A “non-scalable” fence will be installed Monday around the White House and two adjacent parks amid concern that protests could break out after Election Day, according to reports.
“The White House on lockdown: A federal law enforcement source tells NBC that beginning tomorrow, crews will build a ‘non-scalable’ fence to secure the WH complex, Ellipse and Lafayette Square. 250 National Guardsmen have been put on standby, reporting to Metro Police officials,” NBC reporter Geoff Bennett wrote on Twitter on Sunday night.
The White House on lockdown: A federal law enforcement source tells NBC that beginning tomorrow, crews will build a “non-scalable” fence to secure the WH complex, Ellipse and Lafayette Square.
250 National Guardsmen have been put on standby, reporting to Metro Police officials.
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) November 2, 2020
The fence, similar to the barrier erected along the White House’s perimeters earlier this year amid protests following the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day, will also stretch down 15th Street and Constitution Avenue, as well as 17th Street and H Street, CNN reported.
According to the final Yahoo News/YouGov poll before Election Day, 51% of those surveyed expect President Donald Trump to refuse to concede if he loses the election, and 77% are concerned that violence will break out in the coming days.
“A study released in mid-October also warned that five states — Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon — were at risk to experience increased militia activity ahead of the elections and afterward,” The Hill reported. “That report, which was released by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project and MilitiaWatch, also determined that North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, California and New Mexico were at moderate risk to see increased active militias during the same time period.”
Peter Newsham, the police chief of Washington, D.C., warned last month the city council that there may be civil unrest after the election. In response, many businesses in the downtown area and near the White House have boarded up glass doors and windows in the last week.
But CNN reported that “Metro police have been preparing its officers for well over a year, as it does ahead of every general election, ensuring that they are prepared to handle everything from civil disturbance to crowd control to potential disruptions to metro transit,” according to Patrick Burke, executive director of the Washington, D.C., Police Foundation.
“If there’s no winner, you will see significant deployments of officers at all levels across the capital,” Burke told the network. “Officers will get cancellations of days off, extensions of shifts and full deployments of officers across the city.”
D.C. is not the only city prepping for protests and possible looting.
In New York City, more than 4,000 members of the Guardian Angels, a volunteer group that patrols communities to prevent crime, announced it will be out in force in the streets on Election Night to protect neighborhoods.
“We will be in the streets because we anticipate, one side or the other may not be happy with the outcome of Nov. 3,” Curtis Sliwa, the organization’s founder, said in a statement. “The Guardian Angels will be protecting cities against rioters, violent protestors, and militias, who may be planning on capitalizing on protests on Election Day,” he added.