Saying this was an important first step in helping their community heal, local authorities in Washington, D.C. confirmed this morning that they had demolished the Capitol Building in which the horrific 113th congressional session took place. According to officials, the decision to raze the 1.5 million-square-foot structure was aimed in particular at bringing closure to those whose lives were forever changed by the unspeakable acts committed there between January 2013 and January 2015. By tearing down these walls that bore witness to what can only be described as a brazen assault on basic human values, we begin the long, difficult process of recovering from this grave tragedy, said D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser, noting that over the past two years the Capitol Building had become a potent symbol of cruelty, immorality, and the darker side of human nature. Perhaps with this demolition we can restore some measure of peace to our lives. We cannot erase what happened there, of course, and things will never be the same after what those monsters did, Bowser added. But its time for us to move on and put this horror behind us. Bowser, who went on to state that the atrocities perpetrated on the site were an insult to all we hold dear and an attack on our very way of life, claimed that the sooner the building was destroyed, the sooner everyone could move past the ghastly deeds carried out by the 113th meeting of Congress and return to some semblance of normalcy. Though a city planning commission reportedly considered repurposing the building for new occupants, sources noted that the panel quickly reached the conclusion that no one would want to live or work in a place where, only a few months earlier, so much suffering had been inflicted upon innocent people. How do you even begin talking to your kids about something like that? Theyre too young to hear what went on in that dreadful place. Whenever I walked by that terrible place, I couldnt help but think about the horrendous things that had been done inside, said Washington resident Arthur Zhang, 57, who added that he hoped his town would one day be known as more than the place where the legendarily gruesome congressional session occurred. It was bad enough seeing it all over the papers. I dont need a reminder of that dark time every day on my way to work. Thinking about what happened in the Capitol still turns my stomach, but this is a start, Zhang continued. In an effort to eliminate any painful reminders of what is widely regarded as one of the most grotesque and depraved legislative periods in American history, all articles and objects found within the Capitol Building have reportedly been removed from the premises and incinerated. Local officials explained that the destruction of every item that was associated with the buildings remorseless occupants, including thousands of documents and personal belongings, is essential to helping the community be able to mentally move beyond the heinous, inhuman actions perpetrated by Congress. Based on interviews with Washington residents, there remains a considerable amount of outrage directed at the 113th meeting of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, with many locals telling reporters they couldnt believe those two legislative bodies just sat there for months on end with no one ever doing anything about it. Others spoke of feeling guilt for standing idly by while appalling acts took place under their noses, and said the experience had forced them to ask tough questions about themselves. When we found out the details of everything that happened there, it was absolutely horrible, said 32-year-old mother of three Angie Pitre, observing that life in the neighborhood of Capitol Hill, where she makes her home, hasnt been the same since Jan. 3, 2013. How do you even begin talking to your kids about something like that? Theyre too young to hear what went on in that dreadful place. I just thank God they tore that building down and no one will ever have to look at it again. That awful old White House is still there, though, Pitre added. That place really gives me the creeps. 