Inauguration day is coming up, which means added security
and crowd control. This is even truer this year with the many protests planned
during and following the inauguration. It is likely you have already heard of
the Women’s March on Washington, scheduled for Saturday January 21st.
This march alone is predicted to attract 200,000 protesters, and there’s more
groups beyond that.
That makes crowd control for this year’s inauguration
particularly difficult. Washington DC is no stranger to protests of course, but
the sheer mass of them is going to make crowd control a bit challenging. In
addition to the planned peaceful protests, anarchist groups are threatening to
disrupt the inauguration as well.
However, police do not seem to foresee much of a problem.
There will be thousands of officers working the event to prevent major
disruptions and stop any demonstrations from getting out of control. Officers
are prepared for mass arrests, despite not believing they will be likely.
Over two dozen protest groups have filed for permits before,
after, and during the inauguration. Crowd control barriers will be in place as
well as backpack checks. Barriers are also going to be set up to prevent a
truck attack. These truck attacks, in which trucks drive into large crowds,
have happened across Europe recently and pose a real threat. Barriers could
include trucks, buses, and more.
Transportation is also being limited. A fair amount of subway
stations as well as roads and bridges will be closed. Not only is this
important in terms of safe traffic flow, but it keeps demonstrators safe as
well. Members of the National Guard will also be on hand.
To keep crowds contained, protesters are limited to specific
locations. With the amount of protest requests coming in, there has been
trouble finding enough space to accommodate all of the protesters. Luckily
Washington DC is used to dealing with protests, so they have a clear strategy
when it comes to this type of event.
Of course the biggest challenge will be managing the Women’s
March on Washington. Demonstrators have been organized across many states to
travel to Washington for the event. There are expected to be officers and
marshals on hand to protect the demonstrators and keep things peaceful. The
march is prohibiting any form of weapon, including sticks on signs. There are
also no backpacks or other large bags allowed. Planned Parenthood is now also
associated with the march, bringing their event planning and security advice
in.
With all these forces at play, we are hopeful that
inauguration weekend will go smoothly without any major problems, save for the
general disruption of the city.
