Ring of metal on the White House and companies boarded up as DC braces for political violence | EUROtoday

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Security fencing has been put up exterior the White House and companies close by are boarding up amid fears of political violence within the wake of the 2024 presidential election.

Business homeowners, residents and federal employees in Washington DC have taken steps to guard themselves and their properties as Americans go to the polls on Tuesday.

In downtown DC, native companies boarded up their storefronts in preparation for any protests that will emerge. Large metallic fences have been erected round authorities buildings together with the Treasury Department and close to Vice President Kamala Harris’s residence.

Metropolitan Police Department members have been positioned round key areas in DC and polling places out of an abundance of warning.

The scars left by harmful protests, together with the January 6 assault on the Capitol, within the wake of the contentious 2020 election have hardly healed for DC

Local leaders have been making ready residents in current weeks to pay attention to the heightened safety measures. Mayor Muriel Bowser has requested locals and guests alike to remain knowledgeable and keep away from any data they see floating round on-line to forestall the unfold of misinformation – a serious participant within 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 mentioned in a press convention on Monday night time in preparation for Election Day.

Bowser has sought to calm any nerves in regards to the elevated safety precautions, assuring locals that they’re working intently with federal companions to maintain residents and guests protected.

She reminded those who the fences erected round federal buildings have been to be anticipated however that native companies didn’t have to take related precautions.

Despite that, companies positioned close to the White House nonetheless selected to take the additional step of safety.

In the times and weeks after 2020 Election Day, downtown DC was suffering from huge protests each in favor of and against Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud.

An activist group against Trump vandalized the outside partitions of a regulation agency that was helping the previous president in election consequence litigation. Massive teams of Trump supporters, together with the Proud Boys, clashed with police and counterprotestors inflicting some destruction.

Protesters burned gadgets within the streets, launched glass bottles round, broke storefront home windows and vandalized the perimeters of buildings.

Eventually, the chaos surmounted within the January 6 assault on the Capitol which brought on mass destruction to the constructing.

MPD Chief Pamela Smith issued a stern warning to those that need to create chaos this yr.

“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 mentioned. “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 isn’t any credible risk to DC however MPD, Secret Service and different regulation enforcement businesses might be on alert up till Inauguration Day.