The fencing that surrounded the Capitol complex for much of 2021 will be reinstalled next week as Congress prepares to host President Joe Biden for his first State of the Union address on March 1.
U.S. Capitol Police are preparing for truckers protesting the mask and vaccine mandates as the ‘Freedom Convoy’ heads to Washington, D.C. after demonstrating in Canada for weeks and causing major blockades.
The protesters were able to block the Ambassador Bridge border crossing between Windsor and Detroit as they expressed their distaste with COVID-19 mandates related to mask wearing and compulsory vaccinations.
Now, Californian’s are planning to join an American protest dubbed ‘The People’s Convoy’ and head to Washington, D.C. this week.
This new demonstration plans to depart from Barstow, California on Interstate 40 on Wednesday, February 23. National organizer of the effort Maureen Steele said she would not disclose the specific location for fear of retribution.
Steele told Newsmax that somewhere around 1,000 trucks are expected to start the trip and she expects more will join in as the convoy heads east.
‘The Canadian convoy was pretty organic when it happened,’ Steele acknowledged. ‘Ours, they had a month’s notice, so our concern is disruptive groups coming in. We’re trying to just prepare for counter-protests and to take safety precautions for that.’
‘This is about our rights, as well as the freedom of future generations,’ convoy organizers wrote on Facebook. ‘It’s not about political parties, but more so about a government that has forgotten its place and has no regard for our founding fathers’ instructions.’
Security officials are putting back up the fence around the Capitol in preparation for these protests to hit the nation’s Capitol just as Biden delivers his biggest speech of the year, Fox News reported on Sunday.
The fencing that surrounded the Capitol Complex for much of 2021 will be reinstalled next week as U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) secure the area ahead of President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address on March 1
Another so-called ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest broke out in Lansing, Michigan on Sunday where cars with slogans written on the sides and flying American and ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flags drove around
A red car in the Michigan protest on Sunday donned paint on the side reading: ‘Freedom Convoy’
USCP says it is ‘aware’ that the ‘Freedom Convoy’ of truckers protesting mask and vaccine mandates is heading for Washington, D.C.
The U.S. has been loosening mask requirements and vaccination mandates ahead of the speech and as the 2022 midterm elections come underway after polling shows Americans are becoming less concerned with the coronavirus threat and more worried about economic, inflation and tax issues – as well as education.
At least four blue states have ended their mask mandates for schools, a move the White House has condemned due to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on indoor masking.
Images emerged on Sunday of another ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest outside the Michigan Capitol Building in Lansing.
Cars with American and ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flags drove around Lansing on Sunday and donned paint on their cars reading slogans of ‘Freedom Convoy’ and ‘Honk for Freedom.’
United States Capitol Police (USCP) released a statement Friday claiming they are ‘aware’ that trucker protesters are coming to D.D.c are are preparing to ‘facilitate’ expression of the First Amendment while securing the Capitol for Biden’s address.
The fencing erection comes as anxiety over security on Capitol Hill continues following the January 6, 2021 attack that saw a handful killed and dozens to hundreds injured in the midst of Congress certifying the 2020 presidential election results.
USCP says they are working with several law enforcement agencies in the area as well as the D.C. National Guard to secure the complex before Biden’s first State of the Union.
A truck is towed in downtown Ottawa in Ontario, Canada on Sunday, February 20, 2022 as police work to clear a trucker protest against COVID-19 measures
The trucker’s anti-coronavirus mandates protest quickly turned into a broader anti-government demonstration. Police are seen at a perimeter fence in Ottawa as they work to evict the last trucks and protesters occupying the downtown area three weeks after the vaccine and mask protests broke out
With the protest coming to a close in Canada, there are now signs that the Freedom Convoy is heading to Washington, D.C. as Biden prepares for his first State of the Union on March 1. A vehicle with ‘Freedom’ spray painted on the side is towed from Ottawa’s downtown
‘The United States Capitol Police and the United States Secret Service have been closely working together to plan for the upcoming State of the Union,’ the agency said in a Friday statement.
‘Law enforcement agencies across the National Capital Region are aware of plans for a series of truck convoys arriving in Washington, DC around the time of the State of the Union,’ the statement said. ‘As with any demonstration, the USCP will facilitate lawful First Amendment activity.’
The continued fencing surrounding the Capitol last year gave rise to Republican criticism and claims that Democrats were trying to create a barrier between government and the people.
Democrats, mainly House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, insisted the fencing was a needed precaution following the January 6 riot.