Authorities to reportedly build 'non-scalable' fence around White House ahead of Election Day
Authorities are planning to erect fencing around the White House in preparation for possible election protests, CNN reports.
Federal authorities will put "non-scalable" fencing into place around "the entire perimeter of the White House" on Monday, according to the CNN report. This will reportedly be the same type of fencing that was previously put up around the White House over the summer amid protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd. NBC News is also reporting that this "non-scalable" fence is set to go up around the White House and that "250 National Guardsmen have been put on standby."
As CNN notes, numerous business in D.C. have recently started to board up windows and doors, preparing for potential unrest. A recent YouGov poll found that over half of both Republicans and Democrats expected to see an increase in violence after the election, The Hill reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Patrick Burke, the executive director of the Washington, D.C., Police Foundation, previously told CNN that D.C. Metro police have been preparing for over a year for possible election fallout, as they usually do, and he said that "if there's no winner" on Tuesday, "you will see significant deployments of officers at all levels across the capital."
A free daily email with the day’s biggest news and analysis – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.