American Businesses Board Up Their Windows, AgainThis Time for the Election – The Daily Beast

Vicki Fichter works as a dispatcher for Chicago Board Up Services, but lately she has also been asked to moonlight as a crystal ball. This week, around fifty businesses in the city have called requesting quotes for a disturbing scenario: They want to shutter storefronts ahead of election day.

Everyone asks me, what will the next couple of weeks bring? Will the unrest come next week? Fichter told The Daily Beast. Im like, Dont ask me. Im not going to be the judge of anything political.

The week before Election Day, social media filled with images of major cities seemingly closed down, expecting unrest to come. I never thought I would see so many buildings here in the nations capital boarded-up on the eve of a presidential election in anticipation of possible unrest, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer tweeted. And its not just in D.C. Its happening in New York, Los Angeles, and elsewhere around the country. So sad!

Donald Trump Jr. responded, You a-holes and your liberal agenda built that, failing to acknowledge his fathers habit of stoking potentially violent election day interference.

Of course, November 3 will not be the first time this year that commercial neighborhoods braced for impact. Wood paneling drilled over windows has become a ubiquitous sight in shopping districts since May, when the murder of George Floyd fueled a national protest movement. Though the majority of those demonstrations have been peaceful, in some instances that anger has erupted into raucous unrest.

Fichter has worked in the industry for a decade; shes never dealt with the kind of demand 2020 has required. This has just been a very unsettling six months, she said. So many things have happened in a row. We have been very busy, on and off, since [protests began] in May. Then we were busy in August, and again now. But weve never done this for any election. This is a first for all of us.

WWD reported that the New York flagship stores for Macys, Bloomingdales, and Saks Fifth Avenue have been boarded up. Outside of Saks, the joyless display of drilled-down wood clashes with its gilded facade.

Downtown, SoHo outposts of Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Moncler were also blacked out. A rep for Nordstrom, on 57th Street, told the trade publication that the department store would close early on Election Day.

According to The New York Times, Beverly Hills police will close Rodeo Drive as a proactive approach. Last week, representatives for Walmart told The Wall Street Journal that the mega-chain would remove guns and ammunition from sales floors. They later reversed this decision.

When Marshalls customers in Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan, saw two storefronts boarded up, the Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad released a Facebook statement that read, There is nothing to be concerned about at this time and the police department will continue to work to provide a safe and secure election.

A USA Today/Suffolk poll revealed that 3 out of 4 surveyed voters express[ed] concerns about the possibility of violence on Election Day. Boarded-up shops serve as an immediate visual reminder of nationwide anxiety.

The Sunday and Monday before Election Day, Fichter had booked 12 jobs around the city of Chicago. Right now, were doing a lot of preventative medicine, so to speak, she said. Were a bit swamped, because I only have two trucks [to send out].

Theyre worried about rioting, whether its Trump winning and people are pissed off or its Biden winning and theyre celebrating.

James Smythe

Owners want to wait until the last minute to put up wood panels. The biggest concern is how it looks, Fichter said. As of yesterday and today, nobody wants to board up too early. You dont want it to look crappy. I dont blame them.

According to Fichter, services in Chicago can cost between $500 and $850. A lot of those little mom and pop retail places would rather spend $500 to board up than $5,000 to fix broken glass, she said. And unfortunately, insurance doesnt pay for preventative work. There is no government grant for these owners, and thats whats sad. No one will reimburse them.

James Smythe, general manager of New Yorks Cipco Boarding, Inc, added that his office is going a little crazy right now.

Everyones calling up for prices, he said. We started getting phone calls on Wednesday, and by Thursday we were blowing up. By Election Day, the company will have boarded about a dozen or two dozen big retail stores and 20 mom and pop shops.

Theyre worried about rioting, whether its Trump winning and people are pissed off or its Biden winning and theyre celebrating, Smythe said, adding, This is the worst Ive seen for an election.

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American Businesses Board Up Their Windows, AgainThis Time for the Election - The Daily Beast