D.C. bolsters police presence, requests National Guard troops ahead of Derek Chauvin verdict
The plywood boards that have for months covered glass windows and doors in downtown Washington have begun to fall away. Window displays and happy hour specials outnumber the wooden shields and painted placards for the first time since racial justice protests began nearly a year ago, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Tall, no-scale fencing that for the better part of a year encircled the pastel yellow walls of St. John’s Church has been replaced by waist-high aluminum barriers.
But behind this easing exterior, the District has amped up its police presence, placing officers on 12-hour shifts and asking for aid from the National Guard in anticipation of more protests to come.
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) made a direct appeal Monday to the Army secretary, her office said, seeking help responding to any protests that may arise following a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer accused in Floyd’s death.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dc-bolsters-police-presence-requests-national-guard-troops-ahead-of-derek-chauvin-verdict/ar-BB1fPm82
