Sunday in Hartford: Massive show of police, not protesters
Cloe Poisson :: CTMirror.org
A protester and counter-protester: At left, a man who identified himself using what is likely a right-wing alias, Duncan Lemp, talks with Joanna Iovino of Hartford at the State Capitol.
The first to arrive was a masked young man who used the name of a dead anarchist to identify himself. He carried a first-aid kit and tree-of-liberty flag as he trudged up the hill to the state Capitol on Sunday, the advance guard of a protest that never materialized at least not in Hartford.
On a day when police stood on alert in every state capital, ready for protests promised in the wake of the stunning assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Hartford was quiet. No one came to cry that the election was stolen from Donald J. Trump.
Heavy police presence at Michigan Capitol ahead of potential protests, threats
Updated Jan 17, 2021;
Posted Jan 17, 2021
Michigan National Guard members line the State Capitol in anticipation of armed demonstrations by right-wing groups on Sunday, Jan. 17 in downtown Lansing, Michigan.
Facebook Share
Michigan law enforcement agencies stood guard in downtown Lansing on a snowy Sunday morning in anticipation of armed demonstrations held by right-wing groups.
An FBI bulletin warned militant anti-government groups were organizing rallies at state capitals across the country on Jan. 17, raising concerns after a pro-Trump mob sieged the U.S. Capitol in violent riots earlier this month. The Michigan National Guard was activated to help the Michigan State Police secure state buildings in the lead-up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Armed ‘boogaloo boys’ gather at Michigan Capitol, join small group of protesters
Updated Jan 17, 2021;
Facebook Share
Armed with rifles, tactical gear and floral attire, a handful of self-identified “boogaloo boys” held a demonstration outside the Capitol in Lansing, under the watch of police and the Michigan National Guard.
Timothy Teagan, 22, said the Jan. 17 event had been planned for weeks but most participants pulled out after news broke of an FBI bulletin warning that groups were planning to storm state capitals across the country. Roughly 20 members of the “boogaloo” movement answered questions from the media and stood around the Capitol lawn for a few hours before leaving without incident.
Members of the National Guard stand outside the Michigan Capitol in Lansing on Sunday. (Courthouse News photo / Andy Olesko)
(CN) As National Guard troops and police prepared for massive protests at state capitals throughout the U.S. on Sunday by supporters of President Donald Trump, a large number of the planned demonstrations either didn’t happen or only saw relatively few participants.
At Michigan’s Capitol in Lansing, a light snow fell from an overcast sky as several surrounding roads had been closed and groups of police officers walked and rode bikes in the neighborhood.
As of noon, the only noise outside the Capitol was of idling diesel engines from sand-color Humvees and bells from a nearby church. About 50 protesters stood in front of the building.