Chaos at Capitol worried Spokane priest and business owners but did not produce local riots

Around 1 p.m. Wednesday, after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Thomas Daly, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, took to Twitter.

“Given the breach of the Capitol by protestors, I’ll be praying the Rosary for peace at 3 p.m. Please join me,” Daly wrote.

Several downtown businesses opted to close their doors, said Mark Richard, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership.

“The good news is we were in touch with law enforcement for most of the day, and things seem to have gone very smoothly,” Richard said. “They haven’t picked up on any online threats that would have led to us to inform our business owners.”

Along with Terra Blanca Winery, Boo Radley’s toy store, Atticus Coffee and Gifts and Auntie’s Bookstore closed early.

“We felt like for the safety of our staff and customers that it was a good day not to be down there,” said John Waite, owner of Auntie’s, which also closed early during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

Around 3 p.m., Spokane Police Department spokesperson Julie Humphreys said police didn’t see a need to bring in more personnel.

“We always keep an eye on what’s happening in other places, but at this point it hasn’t caused us to say, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to restaff,’ ” Humphreys said.