Members of the DC National Guard will respond when supporters of President Donald Trump demonstrate this week against the 2020 election results in downtown DC.
The DC National Guard will assist the Metropolitan Police Service with crowd management and traffic control, MPD acting chief Robert Contee told a news conference Monday morning. The department expects a crowd larger than two pro-Trump events in DC last year.
“Some of our intelligence certainly suggests there will be more crowds,” Contee said, adding, “There are people who want to come to our city armed.”
A U.S. Defense Department official said members of the DC National Guard would not be armed or wearing armor. Congress is meeting this week to confirm the results of the Electoral College, and Trump has refused to concede while raising support for protest marches.
The acting police chief has arrested under DC law anyone carrying a gun during a protest or within a foot of a protest. Police put the weekend signs in Freedom Plaza, where demonstrations are expected and warned about the law.
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Law enforcement will work to maintain order during the protests, Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
“We will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city,” she said.
Officials will evaluate whether a curfew rule is needed, Bowser said.
Police will increase their presence in churches after protesters destroyed Black Lives Matter signs outside.
In a message Sunday, the mayor asked people to stay away from the demonstrations and downtown.
‘I ask Washingtonians and those who live in the region to stay out of the city center on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and not to liaise with protesters who come to our city to confront, and we will do what we have to do to ensure that “Everyone who attends remains peaceful,” Bowser said in a statement.
According to federal law, weapons can not be transported on U.S. territory from the Capitol and in National Park Service areas such as Freedom Plaza, the Ellipse and the National Mall, Bowser’s office said Sunday. It is illegal to open firearms in DC, and DC is not reciprocal with the hidden gun licenses of other states.
“Unless a person has been issued a concealed gun license by the District of Columbia, they cannot carry a firearm in the city,” the mayor’s office said.
The president said on Twitter on Sunday that he planned to attend the protest. Contee said Monday that he has no additional information.
Black Lives Matter organizers have appealed to the mayor and police chief to protect churches and enforce regulations related to face masks and social distance.
Many streets in the city center were closed for parking on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Street closures will also be in place.
Because DC does not have a governor, the designated commander of the city’s national guard is Ryan McCarthy, the army secretary. Any DC requests for the deployment of the guard must be approved by him.
The defense official said there would be no military troops in the city, and that the U.S. military would not provide any aircraft or intelligence. The DC Guard will provide specialized teams prepared to respond to any chemical or biological incident. But the official said there would be no DC Guard members at the National Mall or at the U.S. Capitol.
Stay tuned to NBC Washington for more details on this evolving story.