What to Know
- Hundreds of people are demonstrating near the White House Tuesday night as they wait to find out who will be the next president of the United States
- Washington, D.C., officials say they welcome peaceful demonstrations, and warned against any possible violence
- Downtown businesses have boarded up windows and there is a "non-scalable" fence surrounding the White House in case of potential unrest
With only a couple of hours left until polls close, demonstrators and supporters of both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are gathering in Washington, D.C.
Crowds began to gather Tuesday afternoon at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House.
The diverse group of demonstrators includes Christians praying for peace, people dancing and playing music and supporters of both candidates. Some of those supporters told News4 they were anxious to learn the results of the election.
News4's Cory Smith reported there was a small scuffle on Black Lives Matter Plaza about 5:15 p.m. It appeared at least one person was detained.
All D.C. police officers will be on duty and on the streets in the coming days as the city braces for the possibility of civil unrest around the election.
"It's unclear if we'll have a result even tonight, maybe not until later in the week. So, it's a little, you know, we're not really sure what's going to happen," Police Chief Peter Newsham said Tuesday afternoon.
"We invite anybody that wants to come down here [to] exercise their first amendment right. We welcome them to come enjoy themselves and we just ask them not to be involved in any violent behavior," Newsham said.
Businesses downtown boarded up their windows and storefronts, and federal officials have increased security at the White House.
Crews put up a "non-scalable" fence outside the White House Monday night.
The D.C. National Guard received a request from the U.S. Park Police to be on standby this week. That request was later either withdrawn or denied and the D.C. National Guard was told to stand down for now, spokesman Sr. Master Sgt. Craig Clapper said.
“That could change at any time,” he said. “Last week we were mentally preparing but over the weekend we were told to stand down.”
Businesses have boarded up just in case expected protests turn violent. Adam Tuss reports.
The D.C. government did not request National Guard resources.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said police are ready. She said she welcomes peaceful protests and warned against them turning violent.
At least six groups have requested permits for protests in the District over the next few days, D.C. officials said.
The mayor said she is not considering a curfew for D.C. but would do so if necessary.
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Crowds Gather at Black Lives Matter Plaza for Election Night Demonstrations - NBC4 Washington
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