Downtown San Francisco storefronts are boarding up ahead of Election Day in anticipation of looting and rioting.
Landlords are preparing for potential unrest only months after people flooded streets to protest the killing of George Floyd. Most marched peacefully, but some opportunistic vandals engaged in violent activity and looting in Union Square.
The hope is similar lawlessness won’t flare up after the election, but just in case, buildings along Market Street, from the Salesforce Tower to San Francisco Centre, are covered in massive pieces of plywood.
On Friday afternoon, Macy’s on Union Square was already fully covered and a crew was working on Neiman Marcus.
Carlos Garcia, the manager of Men’s Wearhouse on Market Street, said the store decided to cover windows with boards when others on the block started to do so, but he’s hopeful the extra protection is unnecessary. “I feel like regardless of the results of the election Californians are smart enough to know it’s counter-intuitive to riot,” Garcia said. “I’m really hopeful that there will be no unrest in San Francisco.”
The Union Square Business Improvement District told the San Francisco Chronicle it expects 75% of businesses to board up.
The S.F. Police Department told the San Francisco Business Journal in an email that there are currently no known threats to the city or polling places. But the department is staffing Election Day with enough officers to respond to both routine calls and and any “spontaneous events that may occur.”
San Francisco isn’t the only city where landlords are boarding up buildings. Reports of businesses taking this step are coming out of everywhere from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles.
Beverly Hills Police Chief Dominick Rivetti said in a video posted on Twitter that the city is taking a “proactive approach” and closing down Rodeo Drive on Election Day and the day after.