"We cannot have the Capitol complex closed off from the people permanently": Dem congresswoman dismisses call for permanent Capitol fencing as 'security theater'

https://twitter.com/EleanorNorton/status/1366487883213905922

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D. C., unveiled a bill this week that would block Capitol authorities from installing permanent security fencing around the complex in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot.

Norton said she has contacted Acting U. S. Capitol Police Chief Yoananda Pittman “over the phone and in writing strongly opposing her recommendation for permanent fencing.” The congresswoman has argued that permanent fencing would limit public access to the Capitol.

“In the year 2021, we should not be relying on security theater based on 19th-century ideas when state-of-the-art options and old-fashioned preparation and cooperation among security forces could have prevented the events of January 6,” Norton said in a statement. “My bill banning permanent fencing will help put the needed focus back on security options that don’t wall off the Capitol like a fortress that needs to be protected from the people we represent.”... (Read more)

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