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Ryan W. Miller
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Jordan Culver
| USA TODAY
State Capitols increase security amid threats
State capitals across the country have tightened security and deployed national guard units, SWAT teams and extra police officers amid major security issues following the violence in the US capital last week. (January 14)
AP
WASHINGTON – This city under siege was quiet on Sunday as Americans braced for possible violence ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
National Guard troops have poured into the country’s capital as well as many state capitals after law enforcement officials warned of possible violent protests planned nationwide this week by supporters of President Donald Trump, who falsely claimed the election was stolen from him. It was only 11 days ago that numerous rioters burst through the windows and scurried through the American Capitol, clashing with the overwhelming Capitol police. The disappointment was blamed for five deaths, parts of the sacred building were laid in rubble and questions arose about the preparation and response of law enforcement.
USA TODAY monitors protest and security issues in the district and across the US. Keep this page refreshing for updates.
Handan Gencogluer, 60, came to DC with a friend from McLean to walk around and see the extent of safety on Sunday. “It’s sad. It’s supposed to be a happy time,” she said, noting the parties and celebrations of inaugurations in the past. Gencogluer was not too worried about violence: “Now they are ready, at least. the good guys. ‘
Gencogluer, an immigrant from Istanbul, said she watched the horror last week with horror. She had friends texting her to see if she was safe, even though she was in the suburbs. She describes watching the news as the TV show “Designated Survivor.”
“I’m an immigrant here and one of the things that brought me here is that it’s a country of law,” she added. “It’s scary that it was trampled on at the very top.”
Police in Washington, DC, have arrested a man in Virginia who allegedly wanted to go through a security checkpoint with an “unauthorized” inauguration certificate, a handgun and more than 500 shots of ammunition, according to officials. Wesley Allen Beeler, 31, of Front Royal, Virginia, was released on his own admission after a trial Saturday. The Associated Press, referring to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that Beeler had a valid credential for inauguration events, although it was not issued by the government.
Beeler told the Washington Post that “it was an honest mistake.” He said he worked as a rental agent in downtown Washington and forgot that his firearm was in his truck when he left his home in Virginia.
“I moved to a checkpoint after getting lost in DC because I’m a country boy,” he said. “I showed them the dedication badge given to me.”
Around the U.S. Capitol, barricades protected buildings on Sunday while members of the National Guard patrolled the site and SUVs blocked the streets. To enter Pennsylvania Avenue, the public had to enter security tents with pocket checks and metal detectors. Law enforcers even flipped through the reporters’ notebook pages. Barriers blocked any path in the direction of the Capitol, a few blocks in front of the site.
Kamieh Hendley, 21, of San Diego was in Washington for the first time since elementary school. She was surprised by the heightened security, but did not worry too much about violence on her Sunday morning.
“It’s a shock to see it all,” she said. “If it gets rough, I’m going home.”
Biden has served as a Delaware senator for more than a quarter of a century, but Gov. John Carney does not assume his state will be immune from protests against Trump. Carney activated the national guard to help state and local law enforcers maintain peace if necessary. A 6-foot fence was built around the Legislative Hall and traffic was restricted. Delaware Capitol police said Capitol buildings “will be secured, and citizens can expect a greater visible presence from law enforcement.”
– Nick Siano, Delaware News Journal
A large part of Washington, DC, was in a virtual exclusion on Sunday as the country prepared for protests ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. More than 25,000 members of the National Guard are in place or are going to the city. The National Park Service shut down the entire National Mall, a panoramic 2 mile stretch from the Lincoln Memorial on the west side to the Capitol on the east. More than a dozen metro commuter train stations have already closed, and the city’s historic core is divided into a ‘red zone’ for authorized vehicles only and a ‘green zone’ that only allows vehicles from the area’s residents.
Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged the problems the closure is causing to many businesses already struggling due to the pandemic. “We know it’s very inconvenient,” Bowser said.
The U.S. Postal Service has temporarily removed blue mailboxes in some areas of major cities and state capitals as a security measure in more than a dozen states before the inauguration, USPS said. Boxes have also been removed around the US capital.
“It’s part of our normal procedures to keep our employees and customers safe during times of protest, or when large crowds gather near postal facilities, on postal routes or by mailboxes.” Kim Frum, spokeswoman for the postal service, told the USA today.
►The Texas The Department of Public Safety on Friday announced the closure of the state Capitol after discovering new information that the agency had asked to further tighten security.
► The Kentucky The Capitol site in Frankfort will be closed on Sunday after “domestic terror threats against state capital across the US”, government Andy Beshear’s government announced.
► Michigan, targeted earlier this year by armed protesters against airstrikes and a suspected extremist conspiracy to kidnap his governor, activated his national guard and raided the windows of government buildings.
► California Government Gavin Newsom has mobilized 1,000 members of the National Guard, as the state has also erected a temporary chain fence around the Capitol. The California Highway Patrol refused to issue permits for rallies planned there.
►Florida Government Ron DeSantis activated the Florida National Guard on Friday. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak ordered the state guard to prepare for possible activities. About 450 members of the national guard in Pennsylvania will be under law enforcement at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Governor Tom Wolf said. Illinois Government JB Pritzker has activated 250 members of the Illinois National Guard. Plywood went up at the state Capitol.
►New jersey government officials were ordered to work remotely on the day of Biden’s inauguration because of the “level of tension in the country,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said.
►The Kansas Statehouse will tighten security measures by blocking visitors access to parking, accessing key card only by giving the visitor the entrance and requiring those with key card access to show badges. In Ohio, several hundred officers will be in the Capitol Square area Sunday.
Go deep: Why the absence of the National Guard at riots in Capitol shows lack of preparation, distrust after heavy-hearted BLM response.
Authorities across the country have arrested dozens of people who stormed the Capitol during the January 6 riot, including a woman from Dallas who said she was a “normal person” who listened to her president. Jenna Ryan, 50, is accused of “knowingly” entering the restricted building or site on January 6 without legal authority and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI in a federal court in Washington has. Prosecutors say she took a private plane to DC
Two other men, Robert L. Bauer of Kentucky and his cousin, Edward Hemenway of Winchester, Virginia, pleaded not guilty to the offense and knowingly entered a restricted building or site. They appeared in federal court on Friday.
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Washington has halted a plan to release and arrest the Arkansas man who was arrested and arrested at a desk in the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home during the riot at the US Capitol. word. Richard Barnett will instead be brought to Washington, DC for proceedings in his case, U.S. Judge Beryl Howell, the U.S. judge, ordered.
In Arizona, right-wing social media personality Tim “Baked Alaska” Gionet filed a bond Friday, one day after a judge in Scottsdale issued an arrest warrant when Gionet did not show up for a city court hearing on the question whether he met the terms of a previous release by traveling to Washington, DC for the U.S. Capitol riot.
A group of about a dozen supporters of President Donald Trump – some with “Trump” hats, others with military clothing – gathered outside the Texas Capitol gates on Saturday afternoon. Some people outside the Capitol wore protective jackets and camouflage clothing on Saturday. At least one man was seen carrying a rifle and another with a large knife and zippers on his belt.
A “Save Our State” protest march is planned for the Capitol of Illinois on Saturday afternoon. But shortly after the scheduled start, two protesters are less than ten members of the news media.
A small group of protesters gathered near the Capitol of Nevada on Saturday. A handful of Capitol police watched as people stood with signs where protesters had gathered weekly since last summer. Some of the participants were armed.
The Oregon Capitol of Oregon had two protesters: a woman holding a sign that read, “White supremacy is terrorism,” and a man wearing a sign that said, “Don’t accuse Trump.”
– Heather Osbourne, Austin American statesman; Capi Lynn, (Salem, Ore.) State Journal; Brenden Moore, (Springfield, Ill.) State Journal Register; Terell Wilkins, Jason Bean and Brian Duggan, Reno (Nevada) Gazette Journal
Contributions: Lindsay Schnell, Cara Richardson and Joel Shannon, USA TODAY.