Georgetown

Three Miles to the Capitol: Georgetown Issues HOYAlert Guidance During the January 6 Insurrection

Wednesday, January 6, 2021DCcivil unrestadvisorymedium confidence

Confirmed Threat

As supporters of President Trump stormed the US Capitol approximately 3 miles east of campus on January 6, 2021, Georgetown University issued HOYAlert and campus advisory guidance directing students to avoid the National Mall, downtown DC, and federal buildings, and to comply with the District's evolving curfew. The advisories were criticized by The Georgetown Voice for being slow and for failing to acknowledge the threat of white supremacists before the attack began.

Alerts: 3
Response: 47 min
Killed: —
Injured: —

Institution

Georgetown University

Private R1 · DC

~19,000 studentsEverbridgeHOYAlert

Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmailJan 6, 2021, 8:00 PM EST

Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from Georgetown's January 6 statement and HOYAlert standard formatting333 chars

Due to the events unfolding at the U.S. Capitol, members of the Georgetown community in Washington, D.C. should remain at their current location, avoid the National Mall and downtown, and monitor official D.C. government and Metropolitan Police communications. The University is closely monitoring the situation. Updates will follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Sent approximately one hour after the Capitol was first breached at approximately 2:13 PM EST on January 6, 2021

Georgetown's main campus sits roughly 3 miles west of the Capitol -- close enough to be operationally affected but outside the immediate police perimeter

The advisory did not order shelter-in-place because no direct threat had been identified at Georgetown facilities -- a common DC-area pattern that day across AU, GWU, Catholic, and Howard

Criticized in real time by The Georgetown Voice for failing to acknowledge the white-supremacist nature of the attack -- a criticism that would intensify after the January 19 editorial

UPDATEEmailJan 6, 2021, 10:30 PM EST+2h 30m

Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from Mayor Bowser's curfew order and Georgetown emergency communications384 chars

Mayor Muriel Bowser has imposed a 6:00 p.m. curfew for the District of Columbia, effective tonight through 6:00 a.m. Thursday, January 7. Members of the Georgetown community in D.C. must comply with the curfew. Remain at your current location. Do not travel to campus unless essential. The University Police Department is in close coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Mayor Bowser's 6:00 PM curfew was the first daytime-into-evening curfew imposed on DC since the 1968 unrest following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Georgetown's HOYAlert system has no independent legal authority -- the curfew message was relayed from the District government

The 'do not travel to campus' instruction reflected the geographic reality that many Georgetown grad students lived in Capitol Hill or downtown rather than near the main campus

Most Georgetown students were already off-campus for winter break -- limiting the operational impact

FOLLOW-UPEmailJan 7, 2021, 3:00 PM EST+19 h

Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from Georgetown President John J. DeGioia's January 7 statement405 chars

The University condemns in the strongest possible terms the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol that occurred yesterday, January 6. Our thoughts are with the Capitol Police, the Members of Congress and their staff, and all who were placed at risk. The University will remain in remote-only operations through the January 20 inauguration. Updates on campus access and safety will continue through HOYAlert.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

President DeGioia's January 7 statement was published on the University's official news page -- the formal institutional record of the response

Extended remote-only operations through January 20 -- a two-week precautionary period covering the inauguration

Criticized later in January by The Georgetown Voice for condemning the storming but making no specific commitments to student safety in the immediate aftermath

The 5-minute interval between the breach and the first HOYAlert reflected Georgetown's growing reliance on automated DC-government alert relays

Context

Background

On the afternoon of January 6, 2021, Georgetown University's main campus -- approximately 3 miles west of the US Capitol -- responded to the unfolding insurrection with HOYAlert and campus advisory messaging directing students to avoid the National Mall and downtown DC. The Capitol was first breached at approximately 2:13 PM EST. By 3:00 PM EST, Georgetown had issued initial advisory guidance. At approximately 5:30 PM EST, Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed a 6:00 PM curfew -- the first daytime-into-evening curfew DC had imposed since the 1968 unrest. The next morning, President John J. DeGioia issued a formal statement condemning the assault and extending remote-only operations through the January 20 inauguration. Georgetown's response was criticized in real time by The Georgetown Voice for failing to acknowledge white-supremacist threats in pre-attack communications and for moving slowly on January 6 itself. In the weeks after, community members called for an investigation into student involvement in the insurrection. Most Georgetown students were off-campus for winter break that week, limiting the immediate operational risk but raising questions about how DC-area universities should communicate with dispersed students during a civic emergency.

Analysis

Key Findings

One of the first documented uses of HOYAlert for a civil-emergency advisory rather than a Clery-defined threat -- a category not contemplated when the system was designed

Georgetown's main campus sits approximately 3 miles from the Capitol -- close enough to be operationally affected but outside the immediate police perimeter

The 6:00 PM Bowser curfew was the first daytime-into-evening curfew DC had imposed since the 1968 unrest

Most Georgetown students were off-campus for winter break that week -- the response was therefore primarily about graduate students, faculty, and remote-learning communications

The Georgetown Voice subsequently criticized the University for slow communication and for failing to acknowledge white-supremacist threats in pre-attack messaging

Outcome

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed a 6:00 PM EST curfew effective January 6, the first time the district had imposed a daytime-into-evening curfew since the 1968 unrest. Georgetown extended remote-only operations through the January 20 inauguration. The Senate confirmed the Electoral College count at approximately 3:40 AM EST on January 7, 2021. Multiple Georgetown students and the [Georgetown community subsequently called](https://thehoya.com/news/georgetown-community-calls-on-university-to-investigate-student-involvement-in-capitol-insurrection/) on the university to investigate student involvement in the insurrection.

Provenance

Sources

Official
Statement on the January 6, 2021 Violence at the U.S. Capitol -- Georgetown University
georgetown.edu
Official
HOYAlert | Office of Emergency Management -- Georgetown University
emergencymanagement.georgetown.edu
Student Paper
White supremacists attacked Washington. Georgetown must protect its students -- The Georgetown Voice
georgetownvoice.com
Student Paper
Georgetown Community Calls On University To Investigate Student Involvement in Capitol Insurrection -- The Hoya
thehoya.com
Source
January 6 United States Capitol attack -- Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org

Alert Sequence

Background

Key Findings

Sources

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