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“No DCNG personnel will be armed during this mission, and at no time will DCNG personnel or assets be engaged in the surveillance, searches or seizures of U.S. nationals,” Bowser, a Democrat, wrote in the letter.
DC Police Chief Robert Contee told reporters on Monday that the National Guard will help with “crowd management” and traffic control, freeing city police to focus on acts of violence potential and other safety issues.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Bowser called on protesters to refrain from violence, regardless of their political views, and again urged residents to avoid the city center this week, as well as “people who come here to look for confrontations”. The mayor also said that a possible curfew for the city was not out of place, saying it will be “a tool that we will assess during the week.”
DC Attorney General Karl Racine said in a statement Monday that while DC respects freedom of speech and the right to protest, “the Constitution does not grant the right to commit violence or vandalize property, and there is certainly no right to commit acts of hate. ”
Racine added: “While we respect their right to protest, we will not tolerate any criminal behavior – and we should deny them the opportunity to cause chaos.”
Bowser’s office told CNN that the plan includes the activation of 340 guards, while the total deployment at any given time will be 114. The defense official said the personnel would be deployed a few dozen points in. the streets, accompanied by a DC police officer to each. Guards will also be deployed at city metro stations alongside local agents. They will mainly focus on the subway and traffic, a spokesperson for Bowser said.
A chemical and biological response team will be on standby if necessary, the defense official said, which is standard practice for any large event. Finally, some guards will be activated but on standby if the civilian police are away to respond to a situation.
At this point, the guards will not conduct direct law enforcement missions, the official said.
Bowser said at the time that his office did not request assistance from other states.
Protests in Washington late last year saw a number of skirmishes between anti-Trump protesters and supporters of the president, with at least 20 people arrested during a protest in mid-November during from which two DC Metropolitan Police officers were injured.
During a pro-Trump rally in December, Black Lives Matter signs in two historic DC black churches were demolished and set on fire. Contee said on Monday that local police will “increase our visibility” around churches in the area this week.
The police chief also said he was not sure Trump was on the streets with protesters this week. On Sunday, the president shared a message on Twitter about a protest scheduled for Wednesday outside the White House, saying: “I’ll be there.”
This story has been updated with a statement from DC Attorney General Karl Racine.
CNN’s Katelyn Polantz, Julia Jones, Sara Sidner, Ryan Nobles and Ryan Browne contributed to this report.
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