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Trenton remained calm on Sunday, the day officials feared the capital would be overrun by pro-Trump protesters after the siege on the U.S. Capitol.
“We all breathe a collective sigh of relief. We have noticed that there are more skateboarders than protesters, ”Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora told a gang of reporters.
Only a handful of protesters materialized outside the Statehouse on State Street early Sunday afternoon, where police and media gathered in streets that were closed as officials planned a large rally. They all left quickly when they saw that there was no substantive protest.
After the uprising on Capitol Hill on January 6, the FBI warned that attacks were planned in all 50 state capitals. Police said all week that there were no specific threats, but that they would remain on high alert.
At 9.45 am, a lone protester held up a “Stop the Steal” sign in front of the annex and left 15 minutes later. At around 11:45 a.m., three men walked past the Statehouse and left when they realized that no major protests were taking place.
“It’s kind of a bust,” one of the men, clad in a pro-police shirt, replied to a reporter when asked if they were in Trenton for an event today. They refused to speak otherwise with the journalists.
At around 1 p.m., a man who declined to give his name, but said he had traveled from Toms River, walked down North Willow Street towards the Statehouse with a sign reading: “Supreme Court, betray the ‘America.”
“I stand up for what I believe,” he said, noting that he believed the 2020 election was stolen, although federal and state officials found no evidence to prove there was had mass fraud in no state.
He said he was disappointed with the lack of participation. “If you don’t stand up for what you believe, they will step on you.”
While speaking to reporters, his sign exploded in a gust of wind and shattered. He abandoned it after staying in a nearby small tree.
New Jersey State Police had nothing to report, an agency spokesperson said at 1 p.m.
Across the country, state capitals are at the end of their rope and under heavy patrols, but protests have remained small or completely dormant.
Aside from the heavy police presence, downtown Trenton has remained quiet. More than 100 National Guard soldiers are on standby, with dozens of state soldiers and local police guarding the Statehouse and the surrounding streets.
Most stores were closed on Sunday and a few businesses had closed their windows.
Gusciora said the city will remain on alert until Wednesday, the day of the inauguration. He urged anyone planning to come to the capital to “stay home and watch the inauguration on television”.
“If they protest, they should write to their members of Congress,” he said. “The shame in all of this is that there is nothing to protest. Joe Biden won. It was the most scrutinized election in history, and shame on those who want to cancel the election because they did not win.
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Sophie Nieto-Munoz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on @snietomunoz.
Kevin Shea can be reached at [email protected].
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