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(CBS Detroit) – The capitol grounds were pretty clear Monday with very few spectators and no protests, and although the outcome was nowhere near the expectation, Michigan state police say they will continue to keep an increased presence for the next two weeks.
Two days ahead of inauguration day the corner of Michigan Avenue and capitol in Lansing was quite uneventful.
First Lt. Michael Shaw from the Michigan State Police said, “You can never tell exactly who’s going to show up but it’s always better to be prepared for two-thousand than be prepared for two and have two-thousand shows up.”
It’s a stark difference in optics from Sunday where law enforcement outweighed the number of protesters in the end only 25 people showed up for a small peaceful demonstration.
Lt. Shaw said, “We kind of judge it by ear all the time but people will notice an increased presence of law enforcement out there. There’s also going to be a lot that people won’t see so if something were to happen we can easily just scale right back up to where we were yesterday.”
Last week the FBI sent a warning to law enforcement agencies across the country to put them on notice about possible armed protests at State Capitol through inauguration day.
Lt. Shaw said, “The first amendment is one of the most sincere rights that we have is part of the constitution. It protects our ability to tell the government exactly how we feel. It affects you guys with you know freedom of the press. What happens when you cross that line and no longer peacefully demonstrate you become a criminal. No longer a protester. So as long as you’re not damaging property, attacking the media, attacking law enforcement, people that don’t necessarily agree with you, you’re fine with us.”
Michigan state police tell cw50…the national guard is standing by for deployment through the end of the week.
Further details on security plans are currently under wraps.
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