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Washington DC Builds Fences Around Capitol and Other DC Buildings Ahead of Election Night (Photos)

Posted on by Vanessa
Washington DC Builds Fences Around Capitol and Other DC Buildings Ahead of Election Night (Photos)

Topline

Government buildings in Washington, D.C., including the U.S. Capitol and the Treasury Department, as well as local businesses have installed fences and boarded up windows to guard against possible unrest ahead of Tuesday's election.

Important facts

The US Capitol, the White House, the Treasury Department and the Vice President's residence in Washington, DC are among the government buildings equipped with protective fencing.

Fences installed around government buildings include 8-foot-tall metal fences that protect against debris. The Capitol is surrounded by bike racks displaying signs reading “Police Line: Do Not Cross.”

Authorities have also erected fences around Howard University, Harris' alma mater and the site of her Election Night Watch party, where surrounding streets will be closed starting Monday evening.

Businesses in D.C., including Peet's Coffee and McDonald's, have boarded up their windows, bracing for possible looting or violence on the street.

Fences are also being erected around the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, where former President Donald Trump will host his election watch party. In addition, some streets around the center will be closed.

D.C. police are not aware of any credible threats and said there is “no cause for concern,” the Washington Post reported.

What other security measures apply to the election?

Law enforcement in various swing states have implemented security measures to protect polling places and officials counting ballots in the days after the election. In Maricopa County, Arizona, a critical county that was central to Trump's false claim that the election was stolen from him after Biden won Arizona in a close race, he will use snipers, drones, metal detectors and security cameras to to protect its vote evaluation center.

Important background

Fears of rioting and looting in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere continue after unrest following the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, including the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6 and protests following the police killing of George Floyd that year 2020. Police estimated the number of rioters caused around $100,000 in property damage in Washington, D.C. during Trump's inauguration in 2017, the Washington Post reported. During the George Floyd protests, several D.C. monuments were vandalized, including the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial, and protesters set fire to the historic St. John's Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square. D.C. was the site of several protests following Trump's 2020 election loss, including a rally on November 14, 2020, where thousands of Trump supporters and members of the Proud Boys clashed with counter-protesters and police officers and parroted Trump's false claims that the election had been stolen. At another pro-Trump rally with Proud Boys members in D.C. the following month, four people were stabbed and at least two dozen were arrested. The Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, in which pro-Trump protesters attacked the Capitol to stop the counting of Electoral College votes to keep Trump in power, killed four people in the crowd and an estimated Damage to the Capitol reportedly exceeded $30 million.

Further reading

Fence at White House, Vice President's Residence as D.C. braces for unrest (The Washington Post)

Panic buttons, drones and snipers are among plans to secure a high-risk election (The Washington Post)

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