In a nation divided, we are increasingly confronted with evidence of that division. In Washington, physical barriers to our most sacred symbols of democracy have again been erected. The Capitol was sealed off with fence after January 6th, and now the Supreme Court, after a controversial draft opinion was leaked, has been secured with an “nonscalable” fence and cement barriers.
Eight-foot panels of fencing were erected along the south side of the Supreme Court building, which is across the street from the Capitol. The barriers replaced smaller bike racks that were removed earlier in the evening.Police officers on the scene described the fencing as “nonscalable,” similar to the security perimeter that was built around the Capitol in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack.
NBC News
Protesters on both sides of the abortion issue have been out in force since the draft decision leaked to Politico on Monday night.
ABC News adds:
Neither the Supreme Court nor Capitol Police have said anything publicly about possible threats to the court or the justices. The protests outside the court’s marble front steps have been largely peaceful, prompting some to question why the new security barrier — reminiscent of the unscalable fencing placed around the U.S. Capitol after the violence of Jan. 6, 2021 — is necessary. John Becker, a spokesperson at Catholics For Choice, said the measures appear “ominous and disproportionate to what has actually been transpiring on that plaza.”
ABC News
