human rights" and a patch featuring a red fist that says "Resist."

Resist

An organizer of the inauguration rally at Black Lives Matter plaza, who maintains and protects the area from desecration.

A group of military personal, wearing camoflage fatigues, stands on a sidewalk near an active street in downton Washington, D.C. A woman wearing a black jacket, pants, and hat, walks past them.

Soldiers Patrol D.C. Streets

National Guardsmen from across the nation patrol the streets of Washington, D.C. ahead of the inauguration on January 20th, 2021.

Truck Barrier on K Street

Truck barrier on K street the day before the inauguration. Several of these barriers were present along K street.

Riot Gear

Gear used by soldiers and law enforcement stands at the ready to be pressed into service if needed.

An image featuring two men. One the left, a man with dark hair and a dark goatee wears a black canvas vest over an army green winter coat with the fur lined hood pulled up over his head. The black vest features a patch with Arabic lettering. On the right, a shorter man wears a light grey winter hat, a blue facemask, a light grey winter jacket, and a black vest.

Kaleed and Ahmed from Al Arabiya News

Kaleed and Ahmed are journalists reporting on the inauguration for Al Arabiya News Outlet. Kaleed (right, wearing mask) was struck by rioters while covering the siege on the U.S. Capitol building on January 6th, 2021.

Spike

A Black Lives Matter supporter at the inauguration rally at Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington, D.C., he says he wears his spikes “to protect black lives.”

Image of a woman, wearing a black winter hat, tan and blue sunglasses, and an American flag bandana as a mask.

Michigan Biden Supporter

This supporter of President Biden traveled to Washington, D.C. from Michigan for the inauguration.

A white woman with blonde shoulder length hair, wearing a green shirt, blue jacket, a black mask, and a pair of dog tags stands in front of a chipboard barrier.

For Her Father

This woman came to the inauguration in Washington, D.C. to honor her father, a veteran who was a Biden supporter. She is wearing his military dog tags.

A white young man with red hair clutches a professional camera in his gloved hands. he is wearing a dark brown winter hat, a black face mask, black gloves, and a rust colored fleece jacket underneath a black puffer jacket.

James Townsend

Freelance photographer James Townsend covered the inauguration of Joe Biden. He photographed and videoed the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th.

See James' photography on his Instagram page.

A homeless man stands in a park in downtown Washington D.C. The white middle-aged man has a blonde goatee and is wearing a navy winter hat, a blue surgical mask beneath his chin, an Army West Point gray sweartshirt and several layers of winter jackets.

John Burrrows

DC Resident since 1999, at his encampment.
“I’m homeless. I struggle every day.”

Q: Reaction to all the police and military? “It makes me feel a little safer. That’s for sure. ‘Cause when people get together, and they’re all angry, there gonna bust up everything.”

Q: Thoughts about the change in administration? “I don’t do none of this stuff. Its gonna all work itself out with or without me. It aint gonna affect me, ‘cause I don’t live in the same time zone as everyone else. I’m not normal, I don’t live a normal life [but] I think it’ll be good for the country.”

Closeup potrait of a black woman wearing a white wig, rainbow bow tie, magenta bikini top, and a pink, yellow, and blue tie-dyed furry coat holding a dead mouse by the tail.

Performance Artist Crackhead Barney Portrait

Performance artist “Crackhead Barney” harangued guard troopers at K and 14th streets, often from only a few inches away. The soldiers ignored her. She picked up the dead rat she’s holding off the street just prior to being photographed.

Gas Mask

Gas mask worn by an unknown bystander at Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington D.C.

A red, white, and black flag flies against a grey skey. Below it, a white woman wearing a black knit hat, black face covering, and army green jacket looks off into the distance.

Karen Irwin

Watches over the Black Lives Matter memorial fence at BLM Plaza, Washington, D.C.

Two National Gaurdspeople, one a white female wearing glasses and one white male wearing sunglasses, wear military fatigues, helments, face coverings, and carry military rifles.

Pennsylvania Troop Deployment

Soldiers from a Pennsylvania guard unit at a vehicle barrier at K and 7th streets the day before the inauguration. The woman on the left normally works in logistics. This was her first field deployment.

Two protestors, dressed in black winter attire and wearing face masks stand on the streets of D.C. They are each holding a black sign with white lettering'; the sign on the left says "Trump is Over" and the sign on the right says "Fear Less Love More".

Fear Less Love More

Protestors hold signs in Washington, D.C. during the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

A homeless white man with a long white mustache and beard is bundled up in winter clothes and blankets. He sits under a rainbow umbrella amid his belongs and several hand-made signs calling for government reform.

Honest Government

D.C. resident Daniel Kingery, who makes his home in McPherson Square in Washington, D.C., advocates for “honest government” during the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

A white woman with red hair, a black facemask, and a black winter hat and jacket stands with her hand on a black woman's shoulder. The black woman is wearing a pink pussy-style knit hat, a black mask with the words Madam VP, and a grey sweatshirt with a black shirt over it. The shirt says "Black Lives Matter / 1-2-3 / Fuck White Supremacy."

BLM Advocates

Black Lives Matter advocates Nadine Seiler (right) and unknown friend rally at the Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington, D.C. during the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

Two police officers, wearing dark knit winter hats, and vests saying Metropolitan Police, stand outside the open door of a police van on the streets of downtown D.C.

Metropolitan Police Officers

Members of the Metropolitan Police in DC patrol the D.C. streets ahead of the inauguration.

Wonder Woman and Friends

Bystanders, including an unnamed person in a “Wonder Woman” mask, rally at the Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington, D.C. during the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

A dramatic image at Black Lives Matter plaza in D.C. People mill around the plaza and the various BLM flags flying nearby. A man wearing a black rimmed hat, sunglasses, a dark gray winter coat and a blue surgical mask looks off into the distance.

BLM Supporter

A supporter at the Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington, D.C. during the inauguration of President Joe Biden.