Several business owners in Manhattan have boarded up their windows days ahead of Election Day after NYPD officials warned of potential civil unrest.
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The New York Post reports police officials warned businesses in hot spot areas such as Soho to prepare and take extra precautions before Election Day. They stated that based on voting results, there could be civil unrest throughout the city.
“The NYPD talked to many segments of the business community this week and advised that businesses in or in the area of location that have historically been protest targets, Washington Square and Union Square for example, and gave them advice to take extra precaution,”
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Assistant Cheif Stephen Hughes also described in the letter that businesses need to remove clothing racks, furniture, and other store items to prevent further damage. However, officials did not tell businesses to board up their windows and said it was up to the owners to make that decision.
Over the summer, several businesses were looted amid the protests against police brutality after George Floyd’s death.