Fortress White House: Crews Will Begin Building 'Non-Scalable Fence' around Complex

The potential for unrest has also prompted Metro Police in Washington, DC, to put 250 National Guardsmen on standby, according to Geoff Bennett of NBC News.

Cities across the nation have boarded up shops, storefronts, office buildings, restaurants, hotels, and other properties in anticipation of possible violence related to Tuesday’s US presidential election.

The reported plans to further fortify the White House indicates the level of concern among law enforcement officials.

In June, it was reported that US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and their son, Barron, were rushed to a secure, underground bunker in the White House after Black Lives Matter protesters breached one of the barricades set up outside the complex.

Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered outside of the White House in the days and weeks following the May 25 police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The massive crowds prompted authorities to erect a massive, iron fence around the perimeter of the White House.

On June 1, members of the National Park Service’s US Park Police and other security forces lobbed chemical agents and punched and clubbed demonstrators and journalists in clearing Lafayette Square near the White House, just before crews raised the new fence.

Trump administration officials have denied federal forces at the time of the forceful removal of crowds were making way for the president to stage photos nearby.

Lafayette Square has historically been one of the country’s most prominent spots for demonstrations and other public advocacy.

Also closed off by yards of new fencing is the Ellipse, a 52-acre park behind the White House, which features several monuments and is part of President's Park.

The Ellipse is a public space and often referred to as 'the Nation's front yard.'

The nation’s capital, like cities throughout the country, are on edge as Election Day approaches.

Downtown businesses are already boarding up their windows in anticipation, and Police Chief Peter Newsham promised on Thursday that his entire department would be working on Election Day.

In Washington, dozens of overlapping law enforcement agencies control certain landmarks and public spaces.

Police officials have restricted the days officers can take off around the election and have spent tens of thousands of dollars on chemical irritants and other less-than-lethal riot-control munitions after much of the agency’s stockpile was depleted this summer.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said she had not decided whether to use National Guard troops for election-related violence, though some troops still remain activated amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Daily Mail reported.

Newsham said there were no ‘credible threats right now of violence,’ but said a number of groups had applied for permits to conduct large demonstrations.

‘We ask people if they’re going to come, we welcome people to come here to the District of Columbia to exercise their First Amendment rights, but we are not going to tolerate violence or unrest,’ he said.

Demonstrators are gearing up for potential violence, especially after June, when Trump used federal law enforcement to clear the plaza outside the White House that had been filled with peaceful protesters.

Meanwhile, activists in the nation’s capital are banding together for Election Day, pooling resources, running training sessions for demonstrators, forming rapid-reaction teams and organizing events that are expected to draw large crowds.

A collection of groups led by Black Lives Matter and Shutdown DC plan an eight-hour event at Black Lives Matter Plaza, one block from the White House.

It will include a giant screen showing election results, DJs and performances by bands playing Washington’s signature go-go music.