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D.C. prepares for far-right protesters during day of festivals, gatherings
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/09/14/january-6-protesters-preparation/
D.C. officials think a demonstration planned for Saturday by far-right groups supporting the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 will prove to be a small gathering, attracting no more than a few hundred people.
But city leaders are worried that those who do attend may bring firearms illegally, setting up the potential for clashes in an area expected to be bustling on Saturday with crowds at multiple events: the annual H Street festival in Northeast that typically attracts thousands; a Howard University football game at Audi Field in Southwest; a baseball game at Nationals Park; and a Harry Styles concert at Capital One Arena downtown.
“This is a great day for the city. This is showing that we’re open and folks can come here and do everything” from taking in a sports game or a show to attending a political protest, said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Christopher Geldart on Tuesday. “It’s really what the city’s about.”
But Geldart also acknowledged the concerns. As he spoke, more than 30 staff members from Democratic Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s office walked the blocks on H Street NE that will host Saturday’s festival. They stepped into each business on the commercial corridor to offer window signs noting that guns are prohibited inside.
“If you see someone with a firearm, immediately call 911,” some of the signs said. Proprietors of restaurants, pharmacies and gyms accepted the fliers.
D.C. officials think a demonstration planned for Saturday by far-right groups supporting the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 will prove to be a small gathering, attracting no more than a few hundred people.
But city leaders are worried that those who do attend may bring firearms illegally, setting up the potential for clashes in an area expected to be bustling on Saturday with crowds at multiple events: the annual H Street festival in Northeast that typically attracts thousands; a Howard University football game at Audi Field in Southwest; a baseball game at Nationals Park; and a Harry Styles concert at Capital One Arena downtown.
“This is a great day for the city. This is showing that we’re open and folks can come here and do everything” from taking in a sports game or a show to attending a political protest, said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Christopher Geldart on Tuesday. “It’s really what the city’s about.”
But Geldart also acknowledged the concerns. As he spoke, more than 30 staff members from Democratic Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s office walked the blocks on H Street NE that will host Saturday’s festival. They stepped into each business on the commercial corridor to offer window signs noting that guns are prohibited inside.
“If you see someone with a firearm, immediately call 911,” some of the signs said. Proprietors of restaurants, pharmacies and gyms accepted the fliers.
There is a lot going on downtown this weekend. Right wingers have been photographed illegally open carrying long guns around downtown DC before.
Be safe out there DUers. I don't plan on going anywhere near the Capitol this Saturday.
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