On the eve of Election Day, hundreds of demonstrators and supporters of both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House in Washington, D.C.
Three people were arrested in the vicinity of the White House grounds but the demonstrations remained largely peaceful on election night.
Among the demonstrators were Christians praying for peace, people dancing to GoGo music and supporters of both candidates. Some of those supporters told News4 they were anxious to learn the results of the election.
All D.C. police officers were on duty, downtown businesses boarded up their windows and a "non-scalable" fence was erected around the White House as the District braced itself for the possibility of civil unrest amid the election outcome.
However, the plaza had mostly emptied out by 5 a.m. Wednesday with few reports of vandalism or destruction.
24 photos
1/24
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 3, 2020: Supporters of Joe Biden, a candidate in the 2020 US presidential election, gather in a street near the White House on Election Day. On November 3, 2020, the United States elects its president and vice president, 35 Senators, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 13 governors of 11 states and two US territories, as well as state and local government officials. Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden are running for president. Yegor Aleyev/TASS (Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
2/24
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 3, 2020: Police officers and local residents are seen in a street near the White House on Election Day. On November 3, 2020, the United States elects its president and vice president, 35 Senators, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 13 governors of 11 states and two US territories, as well as state and local government officials. Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden are running for president. Yegor Aleyev/TASS (Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
3/24
(Photo by Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images)
03 November 2020, US, Washington: On the day of the presidential election, the White House can be seen through the fence that protects it over a large area. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa (Photo by Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images)
4/24
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 3, 2020: Police officers and local residents are seen in a street near the White House on Election Day. On November 3, 2020, the United States elects its president and vice president, 35 Senators, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 13 governors of 11 states and two US territories, as well as state and local government officials. Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden are running for president. Yegor Aleyev/TASS (Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
5/24
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 3, 2020: Police officers and local residents are seen in a street near the White House on Election Day. On November 3, 2020, the United States elects its president and vice president, 35 Senators, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 13 governors of 11 states and two US territories, as well as state and local government officials. Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden are running for president. Yegor Aleyev/TASS (Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
6/24
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 3, 2020: A man holds a sign in a street near the White House on Election Day. On November 3, 2020, the United States elects its president and vice president, 35 Senators, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 13 governors of 11 states and two US territories, as well as state and local government officials. Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden are running for president. Yegor Aleyev/TASS (Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
7/24
(Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 03: People gather at the Black Lives Matter Plaza to protest for and against U.S. President Donald Trump’s re-election on November 3, 2020 in Washington, DC. After a record-breaking early voting turnout, Americans head to the polls on the last day to cast their vote for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
8/24
Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images
03 November 2020, US, Washington: The building of the US Treasury Department can be seen behind the fence that provides extensive security for the White House on the day of the presidential election. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa (Photo by Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images)
9/24
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 3, 2020: A man waves an anti-Trump banner during the 2020 general elections. The USA elect a president and vice president, 35 Senators, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 13 governors of 11 states and two US territories, as well as state and local government officials. Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden are running for president. Yegor Aleyev/TASS (Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
10/24
Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The group “Long Live Go-Go” plays a set near police in Black Lives Matter Plaza during the 2020 Presidential election in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The election is taking place amid a third deadly wave in the pandemic, warnings about renewed foreign interference and a political environment even more polarized than in 2016, with both sides warning that a vote for the other risks plunging the country into ruin. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
11/24
Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A man holding a “Latinos praying 4 Trump” sign prays with others in Black Lives Matter Plaza during the 2020 Presidential election in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The election is taking place amid a third deadly wave in the pandemic, warnings about renewed foreign interference and a political environment even more polarized than in 2016, with both sides warning that a vote for the other risks plunging the country into ruin. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
12/24
Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A member of “Shut Down DC” creates a sign during the 2020 Presidential election in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The election is taking place amid a third deadly wave in the pandemic, warnings about renewed foreign interference and a political environment even more polarized than in 2016, with both sides warning that a vote for the other risks plunging the country into ruin. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
13/24
Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
People pray for U.S. President Donald Trump and a safe election at Black Lives Matter Plaza during the 2020 Presidential election in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The election is taking place amid a third deadly wave in the pandemic, warnings about renewed foreign interference and a political environment even more polarized than in 2016, with both sides warning that a vote for the other risks plunging the country into ruin. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
14/24
Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A "Make America Great Again (2020)" sculpture by Connor Czora lies broken in Black Lives Matter Plaza during the 2020 Presidential election in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The election is taking place amid a third deadly wave in the pandemic, warnings about renewed foreign interference and a political environment even more polarized than in 2016, with both sides warning that a vote for the other risks plunging the country into ruin. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
15/24
Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A protester holds anti-Trump signs in Black Lives Matter Plaza during the 2020 Presidential election in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The election is taking place amid a third deadly wave in the pandemic, warnings about renewed foreign interference and a political environment even more polarized than in 2016, with both sides warning that a vote for the other risks plunging the country into ruin. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
16/24
(Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 03: People gather at the Black Lives Matter Plaza to protest for and against U.S. President Donald Trump’s re-election on November 3, 2020 in Washington, DC. After a record-breaking early voting turnout, Americans head to the polls on the last day to cast their vote for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
17/24
Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Protesters with “Refuse Racism” listen to a speaker at Black Lives Matter Plaza during the 2020 Presidential election in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The election is taking place amid a third deadly wave in the pandemic, warnings about renewed foreign interference and a political environment even more polarized than in 2016, with both sides warning that a vote for the other risks plunging the country into ruin. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
18/24
Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A person dressed in a Venetian mask holds a sign related to the number of COVID-19 deaths during the 2020 Presidential election in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The election is taking place amid a third deadly wave in the pandemic, warnings about renewed foreign interference and a political environment even more polarized than in 2016, with both sides warning that a vote for the other risks plunging the country into ruin. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
19/24
(Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 03: People gather at the Black Lives Matter Plaza to protest for and against U.S. President Donald Trump’s re-election on November 3, 2020 in Washington, DC. After a record-breaking early voting turnout, Americans head to the polls on the last day to cast their vote for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
20/24
(Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 03: People gather at the Black Lives Matter Plaza to protest for and against U.S. President Donald Trump’s re-election on November 3, 2020 in Washington, DC. After a record-breaking early voting turnout, Americans head to the polls on the last day to cast their vote for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
21/24
(Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 03: People gather at the Black Lives Matter Plaza to protest for and against U.S. President Donald Trump’s re-election on November 3, 2020 in Washington, DC. After a record-breaking early voting turnout, Americans head to the polls on the last day to cast their vote for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
22/24
(Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 03: People gather at the Black Lives Matter Plaza to protest for and against U.S. President Donald Trump’s re-election on November 3, 2020 in Washington, DC. After a record-breaking early voting turnout, Americans head to the polls on the last day to cast their vote for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
23/24
(Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 03: People gather at the Black Lives Matter Plaza to protest for and against U.S. President Donald Trump’s re-election on November 3, 2020 in Washington, DC. After a record-breaking early voting turnout, Americans head to the polls on the last day to cast their vote for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
24/24
(Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 03: People gather at the Black Lives Matter Plaza to protest for and against U.S. President Donald Trump’s re-election on November 3, 2020 in Washington, DC. After a record-breaking early voting turnout, Americans head to the polls on the last day to cast their vote for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)