Community Corner
State Capitals, Including Tallahassee, Are Bracing For Potential Violence In The Coming Days
Following a quiet Saturday in Tallahassee, some activity emerged Sunday as capitals around the country brace for potential violence.
Laura Cassels
January 17, 2021
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Following a quiet Saturday in Florida’s state capital, some activity emerged Sunday as capitals around the country brace for potential violence following the Washington, D.C. mob riot on Jan. 6.
State capitals are on alert through at least the inauguration of Joe Biden as president this coming Wednesday. Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Friday activated the National Guard in Tallahassee and also sent guardsmen to Washington, D.C.
Find out what's happening in Across Floridafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In Florida’s Capitol complex downtown on Sunday, security is tightening, with law enforcement vehicles blocking the area at the Leon County courthouse, across the street from the Capitol complex in Tallahassee. Some windows were boarded downtown near the Capitol.
A couple of buses were also adjacent to the courthouse Sunday.
Law enforcement officers are on high ground, including the Tallahassee City Hall roof.
The complex includes the Florida Historic Capitol as well as the Capitol complex that includes House and Senate office buildings.
Very few pedestrians were in the area, but they didn’t appear to be protesting. Overall, the streets around the complex were quiet about 11 a.m. Sunday.
The Florida Phoenix has been keeping watch at the various buildings in the state capital, including the Capitol complex, the Florida Supreme Court, the federal court in Tallahassee, the Governor’s Mansion, the Florida National Guard and the Florida Press Center.
Thus far, there are no visible protests.
In Washington, D.C., Trump supporters and extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, leaving at least five people dead, in a failed attempt to stop Congress from ratifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which long has monitored hate groups and is tracking their social-media chatter, said earlier that Florida is not the most likely of targets — certainly not as likely a target as the capitals in Michigan, where extremists plotted the kidnapping of the Democratic governor, and Georgia, which just replaced two Republican senators with two Democrats, flipping control of the U.S. Senate.
This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.
