Last Fencing Pulled From Capitol Campus In Olympia

OLYMPIA, WA — The last remaining fencing has come down from the West Capitol Campus in Olympia after nearly four months of increased security.

Crews with the Washington State Patrol hauled the last fences from the campus Tuesday morning, after an order restricting access to portions of the campus expired.

"I’m pleased to announce that we’re removing the temporary construction fencing on West Campus," said Department of Enterprise Services (DES) Director Chris Liu in a prepared statement. "It was an important measure to protect free speech rights, the democratic process and government operations. We are hopeful that political temperatures will continue to cool and that threat levels or illegal activity will not necessitate such security measures again."

The extra security came in response to a Jan.6 protest that breached the gates of the governor's mansion — the same day a deadly riot stormed the nation's capitol in Washington D.C.

Gov. Jay Inslee and his wife Trudi Inslee had been inside the mansion at the time of the breach, but were never in immediate danger. In the months since, several people have been arrested and charged with trespassing in relation to the breach.

In a public address responding to the breach, Inslee characterized both the breach and the D.C. riot as "acts of intimidation" trying to overturn the rule of law.

"We will continue the work we are doing to protect the health of Washingtonians," Inslee said, a reference to the protest's demands that he lift COVID-19 restrictions. "In D.C., Congress will follow the will of the American people and take yet another step along the long march to protecting people's right to self-government that has so far succeeded through frequent moments of tension in our nation's history."

Both protests sought to reinstall Donald Trump as president, claiming that Joe Biden's victory in the November General Election had been illegitimate.

Following the breach, Washington State Patrol and the Washington National Guard were ordered to secure the Capitol Campus — an order that was eventually boosted through inauguration day and then indefinitely as officials evaluated the potential for future threats.

Now, after months of quiet on the campus, extra security has been dismissed, fencing removed and Olympia is finally returning to normal. However, the Department of Enterprise Services says they will continue to monitory the situation and will respond as necessary.

"There are still many unknowns as to how our security environment will continue to evolve into the future," Lui said. "I want to emphasize that it is a priority for DES Capitol Security and Washington State Patrol to not only protect public safety, but to help ensure that all sides have the opportunity to legally exercise their free speech rights and peaceably assemble."