Boarded up but open: Stores in DC ready for election day unrest

Just a few blocks away from the White House, on 17th street the McDonald's outlet looks unusual.

It is all boarded up from outside and there is a cut-out on the door reassuring visitors that it is open for business. This is not the only store to do that in Washington, DC, on election day.

Several cafes and restaurants are boarded up from outside but still promising they are open. As Americans voted Tuesday, the capital prepared itself for potential unrest.

Caroline Pollak lives in Virginia and has come to visit Washington DC. She is finding the whole thing very strange.

”I went to a coffee shop down the road, they have boarded all the windows just as a precautionary measure. But it is all sad, why should anybody have to do that,” she said.

Along Pennsylvania Avenue and surrounding streets near the White House the sound of power tools echoes through the streets as workers install protective plywood barriers, creating an unusual atmosphere in the nation's capital.

Parena Bread is a famous cafe on Pennsylvania Avenue and similar boarded-up scenes can be seen here too. The windows are completely blocked. The staff at the cafe says that the building has taken these measures as a precaution.

It is not just the cafes and stores, the government buildings are also boarded or fenced. At the United States post office building on Pennsylvania Avenue, workers are placing large plywood sheets and creating a cover from outside.

Some of the plywood sheets already have graffiti on them. Paul Mier works in the neighbourhood and finds the whole thing very unusual and thinks it has to do with what happened in the last presidential election when the city saw ruckus.

”Who knows what will happen, there are obviously issues with what happened in the last elections. It is sad to see businesses having to react to situations like this. But I guess nobody wants to take the risk,” says Paul Mier.

The White House and other federal buildings have implemented heightened security measures. Metal barriers and security fencing now surround the White House complex. Additional fencing has been installed around the Vice President's residence at the Naval Observatory. The Secret Service is coordinating with federal, state, and local partners to ensure enhanced security.        

Phoebe Emm is a student in Washington, DC, and she says that the nation is still traumatised by what happened last time in the elections and the precautions were for that.

”This past week we have not been able to walk up to the fence, they are setting up the inauguration stage for that and there are security barricades. We have to keep a safe distance. I am really anxious about the elections, it is too close for comfort to be excited.”

Hank Thomas is a DC resident who runs a venture capital firm and keeps coming to the White House on and off. He feels the fencing is a security precaution. “Groups come to DC and protest but then become violent and cause damage. I hate seeing damage to things that people pay taxes for.”

On January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill witnessed unrest when supporters of then-president Donald Trump attempted to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden's electoral victory.

This time while there is no specific official announcement of threats, the city's preparation reflects a cautious approach following previous incidents of civil unrest. 

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