DC Mayor Urges Residents: Stay Away From Biden Inauguration After Capitol Riots

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday urged Americans not to come to the nation’s capital next week for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, stating she is concerned about more violence after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. During a Monday press briefing, Bowser announced she has asked the Department of Homeland Security to cancel or deny demonstration permits and heighten security plans for Inauguration Day after the “domestic terror attack on the United States Capitol.” She has also asked President Trump to declare a pre-emergency declaration for Washington, D.C. before the Jan. 20 event and she urged Americans to attend the ceremonies virtually. Meanwhile, the National Park Service, citing “credible threats to visitors and park resources,” suspended tours of the Washington Monument through at least Jan. 24 and said it may implement further closures of public areas and roadways around the National Mall and Memorial Parks “if conditions persist.”

Bowser said the District’s goal after the riots is “to protect the District of Columbia from a repeat of the violent insurrection experienced at the Capitol and its grounds.” On Sunday, Bowser, asked Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf for increased Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance during the inauguration event.