Businesses in the US capital began to prepare for the close presidential election on Tuesday, November 5, and for any possible repetition of a shocking episode of violence like the one that broke out after the 2020 elections.
Washington authorities warned of a “fluid and unpredictable security environment” in the days and weeks after the close of the elections, and added that they do not expect a winner to be announced on election day between Democrat Kamala Harris and the Republican Donald Trump.
The specter of January 6, 2021, the day Trump supporters stormed the Capitol seeking to overturn the former president’s loss to Joe Biden, weighs on the preparations.
“In many respects, our preparations for 2024 began on January 7, 2021,” Washington Assistant City Manager Christopher Rodriguez said at a City Council briefing last week.
Four years ago, the capital saw several demonstrations, some violent, from Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020 to the deadly riots at the Capitol.
This time, Trump has repeatedly refused to declare whether he will accept the election results and has already spoken of fraud and cheating in key states such as Pennsylvania, raising fears of new unrest.
On Friday, around the corner from the White House, workers hammered wooden planks at several businesses on Pennsylvania Avenue.
A security fence divides Lafayette Park from the presidential mansion, with barricades stacked as workers build a structure for inauguration ceremonies.
Typically, these jobs start in November, but during the riots at the Capitol, workers had to flee when Trump supporters arrived at Congress.
Construction began a month early in order to “allow additional time for a safer environment for activities,” the National Park Service said.
“I’m disappointed, because we wanted to take a photo in front of the White House,” a tourist from Texas who arrived in the city for the Women’s March the next day and was wearing a pearl necklace in honor of Harris told AFP.
“Visible” demonstration of strength
At the municipal council briefing, Rodríguez especially warned about misinformation on social media in the coming days and weeks that could affect security in the capital city.
Events like Israel’s war in Gaza add a “layer of complexity (…) that could generate political violence,” he said.
The FBI reported that it would have a command post to monitor threats, while the Secret Service – the agency in charge of protecting presidents and high-level officials – stated that it would “improve the security posture if necessary.”
The Capitol Police, many of whose members were injured during the January 6 attack, did not comment on their security preparations, although Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser assured that they were “prepared.”
Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith said no “credible threat” has been identified.
Peaceful protests are supported by the police, but “violence of any kind will not be tolerated,” he added.
“We will not tolerate any riots, we will not tolerate the destruction of property, we will not tolerate any illegal behavior,” he said.
Smith promised a “visible” show of force in the city, which will have some 4,000 reinforcements for Inauguration Day, January 20.
On Friday, tourists gathered at a point in Ellipse Park, in front of the White House, from where Trump told his followers on January 6, 2021 “fight like hell.”
“Look at the guns,” Secret Service agents behind the barricade said quietly.
*Read also: Democrats and Republicans try to captivate the Latino vote in the US
Post Views: 100
