Name: Road closures, DC response: What to know about Saturday’s planned demonstrations - WTOP News
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Road closures, DC response: What to know about Saturday’s planned demonstrations - WTOP News

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||{{headline}}Police announced parking restrictions and potential road closures in D.C. in connection with demonstrations planned Saturday by supporters of President Donald Trump.With possible pro-Trump demonstrations and likely counterprotesting on Saturday, D.C. leaders offered some answers this week about what to expect.“We’re concerned about making sure that we have safe First Amendment demonstrations,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference.Christopher Rodriguez, D.C.’s director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, answered more specific questions about how many people might show up.“In terms of the number of groups that we’re currently tracking, it’s about a dozen, but they’re very small,” Rodriguez said. He also clarified that though they’re following approximately a dozen groups, there are “about a dozen” people within each organization.“MPD is being very proactive in terms of the street closures,” Rodriguez said, “making sure from a public message standpoint that people who come to the District know that you can’t bring weapons, and you can’t bring guns into our city. Violence will not be tolerated.”D.C. police also sent a statement to WTOP, saying, in part, that police “will have the necessary resources deployed to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents and visitors this weekend.”Many of the groups appear to be planning the demonstration online, and the event has been referred to by different names.that it has been called the Million MAGA March, the March for Trump, or Stop the Steal DC.InfoWars’ Alex Jones announced Monday about a Stop the Steal Caravan that will go from Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and D.C. The caravan is expected to arrive in D.C. on Friday, and meet up with Jones on Saturday.Jones said his group will have a battle tank. “We’re ready. We know what’s coming,” Jones said in his show.Other groups that reported showing up include Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Proud Boys, white nationalists and neo-Nazis, .WTOP national security correspondent J.J. Green has been monitoring the plans for the protest, and he said that though the rhetoric on social media is certainly very heated, some followers appear doubtful about coming to D.C.“There are not a lot of people biting on this; there are a lot of people following them on social media. But there are a lot of people that are doubtful about the wisdom of coming here to do this,” Green said.Federal, state and local law enforcement, and organizations that have protested against President Donald Trump, are monitoring the groups planning to converge in D.C. on Saturday. But Green said something similar to the 2017 fatal clash between white nationalists and counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, is “not likely to happen” in D.C.“In part because authorities here are so well-prepared and have that knowledge under their belt. And … you can’t carry guns in D.C. … I’m pretty sure that any organizers are making it very clear to people who come to D.C., ‘Do not bring a gun.’ Other weapons, maybe, but it’s not likely that this is going to turn into that,” Green said.In addition, Green said there’s going to be some resistance, as there are a lot of people already in D.C. who are celebrating the 2020 election.In 2018, protesters during the second Unite the Right Rally in D.C.Federal law enforcement Green spoke to said they do not expect much of a showing from these groups, or from any other group that may be legitimately associated with white supremacist activities.“One of the things that (the protesters) pointed out is, ‘Yes, we normally go out, and we raise a lot of cane about the Second Amendment, but what we should do this time is what these groups are saying, ‘We should go to Washington to exercise our First Amendment right,’ which is the right to peaceably assemble,” Green said.From Thursday at 6 p.m. to Sunday at 11:59 p.m., the following streets will be posted as “Emergency No Parking”:The following streets will be posted as “Emergency No Parking” on Friday at 2 p.m. to Sunday at&nbsp; 11:59 p.m.:On Saturday, the following streets will be closed to vehicular traffic from about 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.D.C. police said that if it is deemed to be safe, vehicles will be allowed to enter the area for essential business or traveling to and from their residences.D.C. police said they are not expecting street closures on Friday or Sunday, but there may be intermittent closures in the downtown area.||||||||||Like WTOP on and follow on Twitter to engage in conversation about this article and others.Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up .© 2020 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

||{{headline}}Police announced parking restrictions and potential road closures in D.C. in connection with demonstrations planned Saturday by supporters of President Donald Trump.With possible pro-Trump demonstrations and likely counterprotesting on Saturday, D.C. leaders offered some answers this week about what to expect.“We’re concerned about making sure that we have safe First Amendment demonstrations,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference.Christopher Rodriguez, D.C.’s director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, answered more specific questions about...

Road closures, DC response: What to know about Saturday’s planned demonstrations - WTOP News

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