Excerpted from The Daily Caller: Many Americans crossed the barriers that were set this weekend by President Barack Obama’s deputies to block public access to the Potomac River from Virginia’s George Washington Memorial Parkway.
In many quiet acts of civil disobedience, Americans removed car barriers and cut police tape, or walked across barriers after parking on grass verges or in adjacent suburbs.
Once past the federal barriers, they were able to enjoy the bike paths, parkland and overlooks — on what singer Woody Guthrie described as “your land” — during the sunny, 80-degree weekend.
Still, the Obama administration blocked easy access to the river for many Americans, except for boat club members or property owners in the 22308 zip code, where riverside homes sell for at least $1.5 million.
The federal barriers were set along 20 miles of the parkway, starting at a government-built parking lot at President George Washington’s Mount Vernon home and continuing northwards to scenic overlooks in McLean, Va.
“I’ll take my chances,” said one man as he unloaded his two children on a grassy verge beside Roosevelt Island, just across from Washington’s Georgetown district.
But their day in the sun was darkened by a locked gate on the narrow bridge from the parkway to the island that celebrates President Teddy Roosevelt, who is widely regarded as the first presidential advocate for national parks.
Motorists who pushed through the barriers were applauded by other Americans.
“They’re right to do that,” a cyclist told The Daily Caller as motorists drove through an opened barrier at a private marina near the Belle Haven Country Club, located just south of Alexandria, Va.
Still, many citizens were stopped by the barriers. Some were blocked because they could not get their boat down the blockaded slips, and others because they were not willing to risk a parking ticket from patrolling police cars.
A family, complete with three kids and a speedboat, found themselves at a scenic overlook 300 feet above the northern end of the river because all the normal slips were blocked. They told TheDC that they would turn back south to search for an unguarded boat ramp.
In several places, Americans gathered together to park in large groups around knocked-aside barriers.
But their respect for the law prevented them from puncturing the water-filled plastic barriers — at least during daylight — that are too heavy to be shoved aside.
GOP governors have also pushed back. Keep reading
Read more about Civil Disobedience Spree: Americans Trampling The Fuehrer’s Barricades
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