Outside White House, waiting on the future
WASHINGTON — As ballots were being counted across the country Tuesday night, hundreds of people gathered outside the White House for what one hoped would become “a going-away party” for President Donald Trump.
A drum line pounded out a steady beat, dancers waved flags while weaving to the music, and backers of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden occasionally chanted “Vote him out!” at Black Lives Matter Plaza. Protesters unfurled a large black “Remove Trump” banner and a truck blared go-go music.
Just a handful of Trump’s supporters were there.
Millie Landis, 19, a sophomore at American University, compared the protest to a farewell party for Trump. “We want him gone,” said Landis, who came with a friend.
As the evening dragged on there were moments of friction but the atmosphere was largely relaxed and peaceful, a far cry from the potential unrest local and federal officials have been bracing for in the nation’s capital in the wake of a bitter and unprecedented presidential election. As 10:30 p.m. approached, many anxiously awaited the results of a race that was still in flux.
Several dozen District of Columbia police officers casually kept an eye on the scene and even mingled with the crowd. At one point, there was a tussle between police and a man who was at Black Lives Matter Plaza, though it was not immediately clear what prompted it. In a separate incident, video posted to social media showed twomen wrestling on the ground at the plaza.
The National Park Service had erected a tall fence around the White House in preparation for potential violence. District officials also opened an Emergency Operations Center and increased police and fire staffing to handle any issues. Two federal agencies said they had personnel on standby if needed.
Senior Master Sgt. Craig Clapper, a District National Guard spokesman, said around 8 p.m. that no National Guard member in the city had been activated or put on standby to respond to any kind of unrest. Guardsmen could be activated by the Defense Department following a request from Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, or at the direction of the president, Clapper said.
Despite the preparations, District Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Director Chris Rodriguez told WAMU on Tuesday morning that the city had not heard of any concrete plans that might incite violence.
“We don’t have any specific or credible threats to the District of Columbia in the election period,” Rodriguez told the radio station. “However, we are concerned, and we did see violence of course over the summer from some of the First Amendment demonstrations thatwere here in the city. We are watching for that.”
Some downtown businesses had boarded up shops in anticipation of problems on Election Day or the days that follow.
Roughly a half-dozen groups had applied for and received permits to demonstrate near the White House and other downtown locations on or a round Election Day. They include social justice and religious organizations.
A group called Shutdown DC, which has been active in the movement for racial justice over the summer and has protested Trump administration actions, organized the Tuesday evening event at Black Lives Matter Plaza. It was slated to go until midnight.
Martha Wilson, of the District, said she came to the protest because she went to the first Women’s March the day after Trump’s inauguration and “wanted to bring it full circle.”
She rode her bike to the demonstration and wore a mask that read, “All will be well.”
“I hope I’m right,” she said. Kehinde Ogun wore a bright red shirt with MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN emblazoned on the front. Ogun, who is Black and said he is homeless, said he came to the gathering “to show support formy president.”
Ogun said he backed Trump because of the president’s push for prison reform.
Though the vastmajority of the crowd supported Biden, Ogun said he had not heard any criticism or name-calling directed his way.
“Today hasbeen very peaceful, thank God,” he said.
There were a few moments of tension as the night wore on.
Just after 9 p.m., a White man was chased by a group of protesters following an altercation at Black Lives Matter Plaza. Several said he used a racial slur.
“I love all people,” he shouted as he headed west on I Street.
A Black man stepped in, putting his arms up to guard theman and asking everyone to step back. “No one deserves to get hurt,” he said before ushering the White man behind the police line at Vermont and 15th streets.
But people mostly were looking for a place to come together as results began to come in. Earlier in the evening, Yael Shafritz and Eliana Golding, partners who live in the Petworth neighborhood of the District, had danced along and nodded their heads at Black Lives Matter Plaza as they watched a dance troupe perform, its members wearing sweatshirts that read: “Every vote counts.”
“The main reason I’m out here tonight with these groups is the spirit of resilience and celebrating,” said Shafritz, 28.
Golding, 30, said neither of them knew what they would find when they came downtown.
“But I wanted to be with people this time,” she added, remembering that she felt very isolated in her house when Trump won in 2016.
Journalists from Italy, Germany, South Korea and other countries converged on the plaza, interviewing demonstrators and broadcasting home to viewers closely following the U.S. election.
Election returns were being projected on screens and walls around the city.