Law enforcement agencies in Washington, D.C., plan to have a large presence at Saturday's rally at the U.S. Capitol as threats of armed protesters spread online.
The Justice for J6 rally is planned for Saturday outside the Capitol. That rally is in support of the rioters who violently stormed the building on Jan. 6.
"As we look across social media, there are calls on some of the disparate sites for folks to come armed. We’ve seen that before on a lot of our other events. So, this is reminding folks that come to the District what our laws are here and that, you know, you can't carry a gun here," DC Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chris Geldart told News4.
Geldart said while the mayor has not requested the National Guard, the U.S. Capitol Police still could.
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"The Capitol is actually in discussions with them in case them for a quick reaction force. But aside from that, they're getting resources from the region, law enforcement resources from the region, to come in to support," he said.
The Capitol Police Board approved a plan Monday to bring back a temporary fence around the Capitol.
Fencing will go up around the Capitol by Friday and likely come down by Sunday, Geldart said.
An emergency declaration will also go into effect about the time of the demonstration that allows Capitol Police to deputize outside law enforcement officers as U.S. Capitol Police special officers.
Outside of the protest, there are large events across D.C. on Saturday that police are preparing for, including a Nationals home game, Howard University football at Audi Field, a concert at Capitol One Arena and the popular H Street Festival in Northeast.
"It's going to be a busy weekend in the city. MPD is all hands on deck so everybody will be in," Geldart said.
Gunfire sent Nationals fans rushing for safety during a home game in July. Three people were shot and wounded.
