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Preparations are being made coast-to-coast over fears of election unrest, as some activists plan protest no matter what the outcome, while celebrities are bringing in extra security forces, and more news.
No matter the outcome of the election, security experts have been warning of chaos, particularly in downtown areas of the same cities where protests over police brutality occurred over the summer, as well as in battleground states, CBS reported.
A recent USA Today/Suffolk University poll found that 75% of Americans are concerned about widespread civil unrest breaking out on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2020, KREM reports.
The fear of widespread unrest across the nation has led to a plywood shortage as retailers and businesses from coast-to-coast have boarded up their establishments to protect them from looters, rioters, and vandals. Construction companies are scrambling to find wood to protect buildings, forcing some businesses to turn to more expensive steel to protect their establishments, CBS reported.
Another fear that people have is accidentally steering into an area where protests have bogged down traffic. Innocent motorists are sometimes caught up in the events unaware. Sometimes the protesters attack the vehicles.
Since May, more than 100 such incidents have occurred, BuzzFeed news reports.
Fears of protesting, no matter the outcome, are well warranted. BuzzFeed News interviewed a number of activists across the political divide. Through these interviews, it is clear some of these groups plan on taking action.
“We are preparing for an extended period of protest that will make the summer look like camp,” Mary-Katherine Fleming, an independent activist, told BuzzFeed News. “People have this idea that it’s all going to be over after the election. It’s not.”
One thing that could trigger some unrest is the unrealistic expectation of a winner of the 2020 presidential election being announced on election night. Experts are advising the American public that it is unlikely that the results of the 2020 election will be determined on election night.
One expert weighing in the matter is NBC and PBS contributor Michael Beschloss, who is a presidential historian and author (Presidents of War – crown books). Beschloss tweeted: “We did not know Presidential winner for certain before midnight on election nights in 1960, 1968, 1976, 2000, 2004, 2016. No one should pretend there would be anything historically unusual if that happens again in 2020.”
Celebrities and celebrity enclaves are bringing in extra security forces to help keep them safe. In a massive show of force, the city of Beverly Hills is mobilizing its entire police force, after the Beverly Hills City Council voted to allocate $4.8 million for security around the election, TMZ reported.
The city hired SWAT team members from Santa Paula, as well as armed private security companies and additional equipment to protect the city and its 35,000 residents from violence.
In some of New York’s swankiest apartment buildings, wealthy celebrities, in at least one, have hired armed security guards, the Daily Wire reported.
Last week, The New York Post also reported that New York City’s “ultra rich are quietly preparing for civil unrest on Election Day … By hiring armed guards to stand watch over their luxury Manhattan buildings.”
