In a move that echoes the city’s response to Black Lives Matter protests last year, the D.C. National Guard will be on hand for any possible demonstrations in the city in the coming weeks.

In response to a request from Mayor Muriel Bowser, on Monday Acting Secretary of the Army John E. Whitley activated 250 National Guard members to help respond to any possible disturbances in the wake of a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. The former Minneapolis police officer was charged with killing George Floyd in May 2020. Floyd’s death sparked days of intense protests last spring, prompting an aggressive response from city and federal officials that attracted international scrutiny.

Bowser said in a press conference Monday that Police Chief Robert Contee and D.C. Homeland Security Director Chris Rodriguez have “been coordinating and preparing” over the course of Chauvin’s seven-week trial, which concluded Monday. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department have been assigned to 12-hour shifts, Bowser said.

A statement from the D.C. National Guard says D.C. guardsmen have been asked to “assist police with street closures at multiple intersections in order to provide safety in and around pedestrian areas.” Some will also be stationed at Metro stations downtown.

“We are prepared to help provide a safe environment for our fellow citizens to exercise their first amendment right,” said Brig. Gen. Aaron R. Dean II, adjutant general of the D.C. National Guard. “This is our home, and we are dedicated to the safety and security of our fellow citizens of the District and their right to safely and peacefully protest.”

Thousands of demonstrators took over streets downtown in the weeks following Floyd’s death last year, prompting Bowser to impose a curfew. The demonstrations spread to suburban jurisdictions in Virginia and Maryland as residents organized car rallies, marches and moments of silence in response to police killings of Black men and women across the U.S.

More than 5,000 troops were deployed to the city from a dozen states and D.C.’s National Guard to assist local and federal law enforcement. The heavily militarized response sparked criticism both of President Donald Trump — whose administration dispatched guardsmen and military helicopters to the city — as well as Bowser. MPD officers deployed pepper spray, kettled protesters, and made hundreds of arrests. Police defended the aggressive tactics, saying some demonstrators had become violent.

D.C. guardsmen will not be armed, Rodriguez said last week, according to WTOP. “The only authority that can arm the National Guard is the president,” he added.

Bowser said the District will be ready for any reaction to the verdict, whatever it may be.

“I hope that justice prevails in that trial. What I also want to stay focused on in the city is that everyone is safe,” the mayor said.