RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia’s Department of General Services is installing more fencing around Capitol Square in Richmond as abortion advocates prepare to continue protesting over the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Capitol Square will remain open unless the department, Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies determine that “safety concerns” require it to be closed, a release from DGS said.
DGS said the additional protective fencing is being installed in some areas “to secure Capitol Square” and “to ensure the safety of the public and Capitol grounds.”
Virginia has taken similar preparatory measures around the Capitol, including during racial justice protests in 2020 following the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.
Demonstrators made their way to Capitol Square earlier Friday to protest the high court’s ruling overturning the constitutional protections for abortion that were established nearly 50 years ago after the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.
The ACLU of Virginia announced planned rallies across the commonwealth, including outside the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond.
