Sledding is supposed to bring smiles to kids during the winter, but U.S. Capitol Police insist on taking it seriously. Even after a request from Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the police will not give a waiver to let children sled down Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Norton wrote a letter to Capitol Police, which she posted on her site, asking them to allow children to go sledding for today through Sunday, since a snowstorm is expected to hit D.C.
“Children and their parents should able to enjoy sledding on one of the best hills in the city,” Norton wrote. “This is a one-time waiver that will allow D.C. kids to sled while we await a more formal review of the ban, which will likely come after the last snow has fallen in our region.”
As The Washington Post, even Sen. Harry Reid supported Norton’s efforts, tweeting a link to the letter.
However, Capital Police insisted that they could not issue a waiver, noting that their regulations state, “no person shall coast or slide a sled within Capitol Grounds.”
Norton said she was disappointed, but will still fight for children’s rights to have fun during the winter. She is hopeful that there could be “reasonable regulation of sledding” in the future.
“I have not asked for unfettered or unregulated sledding. Rather, I have requested reasonable regulation of sledding to replace the absolute ban,” Norton wrote. “I do not believe that is too much to ask for the Capitol Grounds, which are used for walking dogs and other activities, in a city that has so few snowfalls that can accommodate sledding.”