As the city readies itself for the election in a few days, a number of organizers are planning demonstrations in D.C. on and around November 3.
A group over of over 20 progressive activists and grassroots groups including Common Defense, Faith in Public Life, Stand Up America, and Bend the Arc are putting together the People’s Watch Party at Black Lives Matter Plaza beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The gathering aims to “make it clear that it’s the voters who decide elections,” according to its website, and will feature jumbotrons projecting the results and local food trucks.
Attendees are asked to wear masks and practice social distancing. They will have extra safety items on hand and “COVID-safe” stations for making signs.
In an emailed statement to DCist, Stand Up America spokesperson Ryan Thomas said, “We’re excited that the People’s Watch Party is creating a peaceful, joyful space for people to gather in celebration of democracy as results come in.”
Given the potential delay in definitive results, they are also hosting other events throughout the week, including a speaker program on Nov. 4, with more details to come.
Local direct action group ShutDownDC, which has also been behind local climate protests, is leading a gathering at BLM Plaza earlier on Tuesday, starting at 4 p.m. with go-go music, salsa dancers, and more.
ShutDownDC has laid out its election night and post-election plans on its website, beginning with three phases next week. The plan notes a series of next steps following possibilities ranging from President Donald Trump “trying to launch a coup” or conceding if he loses to Joe Biden.
ShutDownDC will also offer a series of trainings, including on direct action, de-escalation, and protest photography, in the days leading up to the election.
Civil rights and racial justice group Occupy D.C. is planning to visit polling places on Election Day, handing out water, snacks, and personal protective equipment to voters, says organizer Mahadi Lawal. They may even bring some music to keep them entertained.
The group is also planning to assess the situation on November 3 and the days following, and support protests wherever they “are needed most.”
“One of our primary goals as an organization is just ensuring the safety and protecting civil rights activists and anyone who tries to go out and protest,” Lawal says. Occupy D.C. is raising funds for respirators, gas masks, PPE, and other items and costs, and collecting donated supplies, ahead of the election.
Lawal declined to say how much they’ve raised, but says, “We have gotten a lot of support, though, which is really good.” He characterizes the preparations as precautionary measures in case of clashes with police.
“What we’re doing is making sure we’re prepared for any possible outcomes,” Lawal says. “I don’t know how crazy it might get, and I’m hoping that things don’t boil over at all.”
Following a summer of widespread, largely peaceful protests against police brutality and racial injustice in the District, the past week has seen a new wave of demonstrations in the wake of the death of Karon Hylton, a 20-year-old who died following an attempted traffic stop by Metropolitan Police Department officers. D.C. police policy bars officers from chasing vehicles for traffic violations in most cases.
The demonstrations at times resulted in tense clashes with police as protesters demanded accountability. Protestors punched holes in the window of the Fourth District station on Tuesday, and officers have worn riot gear and deployed pepper spray to disperse the crowds.
An emergency police reform bill passed by the D.C. Council over the summer bans MPD from using tear gas, rubber bullets, stun grenades, and riot gear to disperse peaceful protesters. The police union challenged those reforms in an August lawsuit.
Newsham said during the press conference on Thursday that the city does not have any credible threats of violence related to Election Day, but said a number of people of have applied for permits to demonstrate.
Mayor Muriel Bowser also said that “we also know that some people would like to cause mayhem or trouble,” and that officials are preparing to ensure the city’s safety.
D.C. police will impose parking restrictions downtown beginning at midnight on November 3 until 11:59 p.m. the following day. There may also be street closures, though MPD does not anticipate them, according to a traffic advisory.
Bowser said during the briefing that multiple city agencies are working with business improvement districts and others to ready for any “potential disruption” related to First Amendment activities. Some businesses in downtown D.C. have already begun boarding up ahead of the election, though the city has not recommended they do so.
The mayor said D.C. had not made additional requests of the National Guard, but that “they are on alert should we need to change that posture.”
On Friday, the ACLU of D.C. sent a letter to Newsham ahead of the election and inauguration, highlighting “areas in which we have specific concerns,” based on MPD’s prior conduct, including several reminders of the rights of demonstrators and detainees.
MPD did not immediately respond to DCist’s request for comment on the letter.
Bethelehem Yirga, co-founder of the Palm Collective, an organization that works to end systemic racism, says they are committed to supporting demonstrations demanding justice for Hylton, as well as organizing related to the election.
She says it’s an extension of what they’ve been doing all summer, despite what Yirga calls a “very interesting relationship with democracy,” given the ways Black and Brown people have been exploited and marginalized.
“It’s just a continuation of us fighting for what needs to be done for all Black and Brown bodies to matter,” Yirga says. “And continuing to and through this, it doesn’t matter who’s in office, because at the end of the day injustices are still gonna stand and we’re gonna still [be] fighting.”
