Security fencing has been put up outside the White House and businesses nearby are boarding up amid fears of political violence in the wake of the 2024 presidential election.
Business owners, residents and federal workers in Washington DC have taken steps to protect themselves and their properties as Americans head to the polls on Tuesday.
In downtown DC, local businesses boarded up their storefronts in preparation for any protests that may emerge. Large metal fences were erected around government buildings including the Treasury Department and near Vice President Kamala Harris’s residence.
Metropolitan Police Department members were placed around key areas in DC and polling locations out of an abundance of caution.
The scars left by destructive protests, including the January 6 attack on the Capitol, in the wake of the contentious 2020 election have hardly healed for DC
Local leaders have been preparing residents in recent weeks to be aware of the heightened security measures. Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked locals and visitors alike to stay informed and avoid any information they see floating around online to prevent the spread of misinformation – a major player in the political unrest of 2020.
“We don’t have credible threats of violence in our city and we want to keep the public informed of what we know when we know it,” Bowser said in a press conference on Monday night in preparation for Election Day.
Bowser has sought to calm any nerves about the increased security precautions, assuring locals that they are working closely with federal partners to keep residents and visitors safe.
She reminded people that the fences erected around federal buildings were to be expected but that local businesses did not need to take similar precautions.
Despite that, businesses located near the White House still chose to take the extra step of security.
In the days and weeks after 2020 Election Day, downtown DC was plagued by massive protests both in favor of and opposed to Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud.
An activist group opposed to Trump vandalized the exterior walls of a law firm that was assisting the former president in election result litigation. Massive groups of Trump supporters, including the Proud Boys, clashed with police and counterprotestors causing some destruction.
Protesters burned items in the streets, launched glass bottles around, broke storefront windows and vandalized the sides of buildings.
Eventually, the chaos surmounted in the January 6 attack on the Capitol which caused mass destruction to the building.
MPD Chief Pamela Smith issued a stern warning to those who are looking to create chaos this year.
“I’ll say this again, let me be clear, there will be no tolerance for violence in our city, no destruction or any unlawful behavior,” Smith said. “As I’ve said before, we’ll hold all offenders accountable. We will not tolerate the destruction of prosperity and we will not tolerate threats to public safety as well as this election process.”
As of now, there is no credible threat to DC but MPD, Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies will be on alert up until Inauguration Day.
