US Election 2020: Businesses boarded up amid fears of riots
Sad face of Election 2020: Cities (and White House) board up and brace for election riots, looting and a drawn-out vote count as Australia and Canada tell their citizens to steer clear – except they’re already banned because of COVID!
- Retailers across the country boarded up their windows and some are closing early on Tuesday night
- The NYPD’s Strategic Response Group of roughly 600 officers are ‘preparing for the worst’
- Deputy Chief John J. D’Adamo said looters had become ’emboldened’ which creates an ‘unprecedented’ scenario for officers
- One NYPD cop said officers were having bottles and bricks thrown at them during clashes with protesters
- The Sergeants Benevolent Association – the largest NYPD union – said public safety was ‘on the line’
- Restaurants are mainly staying open and will gauge the situation on Wednesday as it unfolds
- A small number of offices, dentists and doctors practices have already decided to close
- Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday there was no specific threat, despite the intensified police preparations
- Similar scenes are unfolding in California and Washington DC, where businesses are boarding up
- Australia is telling residents not to travel to the US because of the potential unrest; it is one of the few countries people are still allowed to travel from
- Many retailers and small businesses are terrified they will be looted like in June, when unrest swept the nation
Businesses across America are boarding up their windows ahead of potential chaos following tomorrow’s election as special police units prepare to tackle looters and rioters and foreign governments warn people not to visit the US for fear of civil unrest.
In cities all over the country on Monday, retailers, offices and art galleries were putting plywood on their windows to protect their inventory ahead of tomorrow night’s election and the mayhem it might spark, no matter which candidate wins.
While many offices remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a small number of doctors and dentists offices are quietly telling patients that they will close on November 4.
New York’s restaurants and bars – which are still struggling to recover after being forced closed for months – are waiting gingerly to see what unfolds.
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LOS ANGELES: Workers board up stores on Rodeo Drive on Monday in preparation for Election Day. Businesses across America are securing their windows ahead of potential chaos following tomorrow’s election as special police units prepare to tackle looters and rioters and foreign governments warn people not to visit the US for fear of civil unrest
MANHATTAN: Businesses and stores along 5th Avenue near West 54th Street in Manhattan had been boarding their store fronts the day before the election on Monday
WASHINGTON D.C.: Crews plan on building ‘non-scalable’ fence around White House complex. Pictured large white fences in front of the White House on the South Lawn
LOS ANGELES: Laborers board up windows at the Le Jardin des Enfants preschool
SAN DIEGO: Workers board up the windows at the Broadway Lofts on Monday in Southern California
WASHINGTON, DC: Plywood is erected outside a Tiffany & Co jewelry store in the nation’s capital on Monday
WASHINGTON, DC: City workers assemble a fence outside the White House on Monday night
WASHINGTON, DC: Crews continued working on the White House fence well after sundown on Monday night
TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK CITY: Businesses along the tourist strip in Times Square boarded up their windows Monday
TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK CITY: Plywood covers the windows of a store on a corner in Times Square on Monday
Many are likely to pull their outdoor dining furniture inside but remain open in the hope of some business, according to industry experts.
Small retailers are ‘scared’ of the potential looting but are ‘more scared’ of another lockdown so are choosing to stay open for the meantime, risking their inventory, insiders say.
Even the White House is taking added precautions. A large fence was erected on Monday as a last minute effortto keep crowds out.
Canada and Australia are telling citizens to avoid parts of the US where there are demonstrations for fear of potential violence, even though travel from both countries is currently banned due to the pandemic.
NEW YORK CITY: Stores in popular shopping districts across the Big Apple, including Madison Ave, Fifth Avenue, Flatiron, Broadway near Soho and West Broadway erected boarding ahead of election day
SOHO, NEW YORK CITY: G Star on Lafayette Street in Noho, downtown Manhattan, on Monday as the city prepared for election day chaos
SOHO, NEW YORK CITY: Stores on West Broadway in Manhattan’s SoHo boarded up their windows on Monday and many are closing temporarily in anticipation of the election unrest
SOHO, NEW YORK CITY: American Eagle on the corner of Broadway and Houston was also boarded up, as was the building next to it
SOHO, NEW YORK CITY: Workers outside Zara in SoHo in Manhattan on Monday were boarding up the windows on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s election which police fear may trigger riots and looting
SOHO, NEW YORK CITY: Hugo Boss in Soho on Monday. In June, many stores across the iconic shopping district were ravaged by looters
SOHO, NEW YORK CITY: West Broadway in Soho on Monday. The streets of New York were emptier than usual due to a combination of the city being quieter because of COVID, cooler temperatures and anticipation for Tuesday’s election
FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY: Businesses and stores along both sides of the famous shopping district in NYC were boarded up
SOHO, NEW YORK CITY: Sephora was also being boarded up on Monday. Most of the stores will remain open but with reduced hours on Tuesday to allow staff to vote
SOHO, NEW YORK CITY: Forever 21 in Soho on Monday had ‘we’re open!’ signs plastered across the plywood boards to still try to attract customers
SOHO, NEW YORK CITY: Eden art gallery in SoHo was also boarded up on Monday ahead of potential unrest. The art gallery will be closed until Friday
SOHO, NEW YORK CITY: More stores on Lafayette in New York City on Monday afternoon ahead of the election
FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY: Saks Fifth Avenue between East 50th Street and East 49th Street in Manhattan had been boarded up the day before the election
Despite Mayor Bill de Blasio claiming on Monday morning that there was no specific threat, the NYPD’s elite Strategic Response Group – which consists of a group of 600 cops on bikes – is preparing ‘for the worst’.
‘We’re hoping for the best this week but we’re prepared for the worst. People have gotten emboldened out there.
The largest NYPD union said ‘public safety is on the line’ in response to a video tweeted by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about the unrest
‘We’re living through unprecedented times.
‘But we’re prepared for whatever might happen,’ Deputy Chief John J. D’Adamo, the boss of the unit, told The New York Post this week.
The Sergeants’ Benevolent Association – the largest NYPD union – warned on Twitter that ‘public safety is on the line’.
‘NYC and NYS need a change. Laws are not enforced and violence continues to claim our streets,’ the union said in a tweet as it endorsed Republican Congressional candidate Nicole Malliotakis.
Earlier, the union responded angrily to a tweet from CNN’s Wolf Blitzer who had shared a video of boarded up streets in Washington DC, saying it was something he’d never seen before an election.
‘Maybe if the media told the truth and covered both sides fairly of politics and police involved incidents we would not be dealing with everyday riots.
‘Take a bow Wolf you failed with the rest of the media and now public safety is on the line,’ the union said.
Last week, cops clashed with BLM protesters in Downtown Brooklyn after what was intended to be a peaceful protest turned violent.
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, NEW YORK CITY: The ground floor of the Empire State Building has been boarded up for fear of looting and rioting
TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK CITY: An office building at Times Square was boarded up by Monday afternoon ahead of the election
FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY: Saks Fifth Avenue on Midtown has been entirely boarded up from the outside
FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY: Workers prepare more boards to put over windows in NYC
TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK CITY: Retailers putting plywood on their windows to protect their inventory ahead of tomorrow night’s election
FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY: Bergdorf Goodman, another iconic store, was placing plywood on windows on Monday. Some of the department stores will remain open but close earlier to allow people time to vote
FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY: Tuesday’s presidential election has the nation on edge and business and property owners in some of America’s major cities are taking no chances in case violence spills out into the streets
FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY: Ahead of election storm, businesses and government offices across the nation batten down the hatches in case of rioting and unrest
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: Stores around Penn Station were also boarded up
FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY: Cole Haan on Fifth Avenue was boarded up by workers ahead of the election
FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY: New York’s famous Bloomingdale’s was also boarded up
The protests this week follow months of unrest and anger against police that many say they’ve never seen before.
‘I was a cop during Occupy Wall Street and I thought that would be the worst I’d ever see but I was wrong.
‘In 16 years I’ve never seen anything like what’s going on now. We’re getting bottles, bricks, you name it thrown at us now,’ one, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
While the police force is actively preparing for possible unrest this week, some businesses are waiting to see whether or not they should close.
Andrew Rigie, director of the New York Hospitality Alliance, told DailyMail.com on Monday morning that restaurants were not yet boarding up.
It is mostly retailers who are nervous about looting, especially given how much of it was seen across the city during the summer amid unrest over the killing of George Floyd.
‘Many are scared. Although it seems to depend on the neighborhood.
‘It seems retail and restaurants are the pawns in a game that exceeds means and influence. Most just want to be left alone.
‘There is a lot of fear of future lockdowns beyond the potential for riots,’ Bruce Backman, a spokesman for a coalition of small retailers, said.
In Washington DC, Fannie Mae, a federal mortgage loan company, said it would close its offices all week ‘out of an abundance of caution’.
FreedomWorks, a conservative advocacy group, has also closed its doors.
Most travelers from other countries are still prohibited from entering the US. However some of the few who are allowed entry are being told to avoid it.
Australia is advising citizens not to travel at all because of the pandemic but anyone who does, somehow, end up in America is also being advised to steer clear of protest hotspots.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: ‘Protests and demonstrations continue in several US cities.
‘Avoid areas where protests are occurring due to the ongoing potential for violence.’
People who have been in mainland Europe, China, Iran, Brazil, the UK and Ireland are still banned from entering the US under the COVID-19 rules.
WASHINGTON, DC: Pictured a couple walking past the Warner Building on Pennsylvania Ave
WASHINGTON, DC: Workers boarding up business at the 1200 Block of I Street
WASHINGTON, DC: Workers line up metal panels while building a fence near the White House on Monday night
Canada is still advising residents not to travel outside of the country but those who do are now also being told to avoid areas of protests and demonstrations after multiple nights of violence in Philadelphia over the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr.
Australia – which has banned people from leaving anyway – is also telling people not to travel anywhere in US because of the ‘potential violence’
On its tourism website, Canada says: ‘Demonstrations have been taking place in Philadelphia, since the shooting of an American citizen by police on October 26, 2020.
Clashes have occurred between protesters and police.
‘Protests and demonstrations have occurred since May 25, 2020, in several US cities.
‘Clashes have occurred between protesters and police, and have included the use of tear gas. Confrontations have resulted in casualties.
‘Further protests could occur and local authorities could impose additional curfews without notice.’
Both countries are issuing the guidance despite already having bans on people leaving their countries because of COVID-19.
In Washington, they have been boarding up stores since last week.
‘We have to be ready. They smashed the windows and just walked out with everything,’ said Ali Khan 66, who works at a now-barricaded downtown Washington liquor store where thousands of dollars in merchandise was stolen in June protests.
WASHINGTON D.C.: Crews plan on building ‘non-scalable’ fence around White House complex. Pictured: a large re-enforced structure at the intersection 17th Street and E street
WASHINGTON D.C.:Crews plan on building ‘non-scalable’ fence around White House complex. Pictured a work crews, working around a stack of fencing at 17th Street and E street. Christopher Oquendo for DailyMail.com)
WASHINGTON D.C.:Crews plan on building ‘non-scalable’ fence around White House complex. Pictured a work crews, working around a stack of fencing at 17th Street and E street
WASHINGTON D.C.:Crews plan on building ‘non-scalable’ fence around White House complex. Pictured a l”Restricited Area-Do Not Enter” sign on the large black metal fence along the North Side of the White House on H street
WASHINGTON DC: Stores and offices in Washington DC are also boarding up their windows ahead of potential unrest later in the week
WASHINGTON D.C.: A restaurant with the front windows boarded up in case of street riots during the upcoming 2020 general elections in Washington DC
WASHINGTON D.C.: A workers works on a stack of fencing near a security checkpoint on the South side of the White House, the day before the U.S. presidential election, in Washington
WASHINGTON D.C.: Starbucks in Washington DC was also being boarded up on Monday ahead of the potential unrest
WASHINGTON D.C.: Workers board up the windows of the Hugo Boss store at City Center DC in Washington on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020
WASHINGTON D.C.: Workers move a stack of fencing near a security checkpoint on the South side of the White House
Mayor Muriel Bowser said: ‘Some people would like to cause mayhem and trouble. We are preparing to ensure the city´s safety.’
In Kenosha, Wisconsin, there are fears of similar riots to those seen earlier this year. During those riots, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, a teenage vigilante, shot and killed two BLM protesters.
He is now facing murder charges but his arrest has become a flashpoint in national divide. Many believe he is a patriot who was defending the town from looters.
“I´m always going to be concerned about violence, but at this point it´s all speculation,’ Andy Berg, a member of the Kenosha County board of supervisors said.
Sheriff David Beth has said people like Rittenhouse inflame the situation.
‘They came in and their intention was to intimidate, to scare and create confrontation. And they did exactly that,” Beth said in an October interview with the Wisconsin radio station WTMJ.
‘And we had a 17-year-old who shouldn´t have been carrying an assault rifle through the streets of Kenosha … I couldn’t have asked for a worse ending to that Tuesday night,’ he said.
There are similar scenes in Ohio, Boston and in Beverly Hills, a famously wealthy area of Los Angeles that is home to a parade of designer stores.
LOS ANGELES: Workers board up a store on Rodeo Drive in preparation for Election Day, during the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease
BEVERLY HILLS : The Ralph Lauren store on Rodeo Drive was among luxury boutiques that have boarded up their windows
BEVERLY HILLS: Jimmy Choo in Beverly Hills is among the other stores that have put plywood across their windows
OHIO: In Columbus, Ohio, workers place plywood across the windows of the Chamber of Commerce on Monday
BOSTON: Construction crews board up the Richard Mille store on Newbury Street in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 02 November 2020. Many retailers are boarding up their storefronts in preparation for possible looting following any unrest due to the outcome of the elections on 03 November
BOSTON: Workers in Boston, Massachusetts, boarding up sores on Monday afternoon
LOS ANGELES: A Subway restaurant stands with boarded up windows and doors, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, in downtown Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES: Outdoor diners sit at tables outside the boarded up front window of a Denny’s restaurant
SAN FRANCISCO: Workers board up the exterior of an office building in San Francisco, California, on Monday
SAN FRANCISCO: People board up a store in Chinatown ahead of anticipated unrest
