DC officials are currently not aware of any credible threats of violence in the city around election day, DC Police Chief Peter Newsham said in a press conference today. Though there have been multiple permits filed for large demonstrations in the city next week—including a large gathering in Black Lives Matter Plaza with a jumbotron and GoGo music—Mayor Bowser said the city has currently not found a reason to call in the National Guard or any other mutual assistance.
Parking will be restricted downtown from 12 AM November 3 to 11:59 PM November 4 between Constitution and K Streets, Northwest and Ninth and 18th streets Northwest. Bowser said these parking restrictions have the potential to become road closures if necessary.
Some downtown businesses have begun boarding up their windows in anticipation of election-related disruption, and a number of downtown offices will be closed through next week. Bowser said the city doesn’t believe such precautions are necessary at this time, and that if a credible threat arises and boarding becomes necessary, the city will let businesses know.
Newsham said the entire DC Police force will be working on election day and the days that follow. The District’s Emergency Operations Center will also be activated; residents can sign up for real-time alerts at alertdc.dc.gov.
Jane is a Chicago transplant who now calls Cleveland Park her home. Before joining Washingtonian, she wrote for Smithsonian Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and opera.
