Protesters arrive at Ohio Statehouse
Carrying a large Liberty or Death flag, assault weapons and other firearms, a group of more than 50 gathered at State and Third streets just after 11 a.m outside the Ohio Statehouse.
One man from New Mexico, calling himself a Boogaloo mascot, said of the weapons: Best case scenario, they re just paper weights. We don t even pull them out of the holsters.
A central Ohio woman with the group, who declined to be named because of her frequent contact at the Statehouse, said many of us from the heartland just would like to be heard. The policies of the incoming leadership are just frightening.
He asked people to avoid Downtown from Sunday through Wednesday. Police will be highly visible, Quinlan said. He said police will wear body cameras that will help to identify lawbreakers. There will be no tolerance for illegal activities, property destruction, he said.
Columbus police plans to send hundreds of officers to the Capitol Square area and other parts of Downtown on Sunday. Hundreds of Ohio National Guard members will also be Downtown to help State Highway Patrol troopers at the Statehouse and Columbus police. We re planning for a worst-care scenario, Ginther said.
Ginther said that the following buildings on the City Hall campus will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday: City Hall, 90 W. Broad St.; 77 N. Front St.; Michael B. Coleman Government Center, 111 N. Front St.; and the Beacon Building, 50 W. Gay St.
Late last year, in a former bank lobby that his firm meticulously restored, Columbus developer Jeff Edwards studied a map of Downtown Columbus and saw a changed city.
He saw a Downtown rising to life after a pandemic left it all but a ghost town, boarded up and empty.
In Edwards vision, the new Downtown will include an elevated landscaped skywalk, a vibrant French bistro spilling onto the sidewalk, a sunken plaza with outdoor dining, public art hovering over High Street and nightlife rivaling the Short North. It s going to come back, said Edwards, 57, CEO and president of The Edwards Companies. Long-term, Downtown Columbus will be great. It s on the verge of exploding again.
Obviously, my concerns are for violence that may be happening with the open carry, Ungar said.
Reports said supporters of President Donald Trump are planning an armed march, and that state officials do not plan to ban guns from Statehouse grounds. I am afraid of the guns. I am afraid of confrontation. And I think that s what it is, she said. I m scared right now, I wasn t scared with the Black Lives Matter (protests). Never scared. Thought it was very important. Didn’t like the looting. But that wasn t the point of the demonstration.
Law enforcement, property and business owners and residents are preparing for what might happen this weekend.
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