There will be demonstrations when Congress certifies the results of the elections.
The Pentagon approved a request by the mayor of Washington DC to activate 340 members of the DC National Guard to assist law enforcement ahead of demonstrations planned for Wednesday, when Congress is expected to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Unarmed guards will work in shifts to help control traffic controls in the city center to free DC police officers who may be needed to respond if protests become violent.
Local and federal officials expect thousands of protesters to gather in the nation’s capital on Wednesday to protest the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged local residents to avoid the city center for fear that President Donald Trump’s far-right supporters might act violently.
“Approximately 340 employees will support the city government from January 5 to 7, providing crowd control at various subway stations and assisting the police with street closures at various intersections to provide security in and around pedestrian areas,” according to a statement issued by the DC National Guard.
“Capital guards will also support DC Fire and Emergency Management Services with specially trained Civil Support Team personnel. Guards are prepared to respond to augment major missions if additional personnel are needed,” the statement continued.
Mayor Bowser requested activation on December 31 and the request was approved on Monday by the interim defense secretary, a senior defense official said. Unlike the National Guard in other states – whose activation is controlled by state governors – the responsibility for the DC National Guard lies with Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, who must have the decision approved by the Secretary of Defense.
The activation of 1,600 DC guards last summer during the Black Lives Matter protests proved to be controversial, as Bowser had said at the time that she had not requested its activation. The National Guard’s use of helicopters to disperse protesters was later investigated by the Pentagon’s Inspector General’s Office.
The 340 guards activated on Monday will work day and night shifts, with approximately 100 working at a given time, serving more than 30 traffic checkpoints in the city center, according to defense officials. No National Guard helicopters were requested by Bowser.
“No one is going to be armed or (wearing) armor or anything,” said the official. “What they need is traffic control.”
Placing National Guards at checkpoints will help to release an equal number of DC police officers who could “be closer to the demonstrations, should there be a violent act, they are in a position to respond much, much more quickly and effectively. it just gives them a lot more flexibility and a higher support density, ”said the official.
“We think it is useful to have our DC guards, who are our guards, who I asked the Secretary of the Army to assist MPD in traffic management,” said Bowser on Monday. “This frees up absolutely more officers.”
DC Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee labeled any possibility of violence surrounding the protests as “unacceptable” and reaffirmed that carrying firearms in protests is not permitted under DC law, as it is not a jurisdiction open.
In addition to the presence of traffic, DC Guard will also have a chemical-biological response team available to local authorities.