“No DCNG personnel should be armed during this mission, and at no time will DCNG personnel or property be involved in domestic surveillance, searches or seizures of US citizens,” wrote Bowser, a Democrat, in the letter.
DC police chief Robert Contee told reporters on Monday that the National Guard will assist in “crowd management” and traffic control, freeing city police to focus on possible acts of violence and other issues of security.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, Bowser asked protesters to refrain from violence, regardless of their political views, and again urged residents to avoid downtown this week, as well as “people who are coming here to look for confrontations “. The mayor also said that a possible curfew for the city was not ruled out, saying that it will be “a tool that we will evaluate during the week”.
DC Attorney General Karl Racine said in a statement on Monday that while DC respects freedom of expression and the right to protest, “the Constitution does not grant the right to commit violence or vandalize property and there is certainly no right to engage in hateful acts. ”
Racine added: “While we respect their right to protest, we will not tolerate criminal behavior – and we must deny them the opportunity to cause chaos.”
Bowser’s office told CNN that the plan includes the activation of 340 guards, while the total deployment at any time will be 114. The defense official said the personnel will be deployed at a few dozen spots on the streets, accompanied by a police officer. of DC in each one. Guards will also be sent to city metro stations alongside local police. Its focus will be mainly on the subway and traffic, said a Bowser spokesman.
A chemical-biological response team will be on call if necessary, said the defense officer, which is standard practice for any major event. Finally, some guards will be activated, but will be on standby if civilian authorities are removed to respond to a situation.
At this point, guards will not be conducting direct law enforcement missions, the official said.
Bowser said at the time that his office did not request any assistance from other states.
The demonstrations in Washington at the end of last year saw a series of skirmishes between anti-Trump protesters and supporters of the president, with at least 20 people arrested during a demonstration in mid-November in which two DC Metropolitan Police officers were injured.
During a pro-Trump demonstration in December, Black Lives Matter plaques in two historic black churches in DC were demolished and set on fire. Contee said on Monday that the local police will be “increasing our visibility” around churches in the area this week.
The police chief also said he was not sure whether Trump would be on the streets with the protesters this week. On Sunday, the president shared a message on Twitter about a demonstration planned for Wednesday in front of the White House, saying, “I will be there.”
This story has been updated with a statement from DC Attorney General Karl Racine.
CNN’s Katelyn Polantz, Julia Jones, Sara Sidner, Ryan Nobles and Ryan Browne contributed to this report.