10 signatures reached
To: Roy Blunt, Mitch McConnell, Amy Klobuchar, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Kevin McCarthy
Keep the Inauguration Safe
Ensure the safety of the presidential inauguration on January 20, 2021. Hold the ceremony indoors in the capitol rotunda and require that there is adequate security. Don't allow a replay of the violence we saw at the Capitol during the certification of the electoral vote.
Why is this important?
Americans and people around the globe witnessed in horror as a mob stormed the US Capitol on January 6—stopping the certification of the electoral vote, necessitating senators and representatives to be rushed to safety, seeing the capitol building occupied by unscreened agitators, and ending in 5 deaths. And all this encouraged by the outgoing president who continues his unfounded claims that the election was stolen from him and urges his supporters to take action to save the country.
Already the plans for the inauguration were being modified to support people staying safe amidst the pandemic. People have been urged to stay home and watch the inauguration on TV. Now there is even more reason to change this to a televised and online event, as those who are disgruntled with the election results have continued to engage in violence to support their cause.
We need to put safety first—safety from the pandemic and safety from the threats of violence. We saw with the presidential conventions that changing to an online format can provide opportunities for greater meaningfulness for Americans, most of whom can't be physically present for such historic events. Let's do that for the inauguration. Hold it indoors with physical attendance limited to those specifically involved in the ceremony, and everyone else can participate via TV and online.
Further, we insist there be sufficient security at the presidential inauguration to keep everyone who is physically present safe, including President Elect Joe Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris. The appalling lack of security and at the electoral vote certification process was completely unacceptable, especially when the protest gathering was publicized in advance. The lack of action on the part of police or any other security officials stood in stark contrast to the kind of security presence and engagement we saw at the nation’s capital and other locations during the Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in 2020.
We call upon you, as members of the Joint Committee of the Congressional Inauguration Committee, to take these two steps to further ensure the safety of the upcoming presidential inauguration for everyone involved. 1) Change it to an indoor event, restricted to those who are involved, with everyone else participating via TV and online. 2) Guarantee that there is adequate and effective security. Thank you.
Already the plans for the inauguration were being modified to support people staying safe amidst the pandemic. People have been urged to stay home and watch the inauguration on TV. Now there is even more reason to change this to a televised and online event, as those who are disgruntled with the election results have continued to engage in violence to support their cause.
We need to put safety first—safety from the pandemic and safety from the threats of violence. We saw with the presidential conventions that changing to an online format can provide opportunities for greater meaningfulness for Americans, most of whom can't be physically present for such historic events. Let's do that for the inauguration. Hold it indoors with physical attendance limited to those specifically involved in the ceremony, and everyone else can participate via TV and online.
Further, we insist there be sufficient security at the presidential inauguration to keep everyone who is physically present safe, including President Elect Joe Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris. The appalling lack of security and at the electoral vote certification process was completely unacceptable, especially when the protest gathering was publicized in advance. The lack of action on the part of police or any other security officials stood in stark contrast to the kind of security presence and engagement we saw at the nation’s capital and other locations during the Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in 2020.
We call upon you, as members of the Joint Committee of the Congressional Inauguration Committee, to take these two steps to further ensure the safety of the upcoming presidential inauguration for everyone involved. 1) Change it to an indoor event, restricted to those who are involved, with everyone else participating via TV and online. 2) Guarantee that there is adequate and effective security. Thank you.