Fears Of More Violence Prompts Outgoing President Trump Declares A State Of Emergency
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in Washington, D.C., saying that “an emergency exists in the District of Columbia.” Trump ordered federal assistance to fortify the District’s response efforts to potential “emergency conditions resulting from the 59th Presidential Inauguration from January 11 to January 24, 2021.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in the city in the aftermath of the takeover of the Capitol Building “by rioters incited by Trump.” There have been reports and wide-spread rumors of “planned violent demonstrations” around Inauguration Day.
The FBI warned possible plans for armed protests in D.C. and in all 50 state capitals. It is believed to start in the days leading up to Biden’s inauguration. Law enforcement has said that there has been renewed calls for violence on social media forums.
The Justice Department issued a video warning against violence in the days leading up to and during the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, including against rioters trying to occupy government buildings. “We will have no tolerance whatsoever for any attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20 that our Constitution calls for,” Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said in a video statement released on Wednesday.
There have been requests from citizens and government officials to rethink in-person inauguration plans. They are asking for the hand-off of power to be done virtually to ensure everyone’s safety. On Twitter, the #virtualinauguration is trending.
A statement from the White House says, “The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts, which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the District of Columbia.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 100% federal funding.”
Please, everyone, stay calm and stay safe.