Muriel Bowser

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:She doesn't have authority over the Capitol. You may as well ask if Governor Hogan could have done more.

They coordinate all the time. Next!

"It is routine for the Capitol Police to coordinate with the federal Secret Service and the Park Police and local police in Washington, DC, before large demonstrations. The National Guard, commanded by the Department of Defense, is often on standby too."

https://news.yahoo.com/among-americas-military-allies-believe-135838118.html?ICID=ref_fark

Do you actually understand the meaning of the word "coordinate"? If so, there is really no difference between what you and I are saying.

I think she could have exercised foresight and pushed harder.

Isn't that what we look to politicians for, "vision"? Seriously.

You should point out when you are replying to your own post so that you don't look like a sock puppet.

Why are you singling out Bowser who has no authority over the Capitol? As I said earlier, why shouldn't Maryland's governor or Virginia's governor who also coordinate in protecting the Capitol be similarly criticized?

The failure lies squarely with those whose job is to protect the Capitol. That does not include Bowser. Moreover, remember that it was the MPD that ultimately bailed out the Capitol Police.

Point well taken. I'm not super adept at this. Simply adding a thought. When Bowser "called up" a limited number of National Guard with zero riot control authority before this, my husband and I just shook our heads. We literally were like, "what is she thinking?" My husband is in the military and I have experienced (not participated in) many riots, including a few involving bloodshed. DC is a complex city (I'm a DC native). If you call yourself Mayor, you have to straddle a lot of weird relationships and areas of domain. Metro Police and WMATA Police is just one example of law enforcement brokering. She has the authority to both coordinate with Capitol Police and DOD, and to call up Guard. She should have seen this coming given the crowd, their social media postings and just the size and emotional tenor, and had more armed guard at the ready. Yes, the ultimate failure lies with the Capitol Police, but I am not giving Mayor Bowser a hall pass because she called in MPD after the fact.

Mayor Bowser's job was to implement a plan that would protect the city that was under her control. She did that.
The Capitol Police had one job -- and only one job -- to protect the Capitol and the people in it. For whatever reason, they did not do that.
You DO understand, I'm sure, that the Capitol Police turned down offers of help, and that it is thanks to the MPD that things were eventually brought under control. I'm not sure what your last sentence means -- "after the fact". If you are assuming that Mayor Bowser could have sent the MPD to the Capitol, or any other Federal property where she does not have jurisdiction, you might want to get more information about how the coordinating works.

A more useful question might be: Why did the Capitol Police turn down help from multiple sources -- including Mayor Bowser.
Since this issue has been explored in great detail in multiple threads as well as in major news sites, I'm guessing that actual facts about the way things work might not be the most relevant details for you here.

[Anonymous]

Point well taken. I'm not super adept at this. Simply adding a thought. When Bowser "called up" a limited number of National Guard with zero riot control authority before this, my husband and I just shook our heads. We literally were like, "what is she thinking?" My husband is in the military and I have experienced (not participated in) many riots, including a few involving bloodshed. DC is a complex city (I'm a DC native). If you call yourself Mayor, you have to straddle a lot of weird relationships and areas of domain. Metro Police and WMATA Police is just one example of law enforcement brokering. She has the authority to both coordinate with Capitol Police and DOD, and to call up Guard. She should have seen this coming given the crowd, their social media postings and just the size and emotional tenor, and had more armed guard at the ready. Yes, the ultimate failure lies with the Capitol Police, but I am not giving Mayor Bowser a hall pass because she called in MPD after the fact.

Just wanted to add and ask: Where did you get the idea that Mayor Bowser “has the authority...to call up” the National Guard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Point well taken. I'm not super adept at this. Simply adding a thought. When Bowser "called up" a limited number of National Guard with zero riot control authority before this, my husband and I just shook our heads. We literally were like, "what is she thinking?" My husband is in the military and I have experienced (not participated in) many riots, including a few involving bloodshed. DC is a complex city (I'm a DC native). If you call yourself Mayor, you have to straddle a lot of weird relationships and areas of domain. Metro Police and WMATA Police is just one example of law enforcement brokering. She has the authority to both coordinate with Capitol Police and DOD, and to call up Guard. She should have seen this coming given the crowd, their social media postings and just the size and emotional tenor, and had more armed guard at the ready. Yes, the ultimate failure lies with the Capitol Police, but I am not giving Mayor Bowser a hall pass because she called in MPD after the fact.

Just wanted to add and ask: Where did you get the idea that Mayor Bowser “has the authority...to call up” the National Guard?



Words matter, and I take your point. She can "request" NG and describe how she would like them deployed. Let me flip it back to you, do you think she will "request" a larger force in advance of the inauguration and share her views with DOD and any other Federal 3rd Parties on whether they should have riot gear? Or do you think she will shrug and say "whatevs". The 1/6 fiasco will be analyzed. Obviously, the Capitol Police Planning failed miserably and we want to know why. Since the title of this thread is MB however, I don't think she came out smelling like roses. think she could have "requested" r a larger, prepared presence of NG in the city even if she was met with resistance by the Capitol Police. Who is to say the mob would have ended up at the Capitol anyway? They could have just as easily headed elsewhere and destroyed something else. What would the plan have been then? Better to be prepared.

[Anonymous]

Words matter, and I take your point. She can "request" NG and describe how she would like them deployed. Let me flip it back to you, do you think she will "request" a larger force in advance of the inauguration and share her views with DOD and any other Federal 3rd Parties on whether they should have riot gear? Or do you think she will shrug and say "whatevs". The 1/6 fiasco will be analyzed. Obviously, the Capitol Police Planning failed miserably and we want to know why. Since the title of this thread is MB however, I don't think she came out smelling like roses. think she could have "requested" r a larger, prepared presence of NG in the city even if she was met with resistance by the Capitol Police. Who is to say the mob would have ended up at the Capitol anyway? They could have just as easily headed elsewhere and destroyed something else. What would the plan have been then? Better to be prepared.

Do you not read/listen to the news? https://wtop.com/dc/2021/01/dc-mayor-bowser-requests-dhs-heighten-security-measures-in-district-ahead-of-inauguration/

The National Guard has been deployed to DC through the inauguration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Words matter, and I take your point. She can "request" NG and describe how she would like them deployed. Let me flip it back to you, do you think she will "request" a larger force in advance of the inauguration and share her views with DOD and any other Federal 3rd Parties on whether they should have riot gear? Or do you think she will shrug and say "whatevs". The 1/6 fiasco will be analyzed. Obviously, the Capitol Police Planning failed miserably and we want to know why. Since the title of this thread is MB however, I don't think she came out smelling like roses. think she could have "requested" r a larger, prepared presence of NG in the city even if she was met with resistance by the Capitol Police. Who is to say the mob would have ended up at the Capitol anyway? They could have just as easily headed elsewhere and destroyed something else. What would the plan have been then? Better to be prepared.

Do you not read/listen to the news? https://wtop.com/dc/2021/01/dc-mayor-bowser-requests-dhs-heighten-security-measures-in-district-ahead-of-inauguration/

The National Guard has been deployed to DC through the inauguration.

And who requested it? Oh! So she does have the ability. Hmmm....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Words matter, and I take your point. She can "request" NG and describe how she would like them deployed. Let me flip it back to you, do you think she will "request" a larger force in advance of the inauguration and share her views with DOD and any other Federal 3rd Parties on whether they should have riot gear? Or do you think she will shrug and say "whatevs". The 1/6 fiasco will be analyzed. Obviously, the Capitol Police Planning failed miserably and we want to know why. Since the title of this thread is MB however, I don't think she came out smelling like roses. think she could have "requested" r a larger, prepared presence of NG in the city even if she was met with resistance by the Capitol Police. Who is to say the mob would have ended up at the Capitol anyway? They could have just as easily headed elsewhere and destroyed something else. What would the plan have been then? Better to be prepared.

Do you not read/listen to the news? https://wtop.com/dc/2021/01/dc-mayor-bowser-requests-dhs-heighten-security-measures-in-district-ahead-of-inauguration/

The National Guard has been deployed to DC through the inauguration.

And who requested it? Oh! So she does have the ability. Hmmm....

Do you think you're super clever? You didn't even know that she did this, so you are ignorant of what's actually happening, but you seize on a word in the title of an article? She can "request." They can ignore her. Like they did when she was trying to get the DC National Guard deployed on Wednesday and they stonewalled her. DC cops arrested more people on Wednesday than any other law enforcement agency, including arresting people before the riots for firearms offenses. Their enforcement of DC firearms laws probably saved lives during the insurrection.

[Anonymous]

I'm seriously wondering who would look at the events on Wednesday, with even the slightest, tiniest bit of information about it, and come to the conclusion, "Hey, it's Muriel Bowser's fault!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm seriously wondering who would look at the events on Wednesday, with even the slightest, tiniest bit of information about it, and come to the conclusion, "Hey, it's Muriel Bowser's fault!"

Trumpers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm seriously wondering who would look at the events on Wednesday, with even the slightest, tiniest bit of information about it, and come to the conclusion, "Hey, it's Muriel Bowser's fault!"

Trumpers.

Or people addicted to "both-side-ism," where they absolutely have to find something to blame on a Democrat, no matter how much of a stretch it is. They just can't bring themselves to say that, sometimes, only one side is to blame. Like, if you want to criticize Bowser, there is plenty of material, but the events on Wednesday aren't it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Words matter, and I take your point. She can "request" NG and describe how she would like them deployed. Let me flip it back to you, do you think she will "request" a larger force in advance of the inauguration and share her views with DOD and any other Federal 3rd Parties on whether they should have riot gear? Or do you think she will shrug and say "whatevs". The 1/6 fiasco will be analyzed. Obviously, the Capitol Police Planning failed miserably and we want to know why. Since the title of this thread is MB however, I don't think she came out smelling like roses. think she could have "requested" r a larger, prepared presence of NG in the city even if she was met with resistance by the Capitol Police. Who is to say the mob would have ended up at the Capitol anyway? They could have just as easily headed elsewhere and destroyed something else. What would the plan have been then? Better to be prepared.

Do you not read/listen to the news? https://wtop.com/dc/2021/01/dc-mayor-bowser-requests-dhs-heighten-security-measures-in-district-ahead-of-inauguration/

The National Guard has been deployed to DC through the inauguration.

And who requested it? Oh! So she does have the ability. Hmmm....

Do you think you're super clever? You didn't even know that she did this, so you are ignorant of what's actually happening, but you seize on a word in the title of an article? She can "request." They can ignore her. Like they did when she was trying to get the DC National Guard deployed on Wednesday and they stonewalled her. DC cops arrested more people on Wednesday than any other law enforcement agency, including arresting people before the riots for firearms offenses. Their enforcement of DC firearms laws probably saved lives during the insurrection.

So, you obviously don't know how the NG works. She could have requested them in advance, as she did, and as she is doing (rightly) for the inauguration. In that request and back and forth with DOD, they work out the number and the capacity. For 1/6 she asked for a small, unarmed number and it was granted. However, the NG isnt a quick reaction force - as we saw on 1/6. That's why, as a city manager, you exercise foresight. And yes, DC Cops did a great job. Yay DC cops, you are back in favor! Take a lap!

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:So, you obviously don't know how the NG works. She could have requested them in advance, as she did, and as she is doing (rightly) for the inauguration. In that request and back and forth with DOD, they work out the number and the capacity. For 1/6 she asked for a small, unarmed number and it was granted. However, the NG isnt a quick reaction force - as we saw on 1/6. That's why, as a city manager, you exercise foresight. And yes, DC Cops did a great job. Yay DC cops, you are back in favor! Take a lap!

Is your point that Bowser failed to adequately request troops for a facility that she has no authority or responsibility to defend? If so, I will again ask why you don't have the came criticism for the governors of Maryland and Virginia. For that matter, why not make the same criticism of the governor of Texas who shares the same lack of authority and responsibility as Bowser?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, you obviously don't know how the NG works. She could have requested them in advance, as she did, and as she is doing (rightly) for the inauguration. In that request and back and forth with DOD, they work out the number and the capacity. For 1/6 she asked for a small, unarmed number and it was granted. However, the NG isnt a quick reaction force - as we saw on 1/6. That's why, as a city manager, you exercise foresight. And yes, DC Cops did a great job. Yay DC cops, you are back in favor! Take a lap!

Is your point that Bowser failed to adequately request troops for a facility that she has no authority or responsibility to defend? If so, I will again ask why you don't have the came criticism for the governors of Maryland and Virginia. For that matter, why not make the same criticism of the governor of Texas who shares the same lack of authority and responsibility as Bowser?

For a city. A city of which she is the CEO. No one knew the Capitol would be attacked. We did know that the city would have many "visitors" that day with an element of unpredictability.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, you obviously don't know how the NG works. She could have requested them in advance, as she did, and as she is doing (rightly) for the inauguration. In that request and back and forth with DOD, they work out the number and the capacity. For 1/6 she asked for a small, unarmed number and it was granted. However, the NG isnt a quick reaction force - as we saw on 1/6. That's why, as a city manager, you exercise foresight. And yes, DC Cops did a great job. Yay DC cops, you are back in favor! Take a lap!

Is your point that Bowser failed to adequately request troops for a facility that she has no authority or responsibility to defend? If so, I will again ask why you don't have the came criticism for the governors of Maryland and Virginia. For that matter, why not make the same criticism of the governor of Texas who shares the same lack of authority and responsibility as Bowser?

For a city. A city of which she is the CEO. No one knew the Capitol would be attacked. We did know that the city would have many "visitors" that day with an element of unpredictability.

The city was adequately protected. What is your complaint?

[Anonymous]

DC National Guard is uniquely controlled by the federal government, and there's a process to how they are deployed.

D.C. Council issued this statement via Twitter on January 6:

"Today, the Department of Defense denied a request by Mayor Muriel Bowser to expand the responsibilities of the District of Columbia National Guard so that they would be authorized to protect and restore order at the Capitol Building. That request was denied."

Governor Hogan said Thursday that he mobilized Maryland forces, including Maryland State Police troopers and the Maryland National Guard to help, but that his requests were denied by the federal government.

I don't even live in DC, but I know how to Google!

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure what else she could have done. She was aware of the threat, send MPD as soon as needed, declared curfew. She doesn’t control deployment of the National Guard to protect federal facilities.