(Bloomberg) — "On Election Day, Rodeo Drive will be in lockdown, with cars and pedestrians blocked from its luxury boutiques. Along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, barriers will control crowds. New York’s Fifth Avenue is staying open but will quickly shutter if unrest erupts.
“There’s coordination across city departments,” said Rich Gamble, chairman of the Magnificent Mile Association. Blockades will be arranged with “everything from snow plows to salt trucks — those will be on the ready.”
After being caught off guard during nationwide social unrest this summer and suffering millions in damages, retailers have spent months prepping for another possible bout of vandalism on Election Day. In one significant example, Walmart Inc., the nation’s largest retailer, pulled guns off its sales floor on Oct. 29.
The industry is trying to avoid a repeat of scenes that played out across the country when protests following the police killing of George Floyd were accompanied by violence and property damage. In Los Angeles, there were burglaries at Gucci and Alexander McQueen. Looting also took place in Chicago and Manhattan, including at Macy’s Inc.’s massive midtown flagship."
Other cities are preparing and coordinating with major chains, too. Houston’s police force will put more cops on the street for Election Day and its aftermath. Atlanta officials say they’re gearing up for large protests. In Portland, home to months of unrest, police told businesses to remove dumpsters and signs to eliminate things that can be used as projectiles or fuel for fires.
Despite months to prepare, retailers and their suppliers are rushing to finish off security measures in the final days before the election.
“It’s been pretty daunting,” said Campbell of the push to get his company’s products installed in all the stores that ordered them. “We’re working around the clock.
metmike: Clearly, they are most concerned about the reaction by those that oppose Trump if he should win.
That particular group is least likely to accept our democratic way of determining the winner of elections.
Will CNN describe it as justified and encourage people to protest the results of the election if Trump wins?
Will Biden do the right thing and tell people to stay home and respect our democracy?
Especially considering COVID numbers are picking up and people should avoid gathering in large crowds., how hypocritical to attend mass gathering protests with no social distancing and some not wearing masks.
If Trump loses, he will likely whine and blame voter fraud but no republicans will support this and it seems very unlikely, that Trump supporters will act like Biden supporters...............rioting, looting, vandalizing and creating chaos and violence.