Washington/New York: Security has been tightened at the White House and major commercial avenues across the US ahead of the presidential elections. Retailers have boarded up their stores to head off any damages as America braced for possible unrest and violence in a bitter and divisive presidential race.
Vital government installations are on high alert while the Secret Service has fortified the White House. A ‘non-scalable’ wall has been temporarily erected around the sprawling presidential complex ahead of the voting Tuesday. About 600 National Guard troops have also been designated to help respond to protests around the US if requested.
On election eve, contractors were seen busy boarding up major stores and businesses from New York and Boston in the north to southern Houston to Washington DC and Chicago in the east to San Francisco in the West.
Stores along the posh 5th Avenue in Manhattan as well as across the New York city boarded up. Workers were seen drilling plywood onto the stores’ facade late Monday in the night, amid fears that Election Day could bring violence, looting and clashes. Those could be as violent as the chaos seen in summer during protests over the death of George Floyd.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday he has spoken with Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. However, till the time of him talking to the media there is no specific reports or specific threats of violence.
“Everyone, of course, is concerned about the election results and what plays out after. But I want to emphasise, at this moment, we don’t see a specific challenge. We are ready for all sorts of challenges. A lot of preparation has been happening over the last few weeks,” De Blasio said during a press conference.
He also responded to a question on concerns about violence in the city on and after Election Day and stores boarding up. He said every store owner has to make their own decision and he respects the decision of each of them.
“I want to talk about Election Day and the aftermath. Everyone’s thinking about this deeply. Everyone’s concerned,” De Blasio emphasised. He added that the city should be prepared for the fact that the election results will not necessarily be a 100 per cent clear Tuesday night or even Wednesday.
“And, right now, we’re all very troubled, seeing the President of the United States question in advance the validity of the election. We’ve never seen that before from a president. We’ve never seen a president encourage voter suppression and harassment in this kind of fashion. The American people are going to have the final say here,” asserted De Blasio.
The 2020 US Presidential Election is being touted as the ‘election of a lifetime’. It is seeing an unprecedented level of anxiety and fear across America in the wake of a bitter election campaign.
Supporters on both sides, including the groups involved in the ‘Black Lives Matter’ agitation, have announced a gathering Tuesday night in downtown Washington DC. Results will then start to trickle in after the counting of votes begin.
Washington DC, where scores of shops and businesses were damaged during the violent race protests after George Floyd’s death in police custody, saw exaggerated security activity. “Fearing post-election violence, retailers board up windows and hire extra security,” ‘The Washington Post’ reported.
“Retailers have already sustained an estimated USD 1 billion in insured losses from property damage and theft this year, according to early estimates from the Insurance Information Institute, making this year’s protests the costliest civil disorder in US history,” the daily said.
In Chicago, a number of stores along its famed Magnificent Mile have downed their shutters and boarded up the windows. Similarly, the Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles and midtown New York City have taken precaution. Rodeo Drive houses the world’s top designer labels, including Armani, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana.
Walmart, earlier in the week, had removed guns and ammunition from its outlet.
Late Monday evening, President Donald Trump tweeted that the Supreme Court’s decision on counting of votes in Pennsylvania will incite violence. The top court has allowed ballots to be counted up to three days after Election Day in Pennsylvania.