Construction on border wall prototypes to start in South San Diego County

A section of Airway Road in Otay Mesa was blocked off early Monday, a source tells 10News that portion of the street will be used as a designated "free speech zone" for those wanting to express their viewpoints peacefully.

Via de la Amistad is closed down just east of Enrico Fermi Drive. About a mile and half from there, in a dirt lot, is where construction of the prototypes will go in.

A fence was put up around that area recently, plastered with signs telling people to keep out. It's about eight feet tall and work on the prototypes will begin behind it.

Signs posted on Via De La Amistad show that the street will be blocked off from September 26th until November 10th.

Tuesday morning, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors passed an urgency ordinance prohibiting items known to be used as weapons (such as knives, shields, rocks, clubs, pepper spray, firearms, sticks, etc.) to be brought into defined areas. The ordinance takes effect immediately.

In a vote of 4-0, the board passed the ordinance to address the possibility that "persons intending to engage in conflict and non-peaceful conduct may participate in these [protests] and these persons may be equipped with items intended to be used as weapons."

Another ordinance was approved Tuesday by the board allowing the San Diego County Sheriff's Department to temporarily close off streets in unincorporated areas of the county if "necessary for the safety and protection of persons" using that area for travel.

A new ABC News poll reveals that 62 percent of Americans say they're against a U.S. border wall with Mexico, while 37 percent are for it.

Local activist and founder of the group Border Angles, Enrique Morones, is against President Trump's border wall plan, but encourages free speech on both sides of the issue.

Morones is concerned about the potential violence from any groups that could be coming from out of town or out of state and counter-protestors.

"A lot of people want to make their feelings very clear on both sides," said Morones. "That's what freedom of speech is all about. But not violence, not violence."

Six companies will build a total of eight wall models. Half will be made of concrete, the rest will be made up of "other materials."

"We just had an event a little while ago, in which we had people from the FBI, sheriff's office, police, border patrol, and at that event I mentioned how worried all of us are about these protests that are going to be taking place because of the prototypes that are going to be built at Otay Mesa," said Morones.