A group is preparing to wreak havoc in D.C. after the November 4th presidential election. The activist group, called “Shut Down D.C.” is “planning large-scale and widespread ‘disruptive activity’ starting on the night of the election, in an attempt to stop what it predicts will be an ‘attempted coup’ by President Trump in the form of a refusal to accept the election results” reports Fox News.
The activist group aims to arrange mass gatherings in D.C. as a resistance, which is to begin during the “muddied” aftermath of who wins the election. On their website, the group states “Trump will not leave office without mass mobilization and direct action.”
Plans for “direct action” include an “uprising” and “calls for potentially blockading the White House, blocking traffic, shutting down government office buildings and even Amazon fulfillment centers” according to a document reported by The Federalist.
The activists have done much more than simply talk about plans, they have also held training. November 4 to November 7 the group plans to hit the streets in order to “respond to rapidly changing events.” The Shut Down D.C.’s training was to “help participants react to different hypothetical scenarios, including a so-called ‘timeline to a meltdown simulation.”
“Each team will work to develop action plans to respond to the scenario, anticipate how other movement actors will respond, and build capacity for collective action to build the world we want to live in” started the group’s event description. Their website reads “If Trump is trying to launch a coup, that’s no time for business as usual…and if Trump has already conceded, then we can pivot and use these actions to demand COVID-19 relief and other essential legislation!”
Although the group has a disclaimer that it does not “encourage or endorse bringing harm to any living thing” it does call for escalation if “this will help reach your goal.” Boycotts, strikes, slowdowns, and refusal to “purposefully avoid tension with authorities” are encouraged.
