BATON ROUGE, La (KTAL/BRPROUD) – The Louisiana State Capitol will be closed on Jan. 20, “in an abundance of caution” as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take the oath of office in a scaled-down Inauguration Day ceremony in the nation’s Capitol amid possible protests and potential threats for more violence.
According to an official with the House Communications Office, citing a memo from Speaker Clay Schexnayder, most employees will not be in the Louisiana State Capitol building Wednesday, and security there will be tight.
Baton Rouge is among state capitols all across the country that have stepped up security ahead of Biden’s swearing-in ceremony in Washington, D.C. in the wake of the deadly Capitol riots earlier this month. Federal, state, and local agencies in Baton Rouge braced for possible protests over the weekend, which turned out to be small and peaceful.
The national’s capitol is also locked down — with dozens of streets spanning from Capitol Hill to downtown D.C. blocked off, 11 subway stations shut down and barbed wire topping the fences surrounding the Capitol. Thousands of armed National Guard troops are lining the streets, and Army General Daniel Hokanson says more are on the way.
“Our posture is aggressive, and it will stay that way through inauguration,” Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray said.
