The rally is being planned by Look Ahead America, a nonprofit led by Braynard, a former Trump campaign staffer.
“We’ve got a largely peaceful crowd. We’ve had two events in Washington, DC, so far — at the Department of Justice and at the prison — and there have been no incidents so far,” Braynard told CNN in an interview.
“No one is going to be bringing a weapon who’s going to be part of our crowd, I can assure the police that,” he added.
There’s been a noticeable uptick in violent rhetoric around the event and heated discussions centered on Babbitt’s shooting on social media and discussion boards, according to the memo. The document warns that many individuals may also see Saturday as a “Justice for Ashli Babbitt” rally, which could be cause for concern, and that it’s not unreasonable to plan for violent altercations.
There have been additional discussions of violence associated with the event, with one online chat suggesting violence against Jewish centers and liberal churches while law enforcement is distracted that day.
Pressed by CNN on whether he’s discouraging extremists from coming to the rally, Braynard said: “Our message is that when people come that they don’t bring any kind of labels and that they come strictly to advocate for justice for the January 6 political prisoners,” referring to people who were arrested in connection with the riot.
Around 500 people have indicated they plan to attend, though the memo notes that past recent events organized by Look Ahead America had significantly lower attendance than expected and were peaceful.
CNN’s Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.