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The last one on the demonstration Sunday in Statehouses across the country.
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After a small, peaceful protest at the Ohio Statehouse on Sunday, Gov. Mike DeWine said security levels would remain high in Columbus for Wednesday’s presidential inauguration.
DeWine praised the protesters for exercising their free speech rights in a way “that respected our Constitution and our 150-year-old capitol”.
But he said there were still concerns about potential violence in the coming days.
Low-key protests were common in the United States on Sunday as law enforcement prepared for large rallies and possible violence from supporters of President Donald Trump who believe his false claims that he won the victory. ‘presidential election.
Many rallies had more law enforcement than protesters. In the states from Maine to Mississippi to Nevada, there were no far-right protesters at all. Protesters in Kentucky, New Hampshire and Utah were armed but peaceful.
Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis said there could have been a nationwide chill after a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol January 6 to stop the certification of the Electoral College, leaving a Capitol police officer and four others dead.
He said law enforcement would not let their guard down yet.
“The only thing we have in abundance today is uncertainty,” he said. “For us in law enforcement, we just have to be prepared for anything. We cannot afford to be dismissive, we cannot afford to be alarmist. We just have to be ready for whatever might be.
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Some of the protests in the states began to break down after drawing modest crowds – in most places no more than two dozen protesters.
Authorities had fortified state houses with additional police, National Guard troops and fences after the FBI warned of the possibility of armed protests in all 50 state capitals.
Still, some had no protesters on Sunday. The Nevada Capitol in Carson City was empty except for one person carrying a sign that read “Trump Lost.” Be adults. Go home.”
In Richmond, Va., Police vehicles, dump trucks and orange barrels blocked the streets around the Capitol, but there were no signs of protests.
It was a similar story in Springfield, Illinois. Windows of the Capitol had been cordoned off as a precaution amid fears of a rally similar to the Trump rally that preceded the Jan.6 insurgency on the U.S. Capitol, when a violent crowd attempted to stop the certification of the Electoral College for President-elect Joe Biden.
By mid-afternoon Sunday, only state guards and soldiers remained around the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, with the crowds dissipating before the Cleveland Browns’ NFL playoff game kicked off.
The protesters also left in the afternoon to Lansing, Mich., Where state police estimated there were only about 20. They were largely overwhelmed by law enforcement and police. media.
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Some counter-protesters have started to appear in front of states to send a message against far-right groups who have threatened to disrupt the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
In Columbia, South Carolina, a group of about half a dozen people stood across the lawn from the Statehouse of pro-Trump protesters, one of them holding a sign that read: “From what are you so PROUD, BOYS? ” It was a reference to the far-right group Proud Boys. The groups did not seem to interact.
In Harrisburg, Pa., Stephen Rzonca, who lives minutes from the State Capitol, said he came to greet any protesters, though there were none by midday. .
“I am fundamentally against potential protesters who come here to delegitimize the elections, and I don’t want to be passive in expressing my disapproval when they arrive in this city,” Rzonca said.
And before protesters arrived in Lansing, Mich., A truck showed up with a sign supporting Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who was the target of a foiled kidnapping plot last year.
At the United States Capitol, as federal officers, District of Columbia Police, and National Guard troops patrolled the area, a lone protester walked the sidewalk carrying a sign saying “Give up Trump!”
“Look at this world that was created by Trump,” said the woman, a retiree who lives in the area. She said she was afraid to reveal her name, pointing to barricades and largely empty streets.
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Small groups of pro-Trump protesters, some armed, have started to rally outside states, including in Michigan, Ohio and South Carolina.
In Lansing, Michigan, state police soldiers marched around Capitol Park as a small group of protesters stood near a chain link fence surrounding the 142-year-old building. Several National Guard vehicles were in a nearby street. A gunman falsely gave his name as Duncan Lemp, a man from Maryland who was killed in a police raid without beating and became a martyr for a loose network of anti-government extremists armed with guns.
A supporter of President Donald Trump wore a red “Make American Great Again” hat as he stood on the lawn with a “Don’t Tread On Me” flag. The back of his shirt read: “PATRIOT NOT RACIST NOT TERRORIST.”
In Columbus, Ohio, about two dozen people, several of whom carried long guns, gathered outside the Capitol as dozens of State Soldiers and National Guard personnel guarded several points around the Statehouse, including each entrance. Almost all the businesses around the downtown capital square have been closed.
Several dozen people gathered at the South Carolina Statehouse, some displaying American flags. It was not immediately clear whether some members of the group were also counter-protesters in favor of the new Biden administration.
A heavy police presence surrounded the government complex in downtown Columbia. The Capitol itself has been surrounded by metal barricades for several days, and state lawmakers have said they will not hold their scheduled in-person session this week due to possible unrest.
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