Protests and the Potential for Violence

The events of the past year around the country only show how far the political divide has reached. Videos circling the internet and various media channels showing rioters throwing rocks and other projectiles at government vehicles, setting vehicles on fire, and spreading graffiti on various buildings. Historically, the protesting season usually ends when the weather gets colder and when universities start their curriculum, but this isn’t always the case.

A very real risk posed by the recent shutdown of the US Government is the lack of funding for government programs such as The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or SNAP program. This program provides over 41 million Americans in poverty with additional funds to pay for groceries. While this is not a political post there is a very real possibility of protests, riots, and looting by either those who are directly affected by the SNAP program or threat actors using this as a guise to loot stores and commit violent acts.

Protesting is a god given right and guaranteed under the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution, it’s important that these lawful activities be protected. It’s when the protest turns violent that hurts the cause and those people around them.

Street protests make use of large publicly available surface streets, elevated highways, sidewalks, or parks, essentially, any large open space. Typically located near or at the perceived offending organization’s facilities such as federal buildings and Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers. Due to the natural flow of riots individuals and groups can spill onto neighboring properties, nearby commercial districts, and residential areas. These groups can be preplanned or spur of the moment associations and if motivated may cause property damage and turn to looting or other violent acts.

Federal, state, and local government buildings are always a potential target when a group of people perceive government action as a wrongdoing regardless of the function of said building. We also see within the federal government’s response National Guard Units staging at various federal buildings near the sites of these riots which are not directly related which may cause the spread of targeted violence to those locations.

The continuity of our nation’s critical infrastructure in times like these is paramount and must be maintained at all costs. Larger organizations must have an emergency response plan and team in place to handle these events if the need arises, but more importantly each facility needs to have appropriate security measures in place prior to an event, readily available temporary measures or a combination of both.

The following are some considerations to protect your business or organization from riots.

1.      What’s in your area?: Are you near any government buildings, universities, or other areas which are known for these types of activities?

2.      Property lines: Is your property well defined? Can individuals easily cut through your parking lot or garage to get somewhere quicker?

3.      Security systems and lighting: Is your site well-lit at night? Do you have a comprehensive security system including video surveillance, access control, and intrusion detection?

4.      Security personnel: Do you have security personnel? Are they in-house or contract security? Are they professional? Are they specially trained to handle security of the facility during a riot?

5.      Staff training: Is your staff trained and confident with your security policies for everyday work? Do you have a policy for building lockdowns? Is it drilled?

6.      Organizational Emergency Response Team: Do you have a team in place for emergency response? Are they trained? Do they participate in mock exercises? Do they have the resources available to respond to a riot nearby?

These are a few basic items which will help you better prepare for riot-based violence which could threaten your organization, however there are many more considerations that need to be made, and each organization is different.

The best time to prepare is yesterday, the second-best time is now. Consider hiring an experienced independent security consultant to walk you through developing your own emergency response planning and business continuity. A security consultant can also perform security risk, threat, and vulnerability assessments of your facilities and provide recommendations for cost effective and secure solutions. Lastly, due to limited budgets typically placed on security departments, a security consultant can also develop a multi-year plan for funding allotment to bring your organization to a secure state while prioritizing the

If you are considering reviewing your security program, please reach out to

info@bastionsecuritygroup.com. We specialize in security planning, design, and project management and can help you identify risks, threats, and vulnerabilities, design appropriate solutions, and manage the project ensuring you are being provided with only what you need.