To avoid trouble, DC is locking down
The nation’s capital and cities across the country are developing plans to increase security as Inauguration Day ticks closer.
In Washington, more than a dozen Metro train stations will be closed, and some 15,000 National Guard troops will swarm the city for Wednesday’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
But an FBI warning of possible armed protests at state capitol buildings across the nation next week, along with likely rallies in other cities, raises the question of whether the country can be fully prepared for possible violence.
Groups tracking right-wing extremist organizations have said preparations for more violence are underway by supporters of Donald Trump who believe incorrectly that he won the 2020 election, a revelation that comes as little surprise to University of Maryland historian Terry Bouton.
Bouton, who has joined or witnessed dozens of protests in Washington over the past two decades, said he hasn’t seen anything quite like what transpired Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol. And he wasn’t even close enough to see the chaos inside.
“Some people were so angry, screaming with outrage, yet it all seemed so well-organized and orchestrated,” Bouton said. “If they are using the similar kinds of tactics elsewhere, they are going rile up a lot of people who had no plan to engage in violence.”
Between the pandemic and the security threat, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is flat-out asking people not to come to the District of Columbia for the inauguration. And at her request, a National Special Security Event declaration was put in place Wednesday, a distinction she said “puts in place an entirely different command and control structure” for security.
Tours have been halted at the Washington Monument. The National Park Service said that news reports claiming the entire National Mall will be closed were incorrect but that no decision had been made. The mall stretches over 2 miles from the Lincoln Memorial on the west end to the U.S. Capitol on the east.
In New York City, police say security at Trump Tower is being boosted.
“From now through the inauguration, we will have a robust presence at Trump-affiliated locations,” the police department announced days after the Capitol riot. “After the inauguration we will reevaluate our security posture.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio said this week that there were no tangible threats against the city.
“We are absolutely ready if one emerges to move the resources in place to address it quickly,” he said.
In Los Angeles, six people were arrested after multiple fights erupted Wednesday as dozens of supporters of President Donald Trump rallied in front of City Hall. The Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department said that there were no known threats but that it is “monitoring the situation” and will be prepared should protests or violence take place.
“You can’t monitor them,” Bouton warned. “They got knocked off of Twitter and Parler, so they are on encrypted sites now, and who knows what they are talking about.”