January 17th, local time, the countdown to the inauguration of the new president of the United States has entered a 72-hour countdown. On the same day, the reporter continued to visit downtown Washington, feeling the atmosphere was tense, and the alert level had increased significantly again.
The alert level in downtown Washington has been raised again.
On that day, the number of National Guards in neighborhoods near Congress has increased again, and all major roads to Congress and the White House have been blocked. Important intersections are guarded by the National Guard and the police, which has increased the level of alert.
At the same time, patrol boats have been added on the Potomac River, and the vigilance and defense have been extended to the waters.
Before the inauguration ceremony, 25,000 National Guard soldiers will be stationed in Washington, and there will be a large amount of police force investment, which is unprecedented in security.
But this is only the beginning. Washington Mayor Bowser said recently that Washington will remain highly secure even after the presidential inauguration ceremony, which will be a new normal in the future.
The National Square has been placed in the “iron cage”.
The reporter also came to Washington National Mall on purpose.
Entering from the Lincoln Memorial on the west side of the National Mall, the killing of the coldness came. It is usually a must-see place for tourists from all over the world, and it is also a place for local citizens to exercise and relax.
Nowadays, it is empty. The Lincoln Memorial is completely free of day trips. It is replaced by National Guard members and policemen, who either patrol around or stand aside and chat.
The famous reflection pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument (Obelisk), which has been sealed by the security fence, is now dead in the iron fence.
Walking along the reflection pool, I saw that all the two sides of the strait pulled up the iron net, completely putting the reflecting pool in the iron cage. The workers next to the reflection pool have initially installed a large amount of lighting equipment, which should be used for the day of the inauguration ceremony.
The security guard here said that these are all used for the day of the inauguration ceremony, and they can be installed on the 18th local time.
In addition, the obelisk has also been surrounded by iron nets, not only that, but also an enhanced version of the double-channel iron net.
Reporter encounters pan-examination
While the reporter was taking pictures outside the iron net, a young female policeman patrolled by and immediately stopped to ask, “What are you doing? How did you get in?” The reporter answered one by one.
However, the police seemed not to understand it. They repeatedly asked the reporter in detail about the route to the National Square and asked the reporter to show his ID card.
At this time, a young male policeman nearby came over, and the female policeman asked him, “Are you familiar with this place? I’m from New York. I don’t know the route she said to come here.
Do you understand?” Unfortunately, the male policeman also looked confused and said, “I’m also from New York, and I don’t know it well.” So the female policeman left the reporter and called the superior to report.
When the female policeman called, the reporter and the male policeman chatted before they learned that they were all transferred from New York to reinforce Washington.
Although he did not know the specific number of reinforcements, it is estimated that there were at least hundreds or even thousands of people.
He just arrived in Washington the other day, and it is not clear when to leave, which depends entirely on the security situation in Washington.
He also told reporters that although the overall situation in New York is calm, it is also a little worried. He also told reporters that he would not leave until tomorrow morning, that is, he will guard here all night.
Watching the female police report carefully to their superiors, the male police told the reporter that no one is allowed to enter the National Square now, so they must carefully check the presence of anyone just in case.
The reporter told him that he had not seen any sign of no entry along the way, and the National Guard and security guards and security guards were not blocked, so he thought it was possible to enter, which seemed to be a misunderstanding.
The reporter asked again, seeing the lighting equipment installed on both sides of the reflection pool, will there be any activities on the day of the inauguration ceremony? The male policeman said that he did not know this, but no one was allowed to enter it that day, and so far it is understood that the activity is basically online, so it is estimated that the installation of lights may just set off the atmosphere.
At this time, the female policeman called her superior and came to tell the reporter that the relevant parties were checking the information and asked the reporter to wait.
About 10 minutes later, a young male policeman was seen coming in a battery car, and the female policeman immediately greeted him. The reporter quietly asked the male policeman, “Is this her boss?” The male police nodded.
After a simple communication, the “boss” and the female policeman came to the reporter and told the reporter that they did not find any problems after verification, and the reporter could leave. However, to be safe, he wants to “accompanie” the reporter to leave together.
On the way, the reporter asked about his recent work and the current security situation in Washington.” The boss” said that he was a local policeman in Washington. He has been working for more than 20 years and has never encountered such a situation this year.
He said that the events on Capitol Hill were so bad, and all kinds of information about terrorist activities kept coming.
They have been really busy recently. However, at present, a large number of National Guards have arrived, and there are field police to reinforce them, so he believes that Washington should be able to ensure security on the day of the inauguration.
However, it is a little difficult to say what the surrounding area is like. He warned reporters: “Don’t go out! Don’t go out that day (inauguration day), don’t go out these days!”
After breaking up with the “boss”, the reporter passed through the U.S. State Department.
Four or five National Guard military vehicles parked in front of the State Council have completely blocked the access from the city to the State Council.
The intersection is also blocked at the headquarters of the Federal Reserve next to the State Council.
Inside the public station adjacent to the State Department, electronic billboards continue to scrolling photos of suspects in the violent shock on Capitol Hill, hoping that the public can provide relevant information.
Although U.S. President-elect Biden is about to take office, the current high-security tension casts a little shadow on the future of the new government.
As Washington Mayor Bowser said recently, high security will become the new normal in Washington, D.C. in the future, and the uncertainty has raised many Americans’ worries about the future.
