Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said she wants to extend the city’s coronavirus restrictions in order to keep people who may be planning to protest the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden out of the city.
“People coming to demonstrate peacefully are very different than the people we saw storm the Capitol. I think it will be shown those were organized, trained people,” Bowser said, according to Washington Post reporter David Nakamura. “If I’m scared of anything, it’s for our democracy.”
Bowser: “People coming to demonstrate peacefully are very different than the people we saw storm the Capitol. I think it will be shown those were organized, trained people.” Asks if she is scared, she says: “If I’m scared of anything, it’s for our democracy.”
— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) January 11, 2021
The mayor’s current virus restrictions, which are set to expire on Jan. 15, close museums and libraries and ban restaurants and bars from providing indoor dining.
Bowser called for the Department of Homeland Security to extend assistance that helps the city with security until after Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration because of “the chaos, injury, and death” that resulted from a crowd of President Trump’s supporters breaching the Capitol last week.
Biden’s inauguration is expected to draw a smaller than usual crowd due to coronavirus restrictions in the city, but Bowser indicated that she still fears the potential for large protests that could lead to a repeat of last week’s violence.
The mayor’s requests call for the Secret Service to take charge of security in the city ahead of the inauguration, including around the Capitol building and grounds.
Trump, who was recently banned from Twitter and Facebook amid fears that he would use the platforms to incite more violence, has indicated that he supports a peaceful transition of government, though he will not be attending the inauguration.
Bowser’s office did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
