Protesters climb bridges in Washington, D.C., stay for several days
Demonstrators protesting the Iran war and the use of artificial intelligence climbed the Frederick Douglass Bridge and remained there for several days.
On May 1, a man protesting the Iran war and artificial intelligence climbed the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., causing a police response and traffic chaos.
“Hello, my name is Guido Reichstadter. I am currently occupying the top of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C.,” the man wrote on Friday afternoon. “I call on the American people to immediately end the Trump administration’s illegal war against Iran and its removal of power through massive nonviolent direct action and noncooperation.”
On Sunday, as the weekend approached, Reichstadter remained on the bridge, raising a black flag and pitching a tent.
Here’s what we know about his plans for his downfall.
When are protesters scheduled to leave the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge?
Chancellor Reichstadter said late Sunday that he would be “coming off the bridge soon,” but as of Monday morning he had not yet begun his descent.
He thanked his supporters and said the purpose of the protest was to call on people to recognize the power within themselves.
“One man on the bridge is relatively powerless, but by collectively withdrawing our submission and support, we can quickly end the regime and its wars,” he said in X. “This nonviolent collective action is our greatest power, and it is the exercise of this power that rulers fear more than any weapon.”
Reichstadter has been posting to X since Monday, when he sat on a bridge and told his followers “good morning” while sharing a photo of the sunrise.
Where is the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge?
The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, DC connects South Capitol Street across the Anacostia River.
How will the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge protests affect traffic?
Two northbound lanes of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge remained closed Monday morning, city transportation officials said.
Officials with the Metropolitan Area Transportation Coordination Program said one northbound left lane was open and all outbound lanes of the bridge were open. However, they issued a warning to motorists.
“Please seek alternative routes and avoid the area,” they said.
Police officials previously said negotiators were on the bridge urging protesters to get off.
Who are the protesters on the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge?
Reichstadter is an activist and co-founder of Stop AI, a grassroots movement aimed at stopping the “reckless development of destructive artificial intelligence technologies.”
He said he has been arrested multiple times trying to block AI projects by companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and xAI.
In 2022, Reichstadter climbed the same bridge to protest the overturning of Roe v. Wade, according to WUSA. He was reportedly on the bridge for more than 24 hours.
The 45-year-old father of two’s latest protest comes more than two months after the war in Iran began. Every morning on the bridge, he would post that the war should end and AI should be stopped.
“We woke up on February 28 to find that hundreds of school children had been blown away,” he said. “I believe there are millions of Americans who reject war in principle but have not yet done enough to end it.”
Chancellor Reichstadter said he would step down “immediately,” but it was unclear when that would be.
Mike Stunson is a DC Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network.
