Nicole Goldstein’s children grew up on Capitol Hill; the grand monuments of the National Mall are their backyard. “It’s their Capitol,” she said. Her children, a daughter in middle school and a son in high school, felt personally attacked as they watched rioters break the windows and storm the Capitol. “We have spent a lot of time at the Capitol and my kids are very familiar with it and they were sobbing,” Goldstein said.
The family was not in the city on the day of the attack, and they’re leaving again for the inauguration. Though they attended BLM protests all summer, Goldstein says she doesn’t know anyone who is protesting near the Capitol right now.