Police have recommended reinstalling fencing around the U.S. Capitol ahead of a rally scheduled for Sept. 18 in support of the people arrested in the Jan. 6 riot, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security planning.
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Fencing surrounded the complex for months after the insurrection, which disrupted Congress from confirming President Biden’s election victory, injured about 140 officers and resulted in the deaths of five people.
This fencing request made by U.S. Capitol Police ahead of the rally, both people said, would need to be approved by the Capitol Police Board, which is composed of the Capitol Police chief, the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms and the Architect of the Capitol. A Capitol Police spokesperson declined to comment on plans for a fence, saying: “We cannot discuss specifics about potential security plans.”
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The reinstallation of the fencing was first reported by the Associated Press.
An official with direct knowledge of these pending plans said the Capitol fencing has been requested to be reinstalled one or two days before the protest. Since the rally is on a Saturday, Congress won’t be in session and members aren’t expected to be in the building.
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Capitol Police made its formal recommendation on Tuesday during a meeting with the Capitol Police Board, according to a House Democratic aide with knowledge of the security planning. The board has not finalized the security plan for the rally, but the aide said the board is “likely” to approve the fencing recommendation.
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It is not yet clear exactly how much ground the fencing would cover nor how long it would be up. The aide said the board was reviewing two fencing options, one narrower in scope and one broader, although the aide did not have more specific details about the fencing perimeters of each option.
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This request comes just two months after the fence, which had been one of the last remaining symbols of the failed security response to the insurrection, was removed and amid reports of far-right, violent groups attending the rally.
Pelosi says participants in Sept. 18 Capitol rally are ‘coming back to praise the people who were out to kill’ on Jan. 6
Organizers of the “Justice for J6” rally have requested to gather at Union Square, the public park by the Capitol Reflecting Pool, according to a permit application to the Capitol Police Board provided to The Washington Post.
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The rally organizers argue that many of the more than 570 people who have been charged with federal crimes during the January riot, where supporters of President Donald Trump brawled with police, broke windows and threatened to harm lawmakers, were nonviolent and simply swept away during a political protest.
“What happened was, there are a few bad actors who assaulted law enforcement. We condemn that, and the damage to property,” rally organizer Matt Braynard, a former Trump campaign operative and founder of Look Ahead America, an organization that has planned protests in support of people who were arrested in connection of the insurrection, said in an interview on Wednesday. “But the vast majority of people were exercising their First Amendment rights at a public building.”
Look Ahead America estimates that 700 people will attend, according to a permit application. Plans for a counter-rally at Freedom Plaza that day have begun to circulate online.
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Randy Ireland, who recently introduced himself at a Portland, Ore., rally as president of a New York Proud Boys chapter called Hell’s Gate Bridge and co-founder of Citizens Against Political Persecution, a New York-based group that has hosted rallies, encouraged other Proud Boys to go to Washington on Sept. 18, according to videos posted last month on social media.
“We need you to show up, September the 18th in D.C. Especially the Proud Boys that are here, this is a message going out to you,” Ireland said in the video. Cara Castronuova, another co-founder of Citizens Against Political Persecution, was announced last month as the co-host of the Sept. 18 rally.
However, the Proud Boys, a far-right group with a history of violence, have continued to tell members on a prominent messaging platform not to attend this month’s rally, citing concerns that they would be arrested.
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“We (Proud Boys) ARE NOT going to this,” the Proud Boys wrote in a message on Wednesday while sharing a news article about the rally.
This does not necessarily mean members of some Proud Boys factions will not attend. Look Ahead America organizers have denied any relationship with groups with a history of violence, such as the Proud Boys.
Though Braynard has repeatedly said the rally will be peaceful, local law enforcement is increasing staffing ahead of the event.
D.C. police will be “fully activated” on Sept. 17 and 18, meaning all officers must work those days, spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said last week. Capitol Police have requested support from neighboring police departments in Arlington County in Virginia, and Montgomery County in Maryland on the day of the planned rally, according to those departments.
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Capitol Police also acquired security equipment after Jan. 6, including helmets, shields and less-than-lethal munitions, and all available staff will be working that day, according to two statements from Capitol Police on Wednesday.
“We have a robust security posture planned for Sept. 18,” the statements read. “The Chief is confident the Department, and our law enforcement partners, have the training and necessary equipment for upcoming demonstrations.”
The original metal fencing surrounding the Capitol was erected after the insurrection and encircled the Capitol, Supreme Court and federal buildings while soldiers in fatigues monitored checkpoints. The fencing was scaled down significantly in the spring, but 12 days after the road near the Capitol reopened, a car plowed into two Capitol Police officers, killing William “Billy” Evans, a father of two and an 18-year veteran of the department. The driver was fatally shot.
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This led to more debates throughout the District about how to defend the nation’s capital. Though the fence was removed in July, the Capitol has continued to be the target of attacks.
Last month, a man threatening that he had a bomb parked a truck near the Capitol and demanded to speak to Biden. The man surrendered to authorities after about five hours, but the incident brought Washington to a standstill and renewed fears of political violence for those who live and work in Washington.
When asked on Wednesday whether there are plans for fencing to be re-erected around the Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) replied, “Not necessarily, no.”
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“We intend to have the integrity of the Capitol be intact,” she said. “I’m not going into any specifics in that regard.”
Pelosi has invited Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to a security briefing on the morning of Sept. 13, according to a person familiar with the situation. U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger will brief the lawmakers on security preparations ahead of the Sept. 18 rally, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
News of the planned briefing was first reported by Politico.
“After January 6, we made Department-wide changes to the way we gather and share intelligence internally and externally,” Manger said in a statement last week. “I am confident the work we are doing now will make sure our officers have what they need to keep everyone safe.”
Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report.