Graffiti Reported on Bridge Ahead of Real Salt Lake Game: Tale No. 17

Dusk View of Mormon Temple in Kensington, Md., 2011
(Image: Joe Ravi via Wikipedia Commons)

By David Rusk

Revised December 7, 2021
First written, October 30, 2018

Preface: This is the seventeenth in a series of Tales from Buzzard Point that explores the rich traditions and myths surrounding the legendary DC United soccer team and its fabled history at Buzzard Point. The Tales from Buzzard Point are historical fiction and parody.

Editor's Note: For many years I have been a faithful reader of The Evening Star, which, as all DC United fans know, has been the news source for many Tales from Buzzard Point. In the lead-up to DC United’s match against visiting Real Salt Lake this Saturday, the following brief news story caught my eye.

Mysterious Messages Appear Near Mormon Temple

The Evening Star
October 29, 2018

Beltway drivers going west have long been delighted by the rising white spires of the Mormon Temple just beyond the Georgia Avenue exit. Veteran commuters have chuckled at the memory of the message painted on the railway bridge framing the view of its fairy tale architecture: “Surrender Dorothy,” invoking L. Frank Baum’s classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Despite the best efforts of the Maryland Department of Transportation to paint over the message, it has mysteriously reappeared again.

This week commuters have been greeted by a new message on the railroad bridge framing the view of the Mormon Temple. In two grainy photographs taken by The Evening Star, the "Surrender Dorothy" has been replaced by “Fear Buzzard Point.” Buzzard Point is DC’s oldest neighborhood (ca. 1673) and home to DC United’s new soccer stadium. Perhaps not coincidentally, Buzzard Point will host the match between DC United and Real Salt Lake this Saturday at 8 pm.

Fear Buzzard Point Graffiti at Mormon Temple, Kensington, Md.

(Image: David Rusk and Modified by Doug Barnes)

A DC United spokesperson denied any knowledge of how the message had appeared. They assured The Evening Star that the warning could only have been directed at the Real Salt Lake team itself and not at visiting fans. The spokesperson added "Of whatever race, age, gender, creed, national origin, or sexual orientation, Buzzard Point welcomes all"

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