The city will be “ready for anything” come election night, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday.
Manhattan business owners began boarding up windows with plywood late last week in preparation for potential protests and looting sparked by Tuesday’s presidential election results.
Although there is a good chance that the country will not know the results of the election on Nov. 3, many New Yorkers are expecting demonstrations.
The New York Police Department sent a letter to businesses leaders in Manhattan advising them that the department was authorizing Election Day preparations “similar to those utilized during major planned events such as New Year’s Eve, Macy’s July 4 Fireworks and the Thanksgiving Day Parade,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
The letter advised businesses in Midtown to take extra precautions ahead of Election day such as moving or securing sidewalk chairs, tables, planters and trash cans close to storefronts.
The mayor claimed during a Monday press conference that the city was not giving store owners directions to board up windows.
De Blasio told reporters that given the contentious nature of this election, the city has been preparing for prolonged protests and that he would be meeting with NYPD officials today to continue Election Day preparations. Mayor de Blasio added that since meeting with NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea on Sunday night, the city does not have “any specific reports or specific threats at this point.”
“Everyone is concerned about the election results and what plays out after but I want to emphasize at this moment we don’t see a specific challenge,” said de Blasio. “I think we shouldn’t prejudge … but we will be ready for anything.”
