New Mexico capital city gears up for possible protests

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Fencing has been erected outside the New Mexico Statehouse and other government buildings as officials prepare for political unrest ahead of the upcoming legislative session and the presidential inauguration.

The fencing work began Wednesday on two sides of the Roundhouse and around adjacent government offices.

Normally buzzing with lobbyists and members of the public, the Roundhouse has been closed since the start of the pandemic to stem the spread of the virus. Even though most legislative business has been moved to public video conferences, law enforcement has been making plans to bolster security at the Capitol.

State police who oversee the site are coordinating security with local law enforcement agencies to provide a response should any gatherings become violent.

State Police Lt. Mark Soriano said security plans anticipate potential large-scale demonstrations in the coming days.

“Given the current climate in our country, we will not rule out such events taking place during the upcoming legislative session, or on Inauguration Day, or in the days and weeks surrounding either event, for that matter,” he said.

Meanwhile, members of the New Mexico National Guard are deploying to Washington for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week. They'll be joining thousands of troops from other states to provide security, communications, medical evacuation and other support.

Couy Griffin, founder of the Cowboys for Trump support group in New Mexico, said he will travel to Washington with a rifle in the trunk of his vehicle and handgun under the seat to take a stand in support of gun rights and against the election of Biden. Griffin says the election was fraudulent and “stolen by communist China.”

An ardent Trump supporter and Otero County commissioner, Griffin used a public commission meeting in southern New Mexico to announce his plans to be in Washington on Inauguration Day, reciting the make and model of firearms that he plans to take.

Griffin was in the crowd outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. He says he tried to lead a prayer session and did not go inside as a mob stormed the building.

“When January 20th comes ... after that, we’re going to know if we’re going to be a nation that looks like communist China or if we’re going to continue going with the freedom in the heart and the courage and the bravery that has always made America great,” Griffin said Thursday while flouting the state’s face mask requirement at a public meeting.