DC Mayor Calls In National Guard Ahead of Protests Over Disputed Election Results
The D.C. National Guard will be present when supporters of the President come to the city to protest the disputed 2020 presidential election results this week.
The D.C. National Guard will be present when supporters of the President come to the city to protest the disputed 2020 presidential election results this week.
The request for a National Guard presence between January 5-7th was made by Mayor Muriel Bowser on New Year’s Eve, according to D.C. officials.
The acting D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Chief, Robert Contee, said about 350 National Guard members will be assisting the MPD with crowd management and traffic control, and will not be armed or wearing body armor.
The move comes amid calls for large protests to gather in D.C. while congress meets to certify the Electoral College results. President Donald Trump said the day will be “historic” and that he will be attending the event. The Metro Police expect a crowd significantly larger than similar events last year.
The city is closing roads and restricting parking, mostly around the White House and the National Mall on both Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Mayor Bowser is taking an adversarial stance in addressing the event. “We will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city,” Bowser said.
On Sunday, the mayor asked people to stay away from the demonstrations and downtown area while accusing the citizens who show for the protest of “seeking confrontation.”
“I am asking Washingtonians and those who live in the region to stay out of the downtown area on Tuesday and Wednesday and not to engage with demonstrators who come to our city seeking confrontation, and we will do what we must to ensure all who attend remain peaceful,” the D.C. Mayor said in a statement posted to twitter.
© 2023 Enfield Media Group LLC - All Rights Reserved.