The polite patriotism of past Election Days has vanished in 2020, being replaced by collective wariness and a deep distrust of citizens on “the other side.”
And many retailers in major cities are fearful that when the winner of the presidential race is called—be it Donald Trump or Joe Biden—heated protests in the streets may devolve into property destruction, vandalism, and theft.
Some U.S retailers had already decided to close on Election Day. But others in urban areas are taking the extra precaution of boarding up their windows—motivated by the boiling tensions that have fomented in this toxic political climate, yes, but also by the memory of the retail destruction that occurred in the shadows of the peaceful protests following the murder of George Floyd by police in early June 2020.
Rows of well-Windexed windows on major shopping streets in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Portland, Ore., and other major cities have been transformed into plywood checkerboards over the past few days. Not all boarded-up stores are closed; some major retailers—including Target and Tiffany & Co.—have shielded their stores’ exteriors but stayed open to customers. “While we intend to remain open where possible, out of an abundance of caution the windows of select stores in key cities will be boarded in anticipation of potential election related activity,” Tiffany spokesperson Nathan Strauss told CNN.
In Chicago, the city’s major retail trade organization, the Magnificent Mile Association, is taking its cues from city government and police; precautions include “the pre-staging of police in the district, concrete barriers, and enhanced communications with the city,” according to a prepared statement from organization president Kimberly Bares. The group has also set up “an auxiliary command center” for Election Day “to communicate real-time information to our business community.”
Jewelry designer Whitney Abrams, who’s based in the Magnificent Mile area of Chicago, tells JCK there have been boarding-up trucks “everywhere” in her neighborhood, both yesterday and today.
It’s unsurprising that Chicago business owners are bracing themselves. Should election upheaval threaten their businesses, it would be the third time this year. Retailers in the city’s two major retail areas, Magnificent Mile/Gold Coast and downtown, suffered crushing losses in the late-May lootings following George Floyd’s death, when thieves stripped stores down to the light fixtures, Abrams recalls.
Then, in August, several retailers were hit by looters angry over an alleged killing of a Black man by police on the city’s South Side. “People just want to prepare because so many retailers have lost this year,” says Abrams, who used to own a store in the city. “They think, ‘We’ll pay to board up—it will be cheaper than being looted.’ ”
She adds that several stores in Chicago, including Nordstrom and Canada Goose, have erected permanent barriers since the two waves of destruction. Last night, Chicago resident and Instagram user @fabulousb___ posted video of retailers and restaurants boarding up windows. Walking by workers on ladders boarding up the Hermes store, he said, “Politics—I *** hate it.”
In attempts to head off criminal activity on Election Day and the days following it, Portland, Ore., has declared a state of emergency, and Oregon State Police and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office have taken over command of Portland’s police response during the election. The “unified command,” which runs through Wednesday evening, “allows state police to coordinate directly with federal law enforcement on any crowd control measures,” reports local news outlet the Oregonian.
In New York City, retailers in SoHo and midtown began boarding up windows in earnest on Monday. Bed Bath & Beyond, Louis Vuitton, Staples, Tourneau, Bloomingdale’s, CVS, and the Macy’s flagship in Herald Square are among the stores that covered their windows this week. Neither the New York Police Department or Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office have issued guidance to retailers on property protection beyond stressing general safety, but the NYPD posted a video of Police Chief Terence Monahan on Twitter in which he stressed, “There is certainly no shortage of coverage for this year’s election.” He added, “We have thousands of additional cops at the ready.… In the days following the election, we will have additional officers ready to respond to any type of incident. They will as always facilitate peaceful protests.”
In Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive is eerily quiet today, according to numerous sources, as stores have been tightly boarded up and the street has been closed to traffic by local authorities. Other shopping districts in Los Angeles, including Melrose Place, Melrose Avenue, downtown L.A., Venice, and Santa Monica are also filled with boarded-up storefronts.
And at least two buildings in downtown Los Angeles’ Diamond District issued alerts and/or procedure changes to their tenants. International Jewelry Center wrote in an email, “We have proactively taken steps to provide for the safety and security of our building tenants and employees, including putting up barricades at the entrance/exit of the lobby. Building access will be limited and filtered through the back of the building during this time, so please plan accordingly.”
Los Angeles’ St. Vincent’s Jewelry Center said in an email that was forwarded to JCK that it would be adding security guards to the property beginning this evening, “until we feel it is safe to go back to our regular security protocol.”
Top photo: Boards going up on windows in NYC’s Diamond District (photo by Marc Knobloch)
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