“We’re concerned about the whole week, not just today,” Police Chief Daryl Green in Lansing, Michigan said Sunday after a crowd of protesters and counter-protesters gathered in the Capitol grounds.
There were few, if any, protesters in other state capitals, including California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
“We wanted to make sure what happened in Washington wasn’t happening here in Michigan,” Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw told CNN, “so we put out a lot more security, a lot more visible security than would normally be there. to be. . ”
Still, state and local leaders, as well as those in Washington, DC, are on high alert and security measures remain in effect right through to Inauguration Day – especially in the nation’s capital.
Over the weekend, the streets of Washington, DC, were further fortified, surrounded by fences and National Guard troops. According to National Guard spokesman Major Aaron Thacker, 17,000 troops were on the ground on Sunday night.
“But it is being done,” he said, “to ensure that the constitutional mandate of a peaceful transfer of power takes place on January 20th.”
The protests over the weekend were quiet
But the protests were largely minor, with protesters – some of them armed – vastly outnumbered by police.
A light snow fell in Lansing, Michigan on Sunday morning, but an estimated 75 protesters and 40 counter-protesters showed up at the statehouse. Some carried firearms and body armor, but the protests remained peaceful, officials said.
In Texas, about two dozen armed protesters gathered near the State Capitol in Austin, but they supported the rights of the Second Amendment, the organizer said – not in protest at the results of the presidential election.
In Denver, protester Larry Woodall said he was disappointed by the low turnout in Sunday’s protest. Although he accepted that Biden will be inaugurated, Woodall said he wanted to show his support for Trump and suggested he vote for Trump in 2024 if he were to run for president again.
“Donald Trump is not a bad guy. No way,” Woodall told CNN, adding that he was opposed to the violence seen in the Capitol this month.
About a dozen people – including some holding anti-Trump signs – were in the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul, which was surrounded by tall, heavy railings. There were five armed people dressed in camouflage and with flags at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem who said they were anti-government libertarians who supported neither Trump nor Biden.
“I’m a patriot, I’m a veteran, I’m not racist, I’m not hateful, I’m not violent,” he told the station. “I’m American and that’s it.”
DC is ‘like a combat zone’
“The National Guard – or the forefathers of the National Guard, the early days of the militia – have participated in every inauguration since George Washington,” he said, “but certainly not at this level and certainly not with this kind of background noise.”
The deployment of 25,000 troops is roughly double the number of National Guard members normally involved in the inauguration, Hertling said.
“It certainly looks a bit like a combat zone,” he said.
Rehearsal for the inauguration ceremony was postponed to Monday amid heightened security concerns, Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli said, referring to “online chatter” about Sunday’s previously scheduled rehearsal day. But he said there are “no specific credible threats”.
The Federal Aviation Administration expanded restrictions on DC airspace and issued a notice to pilots to restrict non-commercial and non-military flights to Dulles International Airport, Baltimore Washington International Airport and Manassas Regional Airport between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on the inauguration day.
The bulletin warned that the government could “use deadly force” against any aircraft determined to pose an “immediate security threat.”
‘I encourage you to stay at home’
“It’s pretty clear that the (US) Capitol itself is locked up about as tightly as humanly possible,” former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe said Sunday, adding that it was difficult to get a repeat of the Capitol riots. taking place there in the coming days, given the security measures.
“But,” he added, “we have 50 capitals across the country that are nowhere near as protected as our national Capitol, and those are the places where I fear smaller amounts of this kind of violence could really flare up.”
Minnesota officials told CNN they would “continue to assess potential threats” to their state Capitol, although Bruce Gordon, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said there are currently no credible threats.
Protests took place on a quiet Sunday, but Gordon said officials would “reinforce” their response and “change tactics” in the coming days.
Texas will keep its state capitol and grounds closed until Wednesday, officials said, adding that they were aware of “violent extremists who may be trying to exploit constitutionally protected events to commit criminal acts.”
In Columbia, South Carolina, officials have similarly advised residents to stay at home and stay away from the city center.
“Unless it’s necessary to be downtown this weekend and especially on inauguration day,” said Mayor Stephen Benjamin, “I encourage you to stay home.”
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency on Friday in connection with Biden’s inauguration, allowing government officials to efficiently coordinate resources to help local jurisdictions and nearby states.
“The state of Maryland will continue to do everything we can to secure our nation’s capital,” Hogan said, “and to ensure the peaceful transfer of power.”
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Jamie Crawford, Lauren Fox, Omar Jimenez, Lucy Kafanov, Bill Kirkos, Jason Kravarik, Eric Levenson, Ross Levitt, Christina Maxouris, Artemis Moshtaghian, Jon Passantino, Conor Powell, Manu Raju, Raja Razek, Rebekah Riess, Hollie Silverman, Dan Simon, Greg Wallace and Whitney Wild contributed to this report.