Jan. 19, 2005 – At his second Inauguration President Bush is expected to have the largest security detail in the history of Inaugural ceremonies, with plans for swat teams, snipers, thousands of Secret Service, and more than 6,000 police officers, despite admitting there is "no specific threat" posed by terrorists or protesters. As a result, activists planning to demonstrate at the event have accused authorities of restricting free speech and dissent in the name of security.
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"You can well imagine that the security for this occasion will be unprecedented," said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge at a January 11 press conference. "Protective measures will be seen; there will be quite a few that are not seen. Our goal is that any attempt on the part of anyone or any group to disrupt the Inaugural will be repelled by multiple layers of security."
Ridge said law enforcement have been making plans for more than a year, preparing bomb-detecting dogs, strengthening the region's air defenses, and deploying sensors to detect biological, chemical, or radiological material. Washington security officials have told the press that more barriers, metal detectors, and DC police officers will be installed along the parade route than at past inaugurations, and stricter ticketing and credentialing will be in place for restricted areas.
Law enforcement officials say they do not have specific threats of a terrorist attack, but say the heightened measures are necessary in the post September 11 environment. Security exercises in preparation for the event simulated responding to terrorist attacks that use suicide bombs, truck bombs, and chemical releases.
Ridge said attendees and residents also have an integral role to play at the inauguration. "We're just going to remind everyone, as often as we can, to remain vigilant. If you see any suspicious items or activities, we just ask you to go up to one of those local law enforcement personnel and report it."
The federal government originally asked the city of DC to use money from its Homeland Security fund to pay for the estimated $17.3 million in security costs, including police, fire, trash, overtime expenses, and constructing bleachers. After harsh criticism from DC Mayor Anthony Williams and several members of Congress, the federal government agreed that $11.9 million was eligible to be repaid from the city's Department of Homeland Security’s Urban Area Strategic Initiative (USAI) grant, with the remaining costs reimbursed from the Emergency Planning and Security Cost Fund, distributed for use in special events.
But the Inauguration will cost the city in other ways, including the losses to local businesses and city tourism because of the heightened security and street closures.
Brian Boyer, spokesman for the DC Chamber of Commerce, told the Washington Times, that local businesses stand to loose revenue because of the security. "It's never a good thing for businesses when the city turns into an armed camp," said Boyer. "As a chamber of commerce, we realize the need to be secure for this event, but we also want to make sure there is balance so that commerce can continue to be conducted."
The Inauguration is expected to attract between 500,000 and 750,000 people, including thousands of protesters. The 2001 Inauguration drew 10,000 to 20,000 demonstrators, the largest number since Richard Nixon’s second Inauguration in 1973. Only about a dozen arrests were made, mostly for disorderly conduct, but Bush remained inside his swiftly moving armored limousine for most of the parade route, which was pelted with debris from protesters, until he reached a secure area restricted to ticket holders.
Protesters will have access to part of the parade route on Thursday, according to DC police, but they will be subject to screenings and searches. Backpacks, strollers, and umbrellas will not be allowed on the parade route, and signs are restricted to certain materials and sizes, and cannot be attached to anything that police deem could be potentially be used as a weapon.
However, International ANSWER, an antiwar, anti-racism coalition planning one of the rallies, said demonstrators are to be excluded from the majority of Pennsylvania Avenue, where most guests are screened by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. After filing a lawsuit in federal district court arguing protesters were illegally being blocked from the parade route, the National Park Service agreed to give the group their own space. ANSWER is now permitted to set up bleachers and hold a rally at 4th Avenue and Pennsylvania, in a large plaza along the parade route, which will hold approximately 10,000 people.
"The Bush administration… fearing the embarrassment of a mass demonstration at the Inaugural route, is now following the usual script to intimidate the people," said ANSWER in a statement on the group’s website about the security measures.
Dozens of other counter-Inauguration actions are planned in DC on Thursday including "Turn Your Backs on Bush," during the President’s parade down Pennsylvania Avenue; "Not One Damn Dime Day," a 24-hour boycott of all consumer spending to show opposition to the war in Iraq; a "Women’s March and Funeral Procession" that organizers say is to mourn the loss of American Freedoms; and a Billionaires for Bush "Re-Coronation Inaugural Ball."
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The National Lawyers Guild will have volunteers on the ground in the DC distributing "Know Your Rights" literature and the number for a 24-hour legal hotline in the event that demonstrators are arrested or have their civil rights violated.
