Washington had been silent for a week.
The offices and commercial premises were hidden behind the wooden planks to protect themselves from possible disturbances and the heavy gray clouds kept the citizenship stored in their homes.
But around noon this Saturday came the news that changed the face of the US capital in a matter of minutes: Joe Biden, the candidate for whom more than 90% of the city's voters had voted, was elected President of the States. United.
Even the sun broke through and thousands of people took to the streets ignoring the recommendations in the midst of the pandemic to celebrate after days of holding their breath.
"You're fired," the youths shouted at Donald Trump in an atmosphere of absolute revelry outside the White House.
However, the last image circulating of the American president was at his golf club in Virginia.
The cars with the music blasting, the horns, US and LGTBI flags, people dancing with T-shirts with the phrase "Black lives matter" and others simply screaming with excitement with Kamala Harris masks as a child.
Marijuana and campaign outside an armored White House.
This is the makeshift stage the city has set up to celebrate the triumph of Biden ... and perhaps, with even more joy, the defeat of Trump.
Many of them had the feeling last Tuesday that they had not been standing in line to vote for an hour, but four years.
A few months ago the same streets had witnessed massive demonstrations and scenes of violence in the midst of protests against abuse by the police.
Now they felt that their screams had been heard.
Candy, a 38-year-old African American, is proud to be alive to see the first black woman take over the country's vice presidency.
“It is a historic moment.
I knew it was going to happen, but I am
shocked
that Georgia and Arizona voted Democrat. "
Although it is 24 degrees and there is hardly any room to breathe in the square Black Lives Matter Candy does not remove his jersey from Howard University.
There she studied and there the future vice president of the United States also studied.
While Washington was muted on election night, the plaza in front of the White House, the heart of the racial protests, was a festive oasis in the city until midnight.
Since then, with Trump leading several states, they have been almost optimistic on the streets.
The following days everything was to wait in front of the televisions for the call.
“I was desperate, it was such a long process…” says 28-year-old Winfield Siberg.
"I haven't felt such deep joy in years."
The party of the Democrats sprouted from coast to coast, passing through Los Angeles, Detroit and New York.
Dozens of people gathered next to the Freedom Tower, in downtown Miami, a symbolic building for having welcomed the first waves of Cuban exile, to celebrate the victory of Biden and Harris.
Playing pots and holding flags bearing the name of the president-elect, they danced to the rhythm of Latin songs such as
To'lo malo echa pa'lla
or
Pa'fuera, pa'la calle
, well chosen to fire the one they consider to have been a president who It has divided the country and has generated fear in the Latino communities that are the majority in this city.
"As a Cuban American, as a migrant, as a woman, these four years have been very difficult and there is nothing more symbolic than being here, in the Freedom Tower, where so many immigrants have come, to celebrate democracy," says Daniela Ferrera, member of the group Cubanos con Biden.
For her, the former vice president will be able to unite a divided country again.
Although Trump won Florida, in part thanks to increased support in the state's large Cuban-American community, stirring up the specter of socialism has not worked for many Latinos in the city who today celebrate that Biden is the prudent elect.
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