-- Take It to the Streets (on@j20.com), January 17, 2001

Answers

washingtonpost.com: Thanks for joining us today, Chief Ramsey. Inaugural security is perhaps at its highest ever. What is your department doing to prepare for Saturday's events?

Charles H. Ramsey: Our Department has been working with the U.S. Secret Service, which is the lead law enforcement agency, since October of last year to prepare for the Inauguration. Just before the actual election in November, we began receiving information relative to protests at this year's event. Obviously, now that is proven to be true. As a result, we have significantly increased the number of police officers who will be assigned to that event. We have asked for and received commitments from several outside jurisdictions, including Fairfax County, Arlington County, city of Alexandria, Virginia State Police, Maryland State Police, Montgomery County, Prince George's County and the Pennsylvania State Police. These officers, along with members of the Metropolitan Police Department, to the parade route. This will allow us to continue to perform our primary function -- and that is to provide adequate protection to the citizens of the District of Columbia by being able to answer calls for service and provide other police services in our neighborhoods throughout the weekend.

Alexandria, VA: Do the groups protesting the inauguration need to apply for a permit with the city? How many group do you believe will be involved in the protests? How many officiers will be involved with security and how much is this costing the city? Will the city be reembursed for the costs of security?

Charles H. Ramsey: Yes, groups do need permits to demonstrate during the Presidential Inaugural. Several groups (approximately one dozen) have applied for and been granted permits to stage protests along the parade route and in other locations. At a minimum, we have doubled the number of officers assigned to this event. And while I will not give out exact number of officers, I can assure you that there will be a strong police presence both at the Inaugural Parade and in our neighborhoods throughout the city. The District of Columbia received a total of $5.9 million from the federal government to cover all costs associated with the event. The amount designated for the Police Department is $2.3 million. However, that total is insufficient to cover the cost of reimbursing the outside agencies for the cost of their assistance. I have, therefore, requested from the Department of Justice an additional $900,000, which will be used to cover the overtime, transportation and meal expenses incurred by the outside agencies that have agreed to provide assistance.

Arlington: When the World Bank protests happened you had one large, relatively united group of protesters to deal with. This time there will be many different groups, with different agendas, protesting in lots of different places. What sort of challenge does that present? Also, I am not a radical like so many of the World Bank protesters were. I am likely to take part in the Voter March or one of the other smaller groups. Will all protesters be treated the same no matter which group they are with? Or will some groups be treated more harshly than others. I sure as heck don't want to get beaten or thrown in jail by your police just for exercising my protest rights.

Charles H. Ramsey: You are correct. The Inauguration presents totally different challenges than last April's World Bank/IMF protests. The diversity of the groups coming to Washington to protest, the length of the parade route, the number of dignitaries attending and the number of associated events such as balls all combine to pose a tremendous challenge for our Department. Our Department respects the rights of all individuals to exercise their First Amendment rights. We do not take sides in issues. Our job is to simply maintain the peace -- in this case, to allow the Inauguration and all the associated events to take place as scheduled and to allow citizens, both for or against our new President, to openly express their views. There has not been in the past, nor will there even be during my tenure as police chief, disparate treatment of peaceful and lawful protesters. We welcome you to come to our city and participate, either as part of the Voter march or simply to sit and observe this event.

Boyce, Virginia: Is the presidental inaguration open to the general public? If it is, where is the general crowd required to stand?

Charles H. Ramsey: Yes, the inauguration is open to the general public. The parade itself will begin at approximatelly 2:15 p.m., and will travel from the U.S. Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue to 15th Street, 15th back to Pennsylvania Avenue, where it will pass the White House and the Presidential reviewing stand. There are places all along the parade route for people to stand and enjoy. There are bleachers for ticketed guests. (Tickets can be obtained through the Presidential Inaugural Committee.) I encourage you and your family to come down and enjoy this historic event.

chantilly, va.: first of all chief, may i commend you on the fine job you and your force are doing. you should all be commended for your dedication and perseverence to your mission.

my question is, will there be any problems navigating thru town on saturday, outside of the parade route ? just what kind of street closings and detours should we expect to see ?

Charles H. Ramsey: Thanks for your kind compliment. We hope to have close-to-normal traffic flow throughout the rest of the city on Saturday. However, the closer you get to the area near the Capitol and the White House, the more likely you are to encounter some traffic delays. We will be providing information to media outlets concerning street closures and traffic beginning Thursday, prior to the opening ceremonies, until all Inaugural activities end Saturday evening. Our Department will assign officers to strategic locations to help facilitate the flow of traffic

Alexandria, VA: How can the Inaugural Committee even contemplate shutting down all three bridges (14th, Memorial, & Roosevelt)on Thursday for pre-inaugural festivities, as reported in Saturday's Washington Post? Can't the city refuse this request?

washingtonpost.com: Saturday's article, "Inaugural Concert Spurs Fear of Gridlock," can be found here.

Charles H. Ramsey: Our Department is still working with the Inaugural Committee concerning the opening ceremonies. As of now, there are no plans to close bridges. That does not mean, however, that there will not be a tremendous amount of congestion on our bridges and roadways as a result of fireworks displays and entertainment scheduled to take place at the Lincoln Memorial. We are joining with the U.S. Park Police in formally requesting that the federal government allow its employees to leave no later than 2 p.m. on Thursday. This will go a long way toward alleviating much of the traffic that would normally be on the streets at 6 p.m. We are also meeting with the Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Washington Board of Trade so that they can make our business community aware of the events taking place and the impact these events may have on their employees and customers. We do have a detailed traffic plan to help facilitate the flow of traffic throughout the Inaugural weekend. However, if you find yourself in that area, you can expect some delays.

Washington DC: Will police be wearing riot gear on Inauguration Day?

Charles H. Ramsey: Police officers deployed along the parade route will be wearing their regulation dress uniform. Civil disturbance units will have their necessary CDU equipment available, if needed.

Silver Spring, MD: How can DC residents and workers expect the roads and Metro to be affected in the coming days due to Inaugural activities?

Charles H. Ramsey: DC residents and workers can expect some street closures in and around the parade route. The only two Metro stops that will be closed on Saturday are Navy Memorial/Archives and Smithsonian. Complete information on street closures will be released to the news media no later than Thursday. We are working very hard to minimize the impact that this weekend's activities will have on traffic in our city.

Arlington, VA: Mr. Ramsey, From what I have seen and heard, there seems as though there might be a shortage of space set aside for protesters. As someone who intends to peacefully protest, I fear that the police may use that as a means to justify large scale arrests of protesters that may not physically fit into the designated areas. I understand that you have a difficult task to accomodate all concerned, but I have found that the actions of police in D.C. and elsewhere to be much more confrontational than impartial -speaking softly and carrying a big stick. How can you assure prostesters that police do not view protsters primarily as a threat, but as concerned citizens exercising their rights?

Charles H. Ramsey: Our Department respects the rights of individuals to protest. There are locations throughout the parade routes where permits have already been granted. I think it is important to remember that many people attending this event will not be there to protest, but simply to observe. Everyone has a right to participate in this event, regardless of their political beliefs. This is public space, and we must all share it with one another. Demonstrators will not be treated any differently from anyone else, as long as their conduct is peaceful and lawful.

Washington DC: I understand the need to keep order, but the Post has reported a number of frightening facts about security this weekend. Specifically demonstrators will not be allowed into the parade route if they have signs with thick sticks, puppets, stilts or other props. Since when do first amendment rights of speech and association need to be checked at the door?

Charles H. Ramsey: Our intent is not to stifle free speech. Our concern is for public safety. We want to make sure that objects brought to the event do not jeapordize the safety and security of either protesters, observers, police officers or parade participants. We have met with organizers of various protest groups to discuss issues that were of concern to them. And I am confident that we will once again prove, as we did during the IMF/World Bank protests, that people can exercise their Constitutional right to protest, while at the same time those with opposite points of view can conduct their activities.

Takoma Park, MD: Will all people with bags be searched entering Freedom Plaza?

Charles H. Ramsey: Our goal is to ensure the safety and security of all people who come to this event. It is not to unnecessarily delay entry into the event or stifle freedom of speech. Some inspections may be conducted at the checkpoints, but once again, we are not attempting to single out protesters from non-protesters. We are simply trying to ensure the safety of all people attending the event.

rockville md: how do you plan security for an event like this with so many overlapping police agencies?

Charles H. Ramsey: This is an excellent question, but it is easier than you might think. What is unique about our region is the fact that law enforcement agencies work together on a frequent basis. There are so many large-scale events that take place in Washington, DC, that in order to effectively handle them, our resources are often pooled. From the Chief to the police officer on the street, the officers in our region have a very good working relationship. That is definitely a plus when it comes to handling events of this magnitude and importance. One of the first steps we take is to determine the lead agency. In the case of the Presidential Inauguration, it is the United States Secret Service. Other agencies are given responsibilites for various aspects of the event. Subcommittees are formed, and final plans approved by the lead agency. Success for us is that once the event is over, the story is not about the police -- it is about the event itself.

Alexandria, VA: Will parade goers have to provide to police any license or id in those checkpoints?

Charles H. Ramsey: Individuals will not need to provide a driver's license or other identification at the checkpoints. We encourage people to come down and enjoy the Inauguration with their family and friends.

washingtonpost.com: Thanks for joining us, Chief Ramsey. A lot of people have questions about whether the police and protests will turn violent this weekend. Do you expect that peace will prevail?

Charles H. Ramsey: I have every reason to believe that this weekend's Inaugural events will be peaceful. We have a unique opportunity here to show that there can be a transition of power -- albeit a controversial one -- without violence and civil unrest. Our job as police is to safeguard the rights of those people who wish to voice their opposition to or support of our new President. At the same time, people have a right to enjoy events such as the Inauguration and the Inaugural Parade. Both interests can take place simultaneously and without violence. I strongly urge people to come and witness history as the 43rd President of the United States -- and the first of the new millennium -- is sworn into office. I also encourage those demonstrators who wish to have their voices heard to join and celebrate the freedoms that our democracy affords them and show the world that protests can occur in a peaceful and lawful manner.

-- Come to DC to be Searched (ramsey@speaks.com), January 17, 2001.

The problem boils down to the fact that many of the protesters lack both intelligence and common sense. They are also easily manipulated. While many no doubt are going peacefully, someone will announce that Bush is an alien who has recieved backing by using Nazi money. Then these easily manipulated people might turn violent.

-- confused florida voters (very@easily.manipulated), January 17, 2001.

"Then these easily manipulated people might turn violent."

We have laws about using violence that take care of this. Up to that point, no law is broken and no enforcement is needed. When the possibility of violence is justification for repression of free speech, then there will no longer be free speech.

As they say, sticks and stones may break my bones, but guns don't kill, people do, and words don't kill anybody.

-- I Feel Pretty (just_making_pretty@turnabout_is_fair_play.org), January 17, 2001.