Kiki Fox, 34, of Washington, who is 8 months pregnant, poses for a portrait as she joins abortion rights demonstrators, Saturday, May 14, 2022, outside the Supreme Court in Washington, during protests across the country. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
OAN NEWSROOM
UPDATED 3:41 PM PT – Saturday, June 25, 2022
Police in the Nation’s Capital are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision regarding abortion. Officers in Washington, D.C. were “fully activated” on Friday, many of them outfitted in riot gear just in case things got out of hand.
#NEW @DCPoliceDept fully activating in response to #SCOTUS abortion decision @fox5dc https://t.co/jAluqh99cO pic.twitter.com/HPMDBgz0yI
— Stephanie Ramirez (@RamirezReports) June 24, 2022
Protestors and others waited outside the court for this historic ruling to be released on Friday morning. Hundreds of protestors were still outside the high court as the sun set, banging drums, leading chants and for the most part they remained peaceful. President Biden urged “peaceful” protests. He said that “violence is never acceptable.”
“We must stand against violence in any form, regardless of your rationale,” he said.
On way to the court pic.twitter.com/XrE9ExAzhm
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 24, 2022
Former President Barack Obama was quick to condemn the Republican led court and former President Donald Trump for their role in overturning the nearly 50-year-old Supreme Court decision. The mayor of DC held a press conference addressing the matter.
“The Chief of Police has been working in close coordination with our federal partners as well to make sure that we are providing MPD support around the courthouse and other sensitive areas,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “We are also. We stand ready to deal with any First Amendment demonstrations.”
The full departmental activation will extend through the end of the third watch on Tuesday, June 28.