After 9-11 (I worked a block from the White House back then), I am no longer shocked by a few humvees and troops with serious weapons in DC. Before 9-11, troops had not been in DC since 1968.
A few observations: there’s a lot of tall expanded metal fencing and big dump trucks, as well as jump up barriers, and concrete Jersey barriers to keep out vehicles. They are clearly worried about car and truck bombs, and the perimeter is big.
Black Lives Matter plaza, at the end of 16th Street, near St. John’s church in front of the White House across Lafayette Park, is accessible on foot and by bike. At noon it was lightly peopled with Reggae music playing, and “Fuck Trump” flags flying. The White House could just barely be seen beyond the expanded metal fencing.
Secret Service were guarding the Old Executive Office Building perimeter. Fencing all the way out to include Octagon House (there used to be a tunnel from there to the White House, but I believe it’s been filled in long ago). Some businesseses and buildings boarded up.
There’s so much fencing, it’s hard to make sense of it all, but I suspect if the inbred hillbilly gun fondlers do attack, they will be kettled and maybe killed in short order. The area generally looked yahoo-proof.... but we shall see.
The Capitol area is well fenced with 2-3 armed soldiers with loaded weapons inside the perimeter and spaced about every 75 feet. I saw no APCs, but I assume they are around, as are more troops and weapons. It’s three days out, and the troops are resting and providing. Lock and load will come soon enough.
Cell phones did not work at all, either because the towers are overloaded or, more likely, because they are only taking police and military frequencies.
Along with DC police on foot, car, and bicycle, and Secret Service and National Guard, there were Capitol Hill police as well as some Border Patrol and something from Michigan, which is likely to be either FBI or BOP.
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