National Guard troops flooding in as Washington locks down
All through downtown Washington, the primary sound for several blocks was the beeping of forklifts unloading more fencing.
There were no cars or scooters and seemingly no tourists Wednesday, just the occasional jogger and multiple construction crews at work. The Capitol, which was such a soft target last week, was visible only through lines of tall, black fencing.
Two blocks from the White House, a group of uniformed National Guard troops emerged from a tour bus and headed into a hotel as a state of lockdown descended on Washington. It will last through the Jan. 20 inauguration.
As of Thursday, there were roughly 7,000 National Guard troops in the city, with thousands more en route. The total on Inauguration Day will be 21,000 or more,
National Guard members operate under strict rules of engagement on the use of force. But generally speaking, troops can use lethal force to protect the lives of others and themselves.
“Clearly we are in uncharted waters,” said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Between the pandemic and the security threat, Bowser is asking people not to come to the District of Columbia for the inauguration.
Police vehicles sealed off a huge swath of downtown D.C. on Wednesday, causing immediate traffic snarls. Starting Wednesday, Bowser said, anyone inside the inauguration perimeter might be stopped and questioned. Starting Friday, all parking garages in the downtown restricted zone will be sealed through the inauguration. Bowser is asking D.C. residents to avoid the downtown area, and the city announced that 13 Metro stations inside the security perimeter will shut down for several days.
Bowser is also being pushed to deny lodging options to potentially violent protesters. The local Black Lives Matter affiliate and Shutdown DC issued a joint statement Wednesday urging all downtown hotels to voluntarily close and pay their staffs. In addition to the threat of violence, the activist groups say Trump supporters are a threat to the health of hotel staff for their general refusal to wear masks during the pandemic. Several downtown hotels, including one that had become a favorite hangout of the militant
Proud Boys faction, chose to avoid trouble by closing last week.
On Wednesday, Airbnb announced it was canceling all reservations in the Washington metro area. Bowser said she had been in regular contact with Airbnb officials since last week, but did not specifically request this step.