DC police say to avoid Frederick Douglass bridge as protester lingers

A man climbed the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, DC on May 1, prompting a police response and traffic disruptions as he protested the war in Iran and artificial intelligence.

"Hi my name is Guido Reichstadter & I'm currently occupying the top of the Frederick Douglass memorial bridge in Washington DC," the man wrote on X Friday afternoon. "I'm calling on the people of the United States to bring an immediate end to [U.S. President Donald] Trump regime's illegal war on Iran and the removal of the regime power through mass nonviolent direct action and non-cooperation."

As the weekend came to a close Sunday, Reichstadter remained on top of the bridge, where he had hung a black banner and set up a tent.

Here's what we know about his plan to come down.

When will the protester leave the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge?

Reichstadter said late Sunday he would "soon be leaving the bridge," but he had not begun his descent as of Monday morning.

He thanked his supporters and said the purpose of his protest was to call on people to recognize the power within them.

"One man on a bridge is relatively powerless, but the collective withdrawal of our obedience and support is capable of bringing a swift end to the regime and its wars," he said on X. "This nonviolent collective action is our greatest power and it is the exercise of this power that those who rule fear more than any weapon."

Reichstadter has been posting on X since he perched himself on the bridge, telling his followers "Good Morning" on Monday as he shared a photo of the sunrise.

Where is the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge?

The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, DC connects South Capitol Street over the Anacostia River.

How is traffic impacted by Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge protest?

Two northbound lanes of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge remained blocked Monday morning, according to city transportation officials.

Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination Program officials said one northbound left is open and all of the bridge's outbound lanes are open. But they issued a warning to drivers.

"Seek alternate routes and avoid the area," they said Moday.

Members of the police department previously said their negotiators were at the bridge as they attempted to urge the protester to come down.

Who is the protester atop the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge?

Reichstadter is an activist and cofounder of Stop AI, a grassroots movement aimed at disrupting "reckless development of destructive artificial intelligence technology."

He said he's been arrested multiple times in his attempts to stop AI projects from companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and xAI.

In 2022, Reichstadter climbed the same bridge as he protested the overturning of Roe v. Wade, according to WUSA. He was reportedly on top of the bridge for more than 24 hours.

The 45-year-old father of two's most recent protest comes more than two months after the war in Iran began. Each morning while atop the bridge, he has posted that the war should end and AI should be stopped.

“I woke up on February 28th, and I found that hundreds of school children had been blown apart," he said. "I think there are many millions of Americans who reject the war in principle, but whose actions have not yet been sufficient to bring it to an end.”

Despite Reichstadter saying he would come down "soon," it's unclear when it will happen.

Mike Stunson is the DC Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network.