Guard troops deployed throughout downtown Sacramento in advance of expected violence
California National Guard troops were deployed throughout downtown Sacramento early Saturday in advance of expected protests and violence that the FBI warns could last through Inauguration Day.
At the state Capitol — which is expected to be the site of protests Sunday and Wednesday as well as unrest between supporters of President Trump and antifacist groups — armed soldiers, Guard trucks and armored Humvees were stationed on streets around the building.
Soliders and vehicles were positioned around other buildings, including the federal courthouse and the Superior Court building, as well as the Leland Stanford Mansion and buildings along Capitol Mall.
Police were gathered at the entrance to Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert’s building at Ninth and G streets, where glass doors have been sealed off with plywood and a fence has been erected around the entryway.
I Street closed in front of jail
Three-foot-tall steel barriers have blocked off I Street at Seventh Street in an effort to keep any demonstrators or vehicles from reaching the entryway to the Sacramento County Main Jail, which has been targeted in past protests.
Around the Capitol, walkers, joggers and motorists stopped to thank troops standing guard outside various state office buildings and in Capitol Park.
Mallori Powell, shift supervisor at the Starbucks at 10th and L streets, walked a bag of food and box of hot coffee over to one guardsman to share with his colleagues.
“I gave them some free drinks earlier, and then the travelers they paid for,” she said, adding that she “definitely” was happy they were present.
The Starbucks is surrounded by office buildings and shops that have been boarded up in anticipation of trouble, but the coffee shop has remained open without plywood protection.
“We opted not to this time just because it’s really expensive and we haven’t gotten damaged the last few times,” she said. “So, we’re just like, we’ll just wait it out and see how it goes.”
Some businesses were taking no chances. At the Rite Aid at Ninth and K streets, which was damaged during protests in May when thieves broke in and ransacked the store, plywood was going up over the windows Saturday morning.
But other shops and restaurants — Macy’s in Downtown Commons and K Street businesses like Holy Slice pizza, Solomon’s Deli and DeRow and Sharma Clothier and Tailors — were open.
Guard were not present at Golden 1 Center or the surrounding DoCo area, but several Sacramento Police tactical vehicles were stationed there.
Capitol building resembles fortress
The appearance of the Guard troops, the first of up to 1,000 ordered by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday, marks the second time in six months that soldiers have been called to the capital city to stem unrest.
Over the summer, demonstrations against police violence and the killing by Minneapolis officers of George Floyd sparked sometimes violent clashes in Sacramento’s central streets and the closures of freeways targeted by marchers.
The Capitol itself has been ringed by a 6-foot tall fence, along with a 3-foot tall steel barrier that has been in place for months, and California Highway Patrol officers in riot gear are positioned around the building with vehicles parked on walkways near entrances.
CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray ordered a “tactical alert” late Friday, a move that the CHP allows for maximum use of its uniformed officers for an indefinite period. That included CHP aircraft, which have flown over the city since the morning.
Since the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol, authorities have warned of the potential for armed attacks against all 50 state capitals and the inaugural proceedings for President-elect Joe Biden.
U.S. Attorney: ‘Situation well in hand’
Sacramento’s top federal law enforcement official said Saturday that he is confident the combination of Guard troops and law enforcement will keep things peaceful.
“It’s incumbent on all Americans to come together at this time for a peaceful transfer of power to the next president and his administration, as we have done throughout our history,” U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said. “Over the last several days, local, state and federal law enforcement have been working long hours to ensure that absolutely nothing like what occurred last week in Washington, D.C., occurs in our state capital in the coming days.
“I am confident that we have this situation well in hand.”
Officials say they are not expecting difficulty on Saturday, but have banned parking around the Capitol on Sunday and Wednesday, when the bulk of the protests are expected.
The CHP denied a permit for a planned 3,000-person rally Sunday in support of President Donald Trump, and Sacramento antifa has called out on Twitter for a protest Wednesday “against far-right terror.”
On Thursday, during a state Senate hearing, anti-vaccine speakers threatened lawmakers with gun violence from the gallery. On Friday, Newsom’s administration told California state department leaders to keep as many state employees as possible out of downtown Sacramento offices through Thursday over concerns of unrest.
This story was originally published January 16, 2021 at 9:31 AM.