D.C. battens down amid threats of violent protests, tense Inauguration Day
Fences were going up across downtown D.C. and National Guard troops took up posts on street corners Tuesday, part of a sweeping lockdown aimed at heading off any unrest during a weekend of right-wing protests and the presidential inauguration that follows.
Officials said the massive security cordon could grow even larger in the District in coming days as they consider shuttering hotels, stopping some Metro service and denying permits for demonstrations, fearing another wave of violence such as the one that rocked the U.S. Capitol last week.
Already, D.C. officials said local and federal law enforcement were establishing a perimeter around the White House, the Capitol and part of downtown Washington that allows them to conduct security screenings on anyone entering the area over the next week. The moves come as new threats of violence circulate on social media and on Internet forums.
Those measures will be bolstered by up to 15,000 National Guard troops and 3,000 to 4,000 law enforcement officers from across the country who will be deputized to enforce laws in the District for the inauguration, officials said. The city also is deploying all of its 3,700 police officers.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/d-c-battens-down-amid-threats-of-violent-protests-tense-inauguration-day/ar-BB1cHnOW?li=BBnbcA1
= new reply since forum marked as read
