DC Guard to erect 7-foot ‘non-scalable fence’ around Capitol following violent riots

A new 7-foot fence will be erected around the U.S. Capitol grounds following the violent attack on the area by supporters of President Trump on Wednesday, according to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy.

McCarthy said Thursday that the Army National Guard at 9 a.m. began “erecting a 7-foot non-scalable fence” along a perimeter that includes Constitution Avenue NE to the north of the grounds, Independence Avenue SE to the south, First Street SE to the east and 1st Street NW in the front of the building facing west.

He added that the fence would be up for a minimum of 30 days — a period that includes the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

“Yesterday was a horrible and shameful day in our history,” McCarthy said during a news conference with Washington, D.C., officials including Mayor Muriel Bowser (D).

He said Bowser’s office called Pentagon leaders on Wednesday afternoon regarding the breach at the Capitol and the officials “quickly worked to move our resources forward in support of MPD [the Metropolitan Police Department] and the Capitol Police.” 

The entire 1,100-troop D.C. National Guard was mobilized Wednesday to help restore order after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of Biden’s Electoral College win in Congress. 

Lawmakers were forced to halt their counting of Electoral College votes and shelter at undisclosed locations for several hours. Once the Capitol was secured, they later resumed the count and certified Biden’s win.

The governors of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Delaware also sent members of their National Guards into D.C. to help respond to the rioting and chaos.

McCarthy said that by the weekend there will be 6,200 total National Guardsmen in the Capitol region in support of the MPD and Capitol Hill Police.

He added that roughly 850 military personnel would be on the Capitol grounds by noon on Thursday.