With a very likely possibility of not knowing who will win the presidential election on Tuesday night, stores across New York City are bracing for unrest in the streets despite the mayor saying there had been no "specific threat."
Businesses from Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square to high-end shops in Manhattan’s chic SoHo neighborhood to mom and pop shops in the Bronx had already covered their windows. Similar scenes also played out in other parts of the country where unrest broke out in the summer over the death of George Floyd.
A number of rallies have been planned starting Tuesday afternoon into the evening in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.
The country is bracing for potential conflict after the vote. Businesses are boarding up from New York to California in anticipation of violent protests as the country wait for the results of a divisive election season between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday the city was "ready for every eventuality, but there's nothing specifically showing up at this moment that causes alarm."
"There are no major protests scheduled at this point," de Blasio added. "Here's the bottom line: Our job representing all of you is to make sure everyone votes, everyone is heard, and to continue in that spirit in the days and weeks ahead, whatever the outcome, no matter how long it takes."
For weeks, de Blasio has said any peaceful protests would be respected and facilitated but warned that any violence would be stopped immediately.
"We will not allow any violence. I want to be clear once again about this," he said Tuesday.
A day earlier, Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged New Yorkers to try to contain their emotions until the final results are in, which he said could take some time "given the unique circumstances of the election." He also emphasized the point de Blasio made earlier in the day -- that protests are fine until people break the law. When that happens, the governor said, enforcement will be done accordingly.
Retailers aren't taking any chances. Some in midtown Manhattan boarded up their windows well ahead of Election Day amid concerns over potential unrest. Experts have said it's unlikely the country has a definitive winner for days or even weeks as mail-in votes are counted. Still, there may be partisan claims of victory. The NYPD anticipates any protests could last into the beginning of next year.
It has deployed officers aplenty and early ahead of what NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea had said would be "one of the most highly contested presidential elections in the modern era" -- and one that may not be decided for weeks.
It's not just NYPD standing at the ready. The Guardian Angels announced over the weekend they would have thousands of volunteers in place across the city for "possible rioting and unrest" that develop on Election Day.
"There is pure hate, the people who support Trump, they hate the people who support Biden and vice versa," said Guardian Angels President and Founder Curtis Sliwa. "More importantly, we know that there are thugs who have no political identity who may take advantage of the situation and riot and loot again as they did in June. We stood in their way in NYC, and we prepared to do it again with our Guardian Angel Chapters nationwide."
During those summer protests over Floyd's death under Minneapolis police custody, stores from Manhattan to the Bronx and Queens boarded up their windows after some fiery nights of vandalism and looting. This time, Macy's boarded up its windows on Friday.
"Our windows at Macy's Herald Square were previously scheduled to be dark next week in set-up for our annual holiday displays. Out of an abundance of caution, we are implementing additional security measures at several of our stores," a spokesperson for the company said via email.
Plywood covered businesses in Midtown Manhattan once again Friday as the city prepares for what lies ahead following the results of the presidential election. Gaby Acevedo reports.
Not far from the Macy's flagship department store, windows at the T-Mobile store in Times Square were covered with protective plywood by the afternoon. Other luxury shops in Manhattan neighborhoods, as well as the tourist destination Rockefeller Center, have gone the same route. It's not clear how many stores have taken precautions already, but that number is expected to grow even into Election Day.
Shea said the department has been advising some Midtown businesses to remove their merchandise and other items like chairs, tables, construction barrels and trash cans from sidewalks in order to allow any potential protesters to move unimpeded.
"We're not telling people to board up their stores but we're getting those questions from people," Shea told WCBS 880 on Friday.
Chief Terence Monahan, the highest-ranked uniformed member of the NYPD, echoed those sentiments, and reinforced that the department is ready to handle whatever happens, although wasn't expecting anything in the very near-term.
"We're really confident that we're going to have no issues through Election Day. The day after, there are some nationwide calls to protest, we know it, we will be out there in those protests, to facilitate those who want to peacefully protest," Monahan said.
In October, a police department memo sent to officers called the vote “one of the most highly contested presidential elections in the modern era” and noted that the winner “may not be decided for several weeks.”
The NYPD has been holding tabletop exercises to prepare for potential unrest and shifting hundreds of officers to patrol duties.
“We want to be very careful not to either over-police, because that that could send a signal, or under-police,” said John Miller, the department’s deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism.
As polls open across the country, President Donald Trump has a planned stop in Virginia before heading back the White House. Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Pennsylvania before returning to Delaware.
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