Cautious calm prevails around US court where Trump will appear

Miami, Florida- David Miller, who lives across from the Miami court where former US President Donald Trump is being charged, describes himself as apolitical.

But as he walks past dozens of journalists and law enforcement officers preparing for Trump’s impeachment on Tuesday, the Miami native says his main concern is community order.

“I just want rest. I don’t want people to destroy things,” Miller told Al Jazeera on Monday afternoon.

There was cautious calm outside the courthouse – draped in anticipation. The silence was regularly broken by the sound of helicopters hovering above the spectators.

News trucks and police cars lined the streets around the building, while journalists set up their equipment under awning tents to protect against the afternoon showers that come with little warning in South Florida.

But there were no protesters. Normal vehicular traffic cruised the streets along with the occasional tourist or local walking their dogs – often visibly confused by the scene.

For Miller, the expected commotion will be a nuisance to residents, but an expected one given the involvement of the former president.

“We don’t want loud noises, banging, things exploding, people screaming and acting crazy. Have some respect,” said Miller, who is in his early thirties.

“This is an important event. The President of the United States is about to face criminal charges; you should at least give him a chance to speak his mind respectfully and not cause chaos.”

Local officials ‘ready’ for protests

Local officials expect pro-Trump protesters and possible counter-demonstrations at the courthouse on Tuesday, but it remains unclear how large these rallies will be.

Trump, who is running for the White House again in 2024, became the first former US president to be federally indicted last week when he was charged with misusing classified documents on 37 counts after leaving the presidency in 2021.

Earlier this year, he also became the first president to face criminal charges at the state level when he was charged in New York for a hush money payment he made to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.

His arraignment in New York attracted crowds of supporters and opponents, but the proceedings went largely without incident for fear of political violence.

Trump has denied all charges against him and blames his legal troubles on an attempt by his political enemies to derail his 2024 campaign.

Jamila Diallo, who faced court in Miami with her young child in a stroller on Monday, wasn’t quite sure what the fuss was about. She had stopped watching the news, she told Al Jazeera, in part because of Trump.

“Go away for good,” she told Trump. “I’m tired of it. It’s been a long time.” Still, she added that it was “pretty cool” that the trial will take place near where she recently moved.

Diallo had a message on Tuesday to pro-Trump protesters who may want to shake things up: “Stay home and don’t cause trouble or you’ll end up like him.”

Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said his department is “ready” for Trump’s arraignment in federal court. “We are bringing in enough resources to handle crowds of 5,000 to 50,000 people. We don’t expect any problems,” he told reporters at a news conference on Monday.

Likewise, Mayor Francis Suarez said the city will enforce “law and order” as well as protesters’ freedom of speech.

The officials said the city’s police department will work with federal agents and the Miami-Dade Police Department to secure proceedings.

A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Police Department told Al Jazeera in an email that police are “ready to provide any assistance, support or resources requested by our partners at the City of Miami Police Department.”

Fear of violence

Trump and his allies have encouraged protests ahead of the court hearing. US Democrats have particularly expressed concern over comments by Kari Lake, a former Republican candidate for governor in Arizona, who called on the National Rifle Association (NRA), a pro-gun lobby, while defending Trump.

“If you want to get to President Trump, you have to go through me and you’re going to have to go through 75 million Americans just like me,” Lake said Friday. And I’m going to tell you, most of us are card-carrying members of the NRA. That is not a threat, that is a public service announcement.”

Far-right violence has been a growing concern in the US since Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory on January 6, 2021. Trump has refused to accept his election loss, falsely claiming the 2020 presidential race was “rigged”.

But outside court in Miami on Monday, the crowd was made up of bystanders, tourists, journalists and police officers, not Trump supporters.

Dustin, a Canadian tourist who chose to identify himself only by his first name, described the media presence around the building as a “nutrition frenzy” that Trump would like to see.

He added that it was “very interesting” to witness the situation.

Dustin, who described himself as a Canadian conservative, said he feels Trump is being singled out when previous US presidents have done much worse.

“The war in Iraq, for example, was a colossal failure. There were no weapons of mass destruction,” he said.

Dustin noted that President Biden was also in possession of classified documents outside official institutions. But Trump’s critics say that — unlike Biden and ex-Vice President Mike Pence, who also possessed sensitive government documents — the former president didn’t just accidentally take classified files. On the contrary, he kept them on purpose and refused to hand them over when asked by the authorities.

The case will play out in court in Miami next month, with Chief Prosecutor Jack Smith promising a “speedy trial”.

Outside the immediate vicinity of the court, life seemed to go on as usual on Monday.

“Donald Trump, too many problems – mucho problema. But it will pass,” said Manny Osorio, who operates a hot dog stand a stone’s throw from the court, switching between Spanish and English.

“Maybe tomorrow will be good for business,” he added, as if he seemed to find a silver lining in the whole thing.