JUSTICE J6 RALLY LEADS TO CONCERNS OVER SECURITY

On Saturday, Sept. 18, the Justice for January 6th (or, “Justice for J6”) rally took place outside the Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C.. Some influential figures, such as former President Donald Trump, expressed solidarity from afar leading up to the rally. Its purpose was, according to its organizer Matt Braynard in the announcement statement published the day prior, “in support of those who have been charged with non-violent offenses (in) protestof their disparate treatment at the hands of the Department of Justice and the Judiciary.”

While this statement proclaimed that the Sept. 18 protest would be peaceful (which it was), there were concerns on the part of both the police and the demonstrators beforehand.

Fears of potential violence like that which was seen on Jan. 6 during the Capitol riot led the Department of Homeland Security to prepare for the worst. Meanwhile, theories claiming that the new rally was a set-up by the federal government to arrest the attending demonstrators circulated online. Finally, the time of the rally itself came. As the event wore on into the afternoon, Capitol Police reported 400 to 450 people being observed within the protest area at some point – most of whom were bystanders or reporters – and, as such, police in riot gear steeply outnumbered the actual demonstrators.

While the demonstration came and went with little fanfare, the low demonstrator turnout compared with the preparations made by Capitol Police demonstrate just how powerful an aftershock the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has left on the United States. To quickly cover the fears of arrest, it is natural that would-be demonstrators were wary of the possibility of arrest last month, due to the over 600 arrests made in relation to the Capitol riot. As for criminal penalties for the nonviolent offenses that Justice for J6 demonstrators were protesting, the merit for an argument of disparate treatment is debatable, as many of the cases are still in progress.

However, the more interesting fallout from the Capitol riot can be seen in the elevated security on display at the Justice for J6 rally. The DHS was estimating there would be around 700 demonstrators in attendance, and thus wanted to be prepared in the event of a second riot. The result was that law enforcement present at the event were in full riot gear, and new fencing had been set up around the Capitol earlier in the week.

While this could be seen as an overreaction on the part of DHS, this would not be the first time that an act of violence has led to heightened security procedures out of fear for a repeat threat in the United States. Commercial airline flights saw a sharp change in regulations and security following the international terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

As for whether other demonstrations will face a similar level of security as the Justice for J6 rally and other such protests going forward, it remains to be seen.