Fresno leaders call for unity, plan safety measures during presidential inauguration
Fresno city leaders on Tuesday announced plans to beef up security and made a call for unity during the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden this week despite no credible threats of violence in town.
The ceremony in Washington, D.C., is set for Wednesday at 9 a.m. Pacific time.
Leaders in major cities around the country have discussed preparing for demonstrations or violence following the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, City Council President Luis Chavez and Police Chief Paco Balderrama held a news conference Tuesday to announce the efforts here.
Dyer said he met with religious leaders and others to call for unity.
“It’s a message of peace. It’s a message of unity,” he said. “As I look back in history, never did we need to stand in front of our communities and bring forth this type of message. But we know we are not living in normal times.”
Dyer urged Fresno residents to take inauguration day off social media, saying it stokes the flames of hate and anger.
The officials were accompanied by religious leaders who called for peace and unity during the events of the next few days.
Leaders are looking to avoid a local version of the raid on the Capitol, where thousands of rioters encouraged by President Donald Trump’s denial of his November loss to Biden stormed the building as Americans watched in horror.
Chavez called for peace. “What we saw in the nation’s Capitol on our TV screens is not who we are, it’s not what we do and it goes against the very fabric of our country,” he said.
Increased police presence
Balderrama said there are “no credible threats” against City Hall or any specific leaders, but said there will be an increased police presence particularly downtown.
“It’s a good solid plan for something that probably will not happen tomorrow,” he said. “That’s what we’re all hoping.”
Balderrama declined to say specifically how long the security would stay elevated or how many more officers would be on the clock than usual, but said there would be “very few people not working.”
Fresno police have been in contact with the FBI and are monitoring potential threats, he said, though he declined to be specific. He would not say whether any Fresno-area residents seen at the Capitol assault were included in the surveillance.
P Street will be closed Wednesday in front of City Hall, he said, and the closure could be extended if necessary. Signs hanging from parking meters said there would be no parking from 6 a.m. to noon.
The ramping up of security also comes days after city leaders said they will be discussing the safety measures related to City Hall and the homes of officials.
Many city employees are already working from home because of the pandemic, city leaders noted, and as many as possible will be home on Wednesday during the presidential inauguration.
Pastor troubled by what he saw
Northpark Community Church pastor Bob Willis said he was troubled to see Christian symbols displayed at the assault on the Capitol.
Rioters were seen holding a Christian flag and a sign that said, “Jesus Saves.”
“I just want to say to those of you out there that are conservative, white Christians, you may feel that you’ve had an election stolen from you, you may feel that things are not working out the way that they ought to,” he said. “But, violence is never the answer.”
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 2:45 PM.
