You probably didn’t know it, but a protest was held at the Capitol this past weekend. Organized by Matt Braynard, the “Justice for J6” rally was supposed to be an event to protest the treatment of those arrested and wrongfully incarcerated for their involvement in the January 6 incursion on Capitol Hill. According to the media and Capitol Police, it was much anticipated. It also (apparently) called for the need to have hundreds of police dressed in full riot gear, as well as fences erected, police barricades set up, and the National Guard on standby.
But in the end, only a few hundred guests or protesters showed up, leaving media and police to far outnumber those in attendance.
According to Mediaite, “dozens” were estimated to be on the Capitol grounds for the protest. However, MSNBC later guessed the actual number to be somewhere around 200 or so. While that might seem like a large turnout to some, this could only be considered a smattering compared to most protests happening in and around Washington D.C.
Of course, that’s not what Capitol Police said the numbers were.
According to a tweet put out by Pelosi’s personal hounds, there were “approximately 400 to 450 people inside the protest area today.” They made sure to point out that this number excluded any law enforcement on site. However, it mentioned nothing of the hundreds of media personnel in attendance.
As the massive number of both media and law enforcement proves, Saturday’s rally was supposed to be the “most anticipated visit by right-wing activists to the nation’s capital since a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan.6,” according to a piece by The Washington Post.
And anticipated it most certainly was.
According to Fox News, Capitol Police had been reported saying that they had received “intelligence information leading up the weekend that was similar to what was missed in January.” And so preparations were made.
Literally, hundreds of police were on site dressed in full riot gear.
And as one witness pointed out in a tweet, it wasn’t just officers called in to handle the would-be incursion expected. In addition, police dogs, helicopters, and even a wall of dump trucks came out in full force.
Plus, “Fort Pelosi,” as it has become known, was erected again, complete with a full fence set up around the entire Capitol building. Oh, did I mention that Congress isn’t even in session right now, in either the House or the Senate? And as The Post pointed out, the halls of Capitol Hill “were all but deserted” on the day of the protest.
But that’s not all. As the outlet reported, the National Guard and swarms of local police were also on standby, just on the chance that anything should happen.
Of course, it didn’t. According to Fox, only two arrests were made at the protest itself, and another two were made just before.
The two made at the protest itself were for simple weapons violations; one protester was carrying a pocketknife, and another a handgun. Neither were wielding the weapons or showed any intent to use them. The two arrests made before the protest were just as inconsequential, with one being on a similar firearms charge and the other on a probation violation.
Beyond that, the protest of some 200 people was like most other actually peaceful protests. There were signs, people were walking around, and there was chanting. And when it was over, they all just walked away. No harm, no foul.
Now, to be sure, it is the Capitol Police’s job to be prepared if one or more individuals should try to attack the seat of our government. But this didn’t look like preparation so much as overcompensation. They clearly failed back in January to protect their charge, and now, even the slightest massing of protesters seems to be riling them up.
Of course, I’m sure they and the political left will be sure to say that nothing happened this time because they showed up in such force.
But the real fact is that they completely missed their target once again. 0-for-2, as they say.
Meanwhile, Braynard, whose events usually only amass about 100 or so, just grew a lot more powerful, judging by the amount of police he motivated.
