LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA – Election unrest. It’s a term that has become commonplace in recent months and has resulted in numerous cities and companies preparing for what could spell riotous trouble post-election day this year.
LA County Sheriff Villanueva warns ‘zero tolerance’ policy for violence, looting due to election unresthttps://t.co/EWVvXAn9au
Via @BillFOXLA— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) November 3, 2020
And L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is among those sheriff’s preparing, but also noting that any sort of criminal behavior linked to election unrest will be met with a “zero tolerance” approach.
When speaking with local news outlet FOX 11, Sheriff Villanueva stated the following about the topic:
“An organized effort to create civil unrest, looting, arson, vandalism, everything we saw during the unrest at the end of May and beginning of June, that is always a concern and we’re prepared for that.”
In anticipation of what might transpire in L.A. County, Sheriff Villanueva stated that sheriff’s deputies working patrol efforts are now doing 12-hour shifts.
On top of the increased shift hours for patrol units, the LASD has also enabled three mobile field forces in concurrence with numerous Sheriffs Response Teams that can respond to any perceived areas of concern within the county.
Reportedly, special attention is being focused on downtown L.A., Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and the Fairfax District, and Santa Monica – essentially, the areas that have been historically hit the hardest during the numerous riots from earlier this year.
While Sheriff Villanueva suspects that some trouble will brew following the election, he believes that the groups likely planning to engage in criminal activity should be small enough to deal with swiftly:
“I think the group of people that is willing to do something stupid like start vandalizing and looting is not that big of a group, and we’re gonna be ready for them and we will take action immediately.”
The L.A. County sheriff explained that his department learned a hard lesson this past summer in the wake of the George Floyd inspired riots.
And while the LASD cannot do much to rectify what’s already happened in the county, the sheriff says they can use that experience to know how to take effective action this time around:
“The last thing we want to do is communicate that lawlessness will be tolerated, cause all that does is make the problem bigger.”
Reportedly, Sheriff Villanueva will determine whether the National Guard will be deployed to assist in his respective region.
When remarking on that notion, Sheriff Villanueva called back to when he had requested the assistance from the National Guard during the peak of the George Floyd riots when L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti opposed the move – and then the mayor then had a change of heart and called them in himself:
“I was the one who called in the National Guard, then the Mayor reversed course and called it after I called it in. I’m the coordinator for region one, so the municipalities, including LA, they ask for our help as a mutual aid request and then if we don’t have the resources, we call in the National Guard from Cal OES.”
Law enforcement on heightened alert for Election Dayhttps://t.co/pkS3ywppF1
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) November 3, 2020
San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon is also following the staffing lead that Sheriff Villanueva is doing, with 12-hour shifts for deputies in anticipation of possible unrest.
While Sheriff McMahon stated there’s no reports of any planned, mass-criminal conduct during the election in his region, he’s also opting for being prepared just in case:
“We have no information to suggest there will be any type of violence, any civil unrest, any anarchy, anything of that nature, but should somebody get out of line or should something occur, we have the staff ready to deal with it.”
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes also realizes that this election year is swelled with higher “passions” than what the country has previously seen. While Sheriff Barnes respects everyone’s right to protest, he noted that anything encroaching criminal conduct will be dealt with:
“It is clear that passions are high this election season. Peaceful free speech will always be supported, but acts that restrict anyone’s right to vote, or cause violence and destruction will be addressed swiftly.”
Even though Sheriff Villanueva, and other law enforcement officials, are preparing for possible ill-temperaments that manifest into violent behaviors, the L.A. County sheriff is simply asking for residents to not overreact and to accept the results of the election:
“When all the counting is done, we need to respect the results, plain and simple. It’s not the end of the world because your party didn’t win, what counts is that democracy works, and it works because we respect the rule of law and we respect the results.”
It’s not just sheriffs in California that are preparing for election-related trouble.
Even the White House is taking steps to ensure nothing afoul transpires following the election. Here’s that previous report.
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WASHINGTON, DC – Reports are coming in that federal authorities are likely to install a “non-scalable” fence around the perimeter of the White House in anticipation of possible unrest – or worse – following the election in November.
Federal authorities are expected to put back into place a “non-scalable” fence around the entire perimeter of the White House on Monday as law enforcement and other agencies prepare for possible protests surrounding the election, a source confirmed https://t.co/Rkqcu6lRrj
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) November 2, 2020
It is believed that the fence likely to be installed around the White House will be at least similar or even identical to the type that was erected earlier this year when the riots were in full swing across the country.
If that is the case, then the fence will encircle Ellipse and Lafayette Square – traveling down 15th Street to Constitution Avenue and then over to 17th Street, then moving along H Street and across Lafayette to then connect again at 15th Street.
At this time, the Secret Service is not commenting on whether there are intentions to set up said fencing, noting that the agency doesn’t comment on planned or executed security measures taken.
Cause when the conservative candidate loses, conservative voters say “damn. That sucks.” and then go on about life. They don’t go riot and burn cities down. Duh.
— the rug that ties the room together (@HoldOnGimmeASec) November 2, 2020
With the likelihood of there not being a clear winner of the election known on November 4th due to the increase in mail-in ballots this year, there are concerns about possible riots and protests.
D.C. Metro Police Chief Peter Newsham has been expressing worries of possible civil unrest following the election since October, having warned the District’s City Council to anticipate such.
Reupping my deep dive into security preps for election day. Already most of downtown DC is boarded up, similar to NY and other big cities. Contingency plans for potential unrest are in place but law enforcement officials tell me they’re hoping for the best https://t.co/cGJzLDBHko
— Vivian Salama (@vmsalama) November 2, 2020
D.C. Metro Police have been bracing for the 2020 election for over a year, according to Patrick Burke.
Burke serves as the executive director of Washington, D.C. Police Foundation. He noted that police have been aligned with intelligence officials making sure any possible threat has a plan of action:
“If there’s no winner, you will see significant deployments of officers at all levels across the capital. Officers will get cancellations of days off, extensions of shifts and full deployments of officers across the city.”
The FBI is also monitoring possible public safety issues, with an official stating that “our preparations for 2020 take into account the current climate of the country.” The official said they have devised a “plan for a host of potential scenarios.”
It is not only the White House that is preparing for possible protests and riots in the streets.
Reportedly, numerous businesses across the country are also taking precautionary measures for what may play out on November 3rd and 4th.
Ulta Beauty, which saw some of their locations looted and vandalized earlier this year in other riots, noted that they’re going to be closing early and boarding up store locations during election day. In a statement, the company said that they’re hoping for the best, but are preparing for the worst:
“We are hopeful for a peaceful week but are taking proactive measures to ensure safety for guests, our associates and our stores.”
Retailers preparing for potential election-related unrest
* Ulta Beauty is boarding up & closing early in some stores
* Nordstrom is monitoring for any activity, closing up early election day
* some stores on Michigan Ave boarded up alreadyvia @leticiahttps://t.co/017DzxEl7V
— Sally Shin (@sallyshin) October 30, 2020
Nordstrom is also going to be closing their store location early on November 3rd but stated they intend to open for normal business come November 4th.
But with as costly as the riots have been this year, businesses are trying to be proactive.
Loretta Worters, a spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute, noted that the riots from 2020 have likely resulted in “the $1 billion-$2 billion range” in damages – despite conservative estimates alleging $500 million to $900 million.
Worters’ reasoning behind the higher estimate in losses stems from just how “widespread” these riots have been:
“Because the losses were so widespread and have a longer duration than previous riots, it could conceivably have the highest losses from riots.”
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