San Francisco Businesses Prepare For Election Night Unrest

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    SAN FRANCISCO—Several businesses and restaurants in San Francisco are preparing for potential election-night unrest.

    The Union Square Business Improvement District is estimating that 75 percent of stores in Union Square will board up by Sunday, November 1, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

    “Given the heightened attention and emotion around this year’s election, many businesses out of the abundance of caution are boarding up their entrances and windows in case of public unrest or protest across the political spectrum,” says Karin Flood, executive director of the Union Square Business Improvement District, to the Chronicle. “Given events of this past spring and summer, it is not an unexpected precaution.”

    The San Francisco Police Department has canceled all discretionary days off for officers. Tiffany Hang, SFPD Public Information Officer, said the department is coordinating with the Mayor’s office regarding security. They are also working with local, state and federal partners to ensure no threats arise. Hang said there are no known threats to the city or to polling places.

    Hang told the San Francisco News the police department is aware that some businesses have opted to increase their security measures.

    “We do advise surveillance and alarms are a good way to deter crime,” Hang said. “In the event that a crime does occur, we have been able to use video surveillance in the past to help our investigation.”

    Several cities across the nation are also preparing for potential civil unrest following Election Day. On October 30, boards went up over storefronts in Washington DC, New York City, Los Angeles, and Denver.