Businesses are closing in Washington as the capital prepares for Tuesday’s presidential election, and any possible repeat of the shocking violence that erupted in the wake of the 2020 vote.
City officials have warned of a “fluid and unpredictable security environment” in the days and possibly weeks after polls close, adding that they do not expect a winner between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump to be declared on election day.
The specter of January 6, 2021, the day Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, seeking to overturn the former president’s election loss to Joe Biden, weighs on the preparations.
Circles of fencing now surround the White House, the U.S. Capitol building and Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence.
Workers erect anti-climb fencing around the White House and the Treasury Department on Sunday.
Passersby stand in front of a fence on the White House grounds.
“In many respects, our preparations for 2024 began on January 7, 2021,” Washington Deputy City Manager Christopher Rodriguez said at a city council briefing on election preparation last week.
Four years ago, Washington was repeatedly rocked by sometimes violent demonstrations, from the Black Lives Matter protests during the pandemic-affected 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 is already alleging fraud and cheating in swing states like Pennsylvania, setting the stage for what many fear will be more unrest.
‘There is concern in the city. We don’t expect complete chaos like we saw after Jan. 6 or four years ago,” Eric J. Jones, vice president of government affairs for the Apartment and Office Buildings Association of Metropolitan Washington, told Washington Post.
Buildings near the White House are boarded up in Washington, DC
The Nation’s Capitol is preparing for protests and possible riots with a contentious Election Day looming on the horizon.
Many of the boarded-up shops are still open, just behind the wooden boards.
Workers are seen boarding up storefronts and buildings at ground level along Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House.
The US Treasury Department seen with a protective barricade as Washington, DC continues preparations ahead of the presidential election.
The Nation’s Capitol prepares for protests and possible riots
“Honestly, it’s just fear,” Jones said. ‘I get emails and texts constantly because people are really engaged. … People would rather be over-prepared and have nothing happen, as opposed to the opposite.
‘At a time when we are trying to revitalize, especially our downtown, what we don’t want is the destruction of property that will deter people from returning to the city, or create a situation where we are trying to rebuild those areas. – said Jones.
Around the corner from the White House, workers have been hammering fresh-smelling plywood at several businesses along Pennsylvania Avenue and the Treasury Department complex.
Some businesses and homeowners are preparing for the worst and are reinforcing street-level windows and entrances in case there is looting or rioting.
An 8-foot-high security fence cuts across leafy Lafayette Park in front of the presidential mansion, with barricades stacked behind as construction workers have been working in unseasonably warm fall weather to build the booth that will be part of the ceremonies. inauguration.
Workers erect anti-climb fencing and other security measures around Howard University in DC, where Democratic vice president candidate Kamala Harris will spend election night.
Office buildings are also among those that will be boarded up in the event of political violence.
Businesses near the White House are boarded up ahead of election day tomorrow.
Lessons have been learned since the protests of January 6, 2021
Work usually begins in November, but during the Capitol riots, workers had to flee when Trump supporters invaded the steps of Congress.
This year, the National Park Service said, construction began a month early “to accommodate the additional time needed for a safer environment for construction activities.”
Rodriguez, speaking during the city council briefing, especially warned of misinformation on social media in the coming days and weeks that could affect security in the capital city.
International events like Israel’s war in Gaza add a “layer of complexity… that could lead to political violence,” he said.
The FBI said it was establishing a command post to monitor threats, while the Secret Service – the agency charged with protecting presidents, their families and senior officials – said it would “improve our security posture if necessary.” .
“The Secret Service is working closely with federal, state and local partners in Washington, D.C. and Palm Beach County, Florida, to ensure increased levels of security on Election Day,” the agency said in a statement Sunday.
Cafes remain open despite boarded-up windows
Storefronts and buildings are boarded up along Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House.
US Secret Service agents will be part of the security force in the US capital from Election Day and beyond
Supporters of Donald Trump clash with police inside the US Capitol during a protest aimed at stopping the transfer of power to Joe Biden, on January 6, 2021.
“These improvements are not a response to any specific problem, but are part of a broad range of public safety preparations for Tuesday’s elections.”
The Capitol Police, many of whose members were injured during the Jan. 6 attack, have not commented on their security preparations, although Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference that they were “prepared.”
No “credible threat” against Washington has yet been identified during the election period, Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith said in a briefing.
Police will support peaceful protests, he said, but “we will not tolerate any violence.”
“We will not tolerate any riots, we will not tolerate the destruction of property, we will not tolerate any illegal behavior,” he said.
All of D.C.’s 3,300 eligible police officers will work 12-hour shifts and most licenses will be canceled at least until the election “to ensure we have enough officers on the streets and in every corner of the District.”
He promised a “visible” show of force in the city in the coming days and weeks, culminating in some 4,000 reinforcements for Inauguration Day on January 20.
On Friday, tourists filled a spot at the Ellipse, the park in front of the White House where Trump told his supporters on Jan. 6 to “fight like hell.”
“Look at the guns,” one muttered, as armed Secret Service agents stood silently at the barricades.
